DOCTOR Pita Nacuva believes the appointment of Dr Jiko Luveni as the Speaker of Parliament opens up a new window of opportunity for women in Parliament.
The former speaker said the appointment was interesting and wonderful especially when there was a lady Speaker in Parliament.
Sharing his experiences as Fiji’s last elected Speaker, the Nadroga native said one of the main challenges he faced was the way parliamentarians behaved and spoke in the house.
“But if they observe the standing orders, there shouldn’t be any difficulty at all,” Dr Nacuva said.
“The Speaker also has certain powers built in that she can exercise, so when you talk about Parliament, members of Parliament are honourable members and if they observe the standing orders there shouldn’t be any difficulty for a speaker to manage the house.
“So it is a question of educating the MPs properly so when they come in, they are familiar with the orders particularly the standing orders.”
The former Fiji rugby captain said if members of Parliament lived according to their title, there shouldn’t be any difficulty to the Speaker.
“But of course Dr Luveni is a seasoned person, a doctor who was also involved in some regional organisations and I’m sure she has the disposition but it all comes down again to respect.
“It won’t be any difficult for her if there is some respect from honourable members.”
He also urged the Speaker to be familiar with the standing order and her role as the Speaker to avoid any difficulty.
“It’s her personality as well, she has to always maintain her composure and smile and that should have some kind of effect on the members of Parliament.”
He added he would hand in his resignation a day before Parliament sits.
Dr Nacuva was sworn in on June 6, 2006 but removed during the military takeover in December the same year.
