Fiji’s opposition is accusing
the country’s prime minister of political “strangulation”
ahead of an upcoming election.
It comes after Prime
Minister Sitiveni Rabuka pre-emptively announced a date for
Fiji’s first-ever national referendum on the island nation’s
constitution reform process on Monday – just two days after
his coalition pushed through a major bill on its second
reading to change the 2013 Constitution.
Parliamentary
opposition leader Inia Seruiratu said that, by announcing a
date for the referendum, Rabuka was “putting the cart before
the horse”.
Seruiratu described the move as
“premature”, as the Fijian parliament had not completed
debating the Constitution (Amendment) Bill.
“The bill
has only passed its second reading and has now been referred
to a Special Select Committee for further scrutiny, public
awareness and public submissions,” he said in a statement on
Tuesday.
“It is expected to return to parliament for
its third reading in November. Until that process is
completed, parliament has not given its final approval to
the Bill.
“What then is the basis for announcing 9
December as the referendum date when Parliament has not even
determined the final form of the Constitution Amendment
Bill?”
Rabuka announced on Monday that the question to
be put to the people had not yet been decided, but said it
would only require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote, even though the
exact wording has not yet been determined.
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He also
told reporters that there was no Plan B if his bid fails
during the bill’s third reading next month.
“We can’t
have a contingency plan,” he said in response to a question
from a local reporter.
Rabuka said that he would write
to the Electoral Commission to suspend all election-related
campaigning.
More than 723,000 eligible Fijian voters
still have not been told the date for the country’s general
election, but Rabuka has maintained that the timeline
remains unchanged and the polls will go ahead by 6 February
2027 – the maximum deadline under the current
constitution.
Since independence, Fiji has had four
coups and four constitutions. Critics of the 2013
Constitution, including the Rabuka-led coalition, argue that
it was imposed on the people by the previous Bainimarama
administration.
The coalition has made it a priority
to replace the document and roll back many of its defining
features.
The constitutional debate takes place as the
country grapples with several social and economic issues,
including deteriorating health infrastructure, declining
education standards, rising unemployment and poverty. The
critics of the coalition say the government should focus on
fixing the bread-and-butter issues first.
“Why should
political parties be prevented from speaking to voters about
the cost of living, health services, education, employment,
infrastructure, governance and the many other issues upon
which the government must be held accountable simply because
the government has decided to pursue a referendum?”
Seruiratu said.
“Announcing the referendum date
beforehand creates the unfortunate impression that the
timetable has already been determined irrespective of what
the public or ultimately parliament may
decide.”
However, Justice Minister Siromi Turaga said
the government was going to systematically inform the Fijian
people about the bill.
“Government machinery will be
activated to ensure every Fijian [has] a good understanding
for what they’re going to cast their [referendum] vote on,”
Turaga, who is also the acting Attorney-General,
said.
Fiji’s Electoral Commission said in a statement
that it would – alongside the Fijian Elections Office (FEO)
– proceed with the preparations for the national referendum,
while continuing preparations for the general
election.
“The Electoral Commission understands that
announcements from government will naturally lead to
questions from voters, particularly about what happens next.
The Electoral Commission and the FEO will therefore continue
to provide information as arrangements are confirmed,” the
statement
read.
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