Former prime minister and Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry has urged the Government to prioritise the needs and aspirations of the people of the country.
He said FLP was the victim of two of Fiji’s four coups.
“Twice, Labour governments elected by the people were stolen,” Mr Chaudhry said.
“It’s a very hard thing to live with but we have struggled. We continue to fight, and our focus is on the people.”
He said this while on a panel discussion centred around democracy, organised and hosted by University of the South Pacific (USP) in collaboration with Australian National University (ANU) and Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF).
“We can have a very prosperous economy, we can have very good legislation and all that.
“But if our people are neglected, if the needs and aspirations are not met, if they are ignored by those who rule over them, that’s not democracy in my books.
“We put them first before. We want to see that their aspirations need to be met.”
