The proposed Kingdom Future Party has come out strongly against reserving seats for women in Parliament, with its general secretary Paul Morrel calling the idea “unfair and unnecessary”.
Speaking at the Fiji Law Reform Commission’s public consultation in Navua, Mr Morrel said elected positions should be based on merit, not gender.
“You get voted into Parliament not because of your gender, but because you’ve earned your place,” he said.
Mr Morrel said that while he acknowledged women as strong leaders, he believed they should win seats through the same democratic process as men.
He warned that introducing gender-based quotas could lead to other groups seeking similar privileges.
“It brings up the risk of reserving other seats in Parliament. With the verge of these new genders, who knows – in ten or thirty years, they might reserve seats for them.
“Parliament should be a place where you earn your seat. Not because it was handed to you.”
