IT is unreasonable for Parliament’s committee to properly consult on the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2026, Electoral Registration of Voters (Amendment) Bill 2026 and Political Parties (Amendment) Bill 2026 within one month – given the significance of the Bills.
Opposition MP Jone Usamate raised the concern in Parliament last week, saying the three pieces of legislation tabled by acting Attorney-General and Justice Minister Siromi Turaga were too extensive to be properly considered by the committee within the one-month timeframe.
Mr Usamate said while the Government had already conducted consultations as the executive, the parliamentary committee had a separate responsibility to consult from the perspective of the legislature and the people it represented.
“You have done it as the executive,” he said “When the committee does it, we do it as the legislature.”
He said Government should not assume that its own consultations meant Parliament had also completed its consultation process.
Mr Turaga, in response, said the execution of the committee’s work was a matter for its chairperson and not for Mr Usamate to determine.
He said he was confident the committee would use the one-month period to complete its work and table its report before Parliament resumes in September.
“I believe that through the experience of this committee, they have been dedicated, committed to the work that they have done over the last three years,” Mr Turaga said.
Mr Usamate maintained that rushing three pieces of electoral legislation through the committee within one month was “quite a lot”, particularly given the importance of ensuring a strong electoral system.
The three Bills were referred to the committee for consideration and consultation within the agreed timeframe.
