Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has hinted at the possibility of establishing a government of national unity, which — if it happens — would be a monumental change in Fiji’s current political scene.

Responding to questions yesterday, Rabuka also asserted that current issues within the FijiFirst Party would not have any impact on the parliamentary proceedings leading up to the National Budget day on June 28.

“No, it will not, we will just go ahead as normal and we play it as we see the Members of Parliament sitting at the time,” Rabuka said.

“I feel sad for them [FijiFirst] but if that becomes reality, we have a plan to talk to the remaining Members of Parliament.”

When asked if he would consider forming a government of national unity, Rabuka said this was a “very strong possibility”.

“With the issues of constitution change, national reconciliation and those things coming up, we will need across the floor cooperation,” he said.

He also said any possibility of amending the 2013 Constitution must be done according to “proper processes”.

‘It’ll have to go to the people’
“We can only do what the Parliament is authorised to do by the Constitution and that is to start the process, but it’ll have to go to the people.”

Rabuka also said he had respected the integrity of FijiFirst and had not tried to break into their unity.

“Not me. If the need arises, we will talk to them.

“The opening address by His Excellency the President at the beginning of this [Parliament] session indicated that we would like to take a national approach to most of the national problems.

“I have not thought about terminating anybody at this point.”

The PM also appealed to the people to stay calm amid what was happening.

“MPs remain confident in the processes, in the constitutional requirements that govern the country,” Rabuka said.

Shayal Devi is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The founding members of the FijiFirst party, including former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and ex-attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, have resigned.

Sayed-Khaiyum confimed that party president Ratu Joji Satalaka, vice-president Selai Adimaitoga, acting general-secretary Faiyaz Koya and treasurer Hem Chand have also resigned from the party, according to local media reports.

Sayed-Khaiyum said the other vice-president Ravindran Nair and founding member Salesh Kumar have also resigned.

He said the resignation letters were given to the Registrar of Political Parties last Friday, June 7.

One FijiFirst MP, Ketal Lal, posted on Facebook: “Sad day for Fiji” after the news was made public.

Dialogue Fiji executive director Nilesh Lal said the “mass resignation of founding members and senior officials is probably one of the most ill-conceived moves on the part of the founding members of the FijiFirst party”.

Lal said the move will “severely weaken” the position of the two minor parties — Sodelpa and NFP — in the coalition government.

Minor parties losing ‘bargaining chip’
“It was always in the interests of NFP and Sodelpa that FijiFirst remained a strong, united and viable party, and with this latest development, this is clearly not the case any longer. Both Sodelpa and NFP lose their bargaining chip, with the demise of FijiFirst.”

RNZ Pacific has contacted the Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, for comment.

Last week, FijiFirst confirmed that it had sacked 17 MPs after they voted for a pay rise — going against a party directive.

However, the expelled Fijifirst MPs said they were going to contest the decision and would remain parliamentary opposition, highlighting divisions within the largest single party in the Fijian Parliament.

Mataiciwa, who was also the Supervisor of Elections, said FijiFirst needed to amend its consitution by June 28 or risk deregistration.

She told local media the party’s constitution did not have guidelines on how internal party disputes were resolved, which was in breach of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto.

Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of the coalition government in power,” he said.

“So, for the coalition government, it’s time to defend your record — if there is anything to defend at all.”

Naupoto said this must be the reason why the government had laid the blame on FijiFirst “to cover them doing little or nothing at all”.

He said there had been a sharp rise in crime and that the drug problem was at a crisis level.

Citing the International Monetary Fund, Naupoto said the economy was slowing down at 3 percent and life was hard on the ground.

“There’s a general shortage of skilled workers, there is brain drain as well.

“FijiFirst put in place policies to reverse that brain drain and turn it into a brain gain where Fijians could come back and invest in our country.

“This government, it looks like, will be a brain drain gone.”

Naupoto added that the opposition would never shy away from its job of criticising and asking tough questions of the government.

Wata Shaw is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz