PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has rejected suggestions that Fiji’s Constitution review is being rushed, saying discussions on the 2013 Constitution have been continuing since it came into force.
Mr Rabuka made the comments when asked whether the constitutional process was moving too quickly ahead of the 2027 general election.
“We started talking about the Constitution in 2013, when it was promulgated, when it was decreed into being,” he said. He said people who had concerns about the Constitution had an opportunity to participate in the consultation process.
“Everybody was talking about it, and everybody who had spoken about it should have come forward during the consultations.”
He said the outcome of those consultations was now being taken through Parliament. “The result of the consultations is what we are now taking through Parliament.”
The Constitution Review Commission completed its nationwide consultations before submitting its final report, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
The report contains recommendations for possible changes to Fiji’s 2013 Constitution, but the recommendations themselves do not automatically amend the Constitution. He said the drafting process would follow the work of the commission.
He also confirmed there would be further engagement on the proposed changes.
