The People’s Alliance party leader and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has invited party members including his PAP Cabinet Ministers to step up and take up the leadership mantle.
In an interview yesterday, party general secretary Sila Balawa said Mr Rabuka needed people he would rely on to take over the leadership role.
“Succession is natural in any organisation, and it is a long-term thing especially in politics,” said Mr Balawa.
“Most of our ministers came into 2023 as being new to the work of being a minister so the honourable PM would be looking at their performance as ministers and the potential that they have as a national leader.
“Not only as a minister but as a national leader.
“He is the one with that experience and he would be looking at the traits and capabilities of his team with regards to the ones that have the attributes to take over from him as a leader of the party and as a national leader.”
Mr Balawa said while Mr Rabuka has yet to specify who would be taking over from him, the top contenders were his two deputy party leaders.
“One would look at top contenders as those that hold the party leader position which in this case would be Mr (Manoa) Kamikamica and Ro Filipe Tuisawau.
“What I have heard him say to this ministers is he welcomes their ambition to be the leader, and it is a healthy thing in any political organisation that the younger members have that ambition to lead.
“Now from being an ambitious young member to being the leader there is a process of going into the position is something that we are looking at right now.
“To be specific or any particular person he has not mentioned anything.”
Following the general assembly meeting last Saturday, Mr Balawa said the Prime Minister had called on his Cabinet Ministers to step up.
“In terms of succession or leadership he has invited members of the party especially our people in Parliament, to step up and start showing qualities of someone that he can hand over the leadership mantle to.”
Among the government ministers who attended the PAP general assembly in Suva over the weekend were Ro Tuisawau, Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya, Minister for Forestry Alitia Bainivalu, Acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga and Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Sakiasi Ditoka.
