PUBLIC Works Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau has described as premature the comment by Electoral Law Reform Commission chairman Daniel Fatiaki that ethnic-based voting would be a thing of the past.
He said the former chief justice’s comment, published by The Fiji Times yesterday (Thursday), was misleading because the commission’s role was to seek the views of the people.
“So, they cannot make statements, definitive kinds of statements, regarding the voting system because that’s in the constitution,” Ro Filipe said.
“And that will be subject to review or the Supreme Court.”
Ro Filipe stressed that views and opinions of ethnic-based voting must be sought from the people.
“They will make submissions and whatever constitution review commission, or whatever body, will decide on those submissions.
“If the people decide that such a voting system needs to come back, that is something that will be taken into account by any future constitution review commission, but the statement that there will be no ethnic-based voting is premature.
“And for me, as a political leader, that is a concern because that determination should come from the people.
“As a representative of the people, I will listen to what they say and that is the view that we will put forward.”
Ro Filipe said Cabinet had endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
“And in that it emphasises that indigenous people have the right to be represented according to their wishes, according to who they want to represent them and according to the methodology in which they would like to choose them to various bodies, whether they’re councils or government communities or Parliament.
“So, that is the document which the Cabinet has endorsed, and as a political leader, that is something we’ll be working on to base our views.”
