FIJI’S proposed referendum law and the Constitution Amendment Bill will need to be aligned as the Government moves towards constitutional reform, Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya says.
Ms Tabuya said the Referendum Bill, still before the relevant parliamentary standing committee, remained open to public submissions.
She said the two pieces of legislation were closely linked under the process established by the 2013 Constitution and the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion.
“They are related because the 2013 Constitution process and the Supreme Court advisory opinion states that there is to be a Bill in Parliament, passed in Parliament, and then a referendum,” Ms Tabuya said.
“So they do go hand in hand. Of course, the timetables will need to align.”
Ms Tabuya said any amendment proposed through the Constitutional Amendment Bill would need to correspond with the Referendum Bill.
“So whatever amendments there are in the Constitutional Amendment Bill, we have to align as well with the Referendum Bill and vice versa.”
The Constitutional Amendment Bill is expected to be tabled at Parliament’s next sitting, allowing the two legislative processes to be considered alongside each other.
Ms Tabuya said the timing of the two processes would therefore be critical as Fiji moves towards consideration of constitutional changes and a possible referendum.
