Rabuka and Ratu Epenisa tangle over listening trip

Listen to this article:

Sigatoka market vendor Elvin Prakash is ecstatic to meet SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka and NFP Leader Prof Biman Prasad during the Parliamentary Opposition Leaders tour of the Western Division. Picture: BALJEET SINGH/FT FILE

Social Democratic Liberal Party president Ratu Epenisa Cakobau has quizzed SODELPA and Opposition Leader Sitiveni Rabuka over his participation in the National Federation Party’s (NFP) listening tour this year.

Correspondence obtained by The Fiji Times revealed Ratu Epenisa had written to Mr Rabuka on October 1, raising concerns about Mr Rabuka’s association with NFP and asking him why he had gone on the Parliamentary Opposition Leaders’ “listening tour” of the Western Division between September 28 and October 3.

“I am concerned that the tour and association with the other members of the public in the Western region, I am concerned with the tour and association with the other political party was made without any prior briefing or consultation with myself as party president,” wrote Ratu Epenisa.

In response, Mr Rabuka said as party leader he was “only obliged to take executive direction from the resolutions of the Management Board and General Assembly, and not from any individual Party Officer” in a letter dated October 7.

Mr Rabuka reminded Ratu Epenisa that the Opposition Leader was an independent constitutional office and a “fine line demarcates the role of the Leader of the Opposition and the party machinery”.

He said NFP was a loyal Opposition member and voted with SODELPA caucus members in nominating him as Opposition Leader and the SODELPA management board had authorised him to work with other opposition political parties.

Array
(
    [post_type] => post
    [post_status] => publish
    [orderby] => date
    [order] => DESC
    [update_post_term_cache] => 
    [update_post_meta_cache] => 
    [cache_results] => 
    [category__in] => 1
    [posts_per_page] => 4
    [offset] => 0
    [no_found_rows] => 1
    [date_query] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [after] => Array
                        (
                            [year] => 2023
                            [month] => 12
                            [day] => 29
                        )

                    [inclusive] => 1
                )

        )

)

No Posts found for specific category