Human Rights Commissioner Alefina Vuki has called for an extension of the public consultation period on the Constitution Amendment Bill, saying 11 days is insufficient for meaningful public participation.
Ms Vuki said the complexity of the proposed amendments required extensive public engagement and civic education before changes were considered.
“You can’t do that in 11 days,” she said.
She said members of the public needed time to examine legal documents, understand the proposed changes and seek advice before making submissions.
Ms Vuki said the Constitution was not ordinary legislation and required a higher level of public accountability and participation.
She pointed to Fiji’s constitutional history, saying the committee responsible for the 1997 Constitution took about 13 months to develop the document.
“So we’re saying, look at how in our own history of constitutional making, learn from that.”
She also questioned the time allocated for public presentations, including the three hours provided for consultations in Suva.
Ms Vuki said the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission had made its written submission while continuing to examine the documents.
She said the Government had a responsibility to provide civic education to help people understand the 2013 Constitution, the Constitutional Review Committee’s report and draft amendments, and the Government’s revised proposals.
The commission also needed to assess the proposed amendments against the nine international human rights conventions ratified by Fiji, particularly those relating to Chapter Two, which contains the Bill of Rights.
Ms Vuki said this required careful examination.
“We believe it should be amended because it was imposed on the public.”
However, she stressed that any amendments must allow sufficient time for meaningful public participation.
