WE need to amend our institutions, and this starts with the constitution,” says Opposition MP Shalen Kumar.
Contributing to the debate in Parliament yesterday, he said amending the 2013 Constitution would allow them (MPs) to deal with the threats, the misconceptions, the draconian iron clad clauses that existed throughout the Constitution.
“We must deal with this constitutional amendment through the very clearly spelt out Chapter 11, Section 160,” Mr Kumar said.
“We must amend the constitution, and we must do so only within the law and along with an abiding confidence in the rule of law and due process, in checks and balances and accountability.
“I have confidence in the Honourable Prime Minister, members of this Coalition Government and indeed I have hope that all members of this august House, in that we will do what is right to protect and promote our fundamental human rights.
“That we will do what is right and that this is not political posturing.”
Together, he said, they had a responsibility to enlist their values in the effort to secure people, to promote economic prosperity, to ensure that fundamental rights were protected and that the rights of each and every one was protected.
“I challenge each of us to consider what is the legacy that you want to leave behind?
“For me, the legacy would be knowing that I fully participated in good faith and in the spirit of bipartisan to navigate the imposed 2013 Constitution for the good of my children, your children and the future of Fiji.”
