A review of Fiji’s 2013 Constitution should proceed independently of the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission and neither process should delay the other.
The remark by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka at Nadarivatu on Thursday, comes after 2000 coup figure George Speight suggested that the Truth and Reconciliation process should take place after the constitution was fixed.
Mr Rabuka said the two initiatives were separate national priorities that should be allowed to progress on their own timelines as they served different purposes and should not be made dependent on one another.
“Both are not time constrained and can and should happen at their own pace – and not consecutively in any order,” he said.
He pointed out that the Constitution governed the country’s democratic framework, including the timing of general elections, and stressed that any review process must respect those constitutional requirements.
“Elections are constitutionally timed and neither its review nor the CRC should dictate or guide its time.”
He said the CRC was established to examine the 2013 Constitution and gather public views on possible amendments, while the TRC was intended to provide a platform for Fijians to confront past political upheavals, acknowledge historical grievances and promote national healing.
The PM emphasised that both processes should be conducted thoroughly and transparently, without either becoming a prerequisite for the other.
Government, he added, was focused on ensuring both initiatives were carried out in a manner that strengthened Fiji’s democratic institutions while fostering reconciliation and unity.
“The constitutional review and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission are both significant national undertakings.
“They should proceed according to their respective mandates and timelines in the national interest.”
