What does Parliament do? Perhaps if most were asked what Fiji’s Parliament actually did, they might reply -after some thought, “It makes laws!”
That was the opening paragraph in a civic education story that was published in The Fiji Times on Saturday, November 30, 1974.
The article, aimed at educating citizens on democracy concepts, said Fiji’s Parliament made laws for the peace, order and good government of Fiji in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of Fiji.
However, Parliament also had quite a few other jobs to do, according to the article
“It consists of the Queen, represented here by the Governor General, Ratu Sir George Cakobau, the 52-member House of Representatives (often referred to as the Lower House) and the 22-member Senate,” the newspaper article noted.
“Though the Governor-General is not directly involved in the day-to-day running of Parliament, he has a major role to play.”
The article said apart from considering the nature and the merits of proposals which may later become laws – and making any amendments to these proposals, Parliament had the following roles to fill:
(1) The control of expenditure by keeping a careful eye on financial proposals and their purposes.
(2) Examination of public accounts to ensure that public money is spent in accordance with parliamentary approval and in the best interest of the taxpayer.
(3) Critical discussion of Government policy, both external and internal, and its implementation
(4) The safeguarding and promotion of the best interests of the nation and its people.
