FIJI Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has accused Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of “putting the cart before the horse” over the Government’s plans to pursue constitutional reform ahead of the next general election.
Mr Chaudhry said there were still major hurdles before any constitutional changes could take effect, arguing that the Supreme Court’s August 2025 opinion was only advisory and must first be given legal effect by Parliament.
He questioned whether the Prime Minister was “deliberately misleading the nation” by presenting the CRC draft as proof of changes to come despite the hurdles that remain.
“The Supreme Court opinion has to be given legal effect by Parliament followed by a referendum to approve the change,” he said.
He said until those steps were completed, the provisions of the 2013 Constitution remained in force.
Mr Chaudhry’s comments come after Mr Rabuka said the CRC report would first go before a “national committee” before being debated by Parliament as a whole.
He questioned whether the Government had the parliamentary numbers and enough time to complete the process before the next general election.
He also said the CRC draft did not carry a mandate from Parliament, arguing that the appointment of the commission and its terms of reference were not mandated by Parliament.
“The Prime Minister has been putting the cart before the horse.”
He called for Fijians to be given a clear and realistic timetable for the parliamentary processes required to amend or replace the 2013 Constitution.
Mr Chaudhry said the focus should instead be on providing certainty over the election date.
“Leave constitutional reforms to the next government.”
