Stop making noise and listen to youth, Duituturaga tells elders

Older Fijians need to “stop making a lot of noise and start listening to the younger population” in the constitution review process, development specialist Emele Duituturaga says.

Speaking at Dialogue Fiji’s panel discussion on Fiji’s Constitution Review – Building Trust and Legitimacy at the Suva Civic Auditorium on Thursday, Ms Duituturaga said those aged 60 and above made up only 6.4 percent of Fiji’s population.

“If you're older, like me, stop making a lot of noise and start listening to the younger population, so that’s really important,” she said.

She noted that 54 percent of Fiji’s population is aged 30 and under.

“We have a majority population of coup babies. If you were born in 1987, you’re 38 years old,” she said.

Ms Duituturaga stressed the need for civic education before any constitutional amendments are considered.

“Before we talk about the amendment, we need to talk to the majority population about what is a constitution. What is democracy?” she said.

She added that many young Fijians who had grown up under military regimes lacked a strong understanding of these concepts.

“When I talk to my children and seven grandchildren about democracy, they look to me like, ‘oh, you’re from the dim, dark ages’.”

Ms Duituturaga called for national consultations rather than Suva-based conversations.

“We have to do town halls; we have to do open forums. This has to be the start,” she said.

She also warned that consultation must go beyond Parliament.

“Parliament is very political. That’s not the public. So we have to move beyond that.”

The forum was attended by Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga and featured panellists including Professor Jon Fraenkel and Professor Cheryl Saunders.