Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has suggested that the military could be called upon to restore order if things go wrong in the country’s constitutional process.
“Because if things go wrong, either you or your successor will have to bring it back to order,” Mr Rabuka told Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai in Parliament yesterday.
His remark came shortly before Major-General Kalouniwai presented the military’s submission to the Special Parliamentary Committee reviewing the Constitution Amendment Bill.
Mr Rabuka said Fiji had reached a point where Parliament was once again opening its doors to listen to the people and consider their views on the country’s supreme law.
He questioned how the country had arrived at this stage, referring to previous constitutional consultations, including those involving the Great Council of Chiefs and the late Jai Ram Reddy.
Mr Rabuka said those consultations had demonstrated that the people’s voices were heard in the process of developing the Constitution.
“We once again come back to that point where we open Parliament, we open the legislative arm of the Government of Fiji to listen to the people and construct a Constitution,” he said.
He said the hope was that the Constitution would stand for generations to come.
Mr Rabuka welcomed the Commander’s presence and the RFMF’s views, saying its submission would form part of the considerations before the parliamentary committee.
