PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has declared that the Government will “face the wall when it comes to it” regarding the fate of the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill 32.
Responding to the National Federation Party’s decision to vote against the legislation, Mr Rabuka asserted that he remained focused on refining the draft Bill rather than attempting a “face-saving move”.
Speaking to The Fiji Times, Mr Rabuka brushed off the immediate political fallout after NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad announced the party would direct its MPs to vote against the crucial Bill in Parliament this week.
The Prime Minister maintained that his priority remains pushing forward to complete the Amendment Bill in the remaining time they had before it is tabled.
“We’ll face the wall when we come to it at the vote but will use the time available to us to refine it further in the best interest of Fiji as a nation and not merely for a face-saving move for the Government,” he said.
In a press conference last Saturday, Prof Prasad said he had written to Mr Rabuka on October 29 outlining the party’s position, citing concerns over the 19-day consultation period from October 12 to 31, the absence of vernacular translations and limited opportunities for public engagement, including question-and-answer sessions.
He also confirmed NFP would no longer participate in the Special Parliamentary Committee’s review of on the proposed legislation.
The Bill is expected to be tabled by the Prime Minister this Friday for its third reading.
According to the 2013 Constitution, Government would need a total of 35 votes from the sitting MPs for the Bill to be passed.
The Prime Minister currently has a guaranteed 31 votes from The People’s Alliance party members and former Opposition MPs (G11).
