Speaker Luveni rules against MP Gavoka’s point of order
Speaker of Parliament Dr Jiko Luveni ruled against a point of order raised by SODELPA Opposition MP, Viliame Gavoka, against the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in Parliament on Wednesday.
In a heated exchange Mr Gavoka raised a point of order and wanted the Attorney-General’s statement to be withdrawn during the debate on a motion by MP Netani Rika, the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Standing Committee. Mr Gavoka said the statements were inflammatory. In her ruling, the Speaker said that she had to watch the proceeding again and the uncorrected copy of the Hansard Report to see whether Mr Sayed-Khaiyum had breached the debate. The remarks made by the acting Prime Minister and A-G are as follows: “We had one stage in the Fiji Police Force a few years ago where only people from a particular province were from where the Commissioner of Police was from that particular province.”
The Speaker further said that Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that there were very few people from Nadroga being hired, even though the current Commissioner of Police was from Nadroga. She said that Mr SayedKhaiyum was responding to NFP Leader Biman Prasad’s comments that this was still happening in Fiji. “After watching the video recording I noticed the acting PM did not make any inflammatory comments because he was actually looking and referred his comments to the NFP members. “I did not hear the Acting PM mention any provocative or seditious word which would warrant a withdrawal.” Dr Luveni therefore ruled that Mr Sayed-Khaiyum did not breach the standing orders during the debate and ruled against the point of order.