THE National Federation Party has criticised the pace of public consultations on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026, saying the process is not giving Fijians sufficient time to express their views.
NFP president Parmod Chand said the consultation process was being rushed, with members of the public given limited time to present submissions on proposed changes to the country’s supreme law.
He said people travelling from villages, settlements, farms and towns to attend consultations should be given sufficient time to explain their concerns.
“Some have barely begun explaining their concerns before they are reminded of the time,” Mr Chand said
“Others must condense years of experience, historical grievances and genuine fears about their future into a few hurried remarks.”
He said the proposed Constitution would determine citizens’ rights, the powers of institutions, land ownership and security, and the foundations of Fiji’s democracy.
Mr Chand questioned the timetable for the special parliamentary committee, which is required to report back to Parliament within 30 days.
He said the public was initially given only 13 days to make submissions on the Government’s Bill, while two days had been allocated for writing the report and one day for finalising it.
Mr Chand argued that section 160 of the 2013 Constitution did not require the committee to complete its work immediately after the 30-day period.
He said the provisions required at least 30 days between the Bill’s second and third readings and that the third reading could only take place after the relevant committee had reported to Parliament.
“Consultation is not measured by the number of towns visited, the number of meetings conducted or the number of people who have been allowed to speak for five or ten minutes.
“It is measured by whether people have been given a fair opportunity to understand what is proposed, express their concerns and influence the outcome.”
