POOR legislative drafting and internal contradictions render sections of the proposed Constitution (Amendment) Bill meaningless, a parliamentary submission has heard.
Speaking at public consultations in Nadi, University of Fiji vice-chancellor Professor Shaista Shameem criticised the Attorney-General’s Office over the quality of the Bill.
Prof Shameem identified more than 100 sections across four pages containing typographical mistakes, grammatical errors, or internal contradictions.
She told the committee that proper legislative drafting required clear language, transparent public policy goals, and internal consistency.
“I’m afraid the Bill fails on all of those principles of constitutional drafting,” she said.
She raised specific concerns over vague legal definitions, pointing to the word “chastisement” under section 41C regarding children’s rights.
Prof Shameem argued that without a clear definition in the interpretation section, the term created dangerous ambiguity regarding physical discipline.
She also highlighted the reduction of explicit human rights provisions from 37 under the 2013 Constitution to approximately 30 in the current draft.
While acknowledging that some protections were moved to other sections, Prof Shameem noted that the public lacked adequate time to locate and review those changes.
She urged State drafters to return to established legal principles and ensure any future proposed text is clear, unambiguous, and accessible to all citizens.
