Constitution Rants by Rabuka, Prasad are Sounding Like a Broken Record
Sitiveni Rabuka and Biman Prasad sound like a broken record when they criticise the Constitution.
The Opposition leader and SODELPA’s caretaker party leader and National Federation Party leader have again claimed that the people had no say in the formulation of the 2013 Constitution. They attacked aspects of the Constitution. Mr Rabuka talked about the lack of universal acceptance of the constitutional process that led to the final document.
But he seems to have deliberately not disclosed for political reasons that the Constitution contains universal values and principles of equality, non-discrimination, basic human rights and freedoms.
While they haven’t detailed the aspects of the Constitution, they are troubled with their main bone of contention, which is about what they claim is the lack of the consultative process leading to the adoption of the Constitution.
If people did not like this Constitution, they would have shown it t in 2014 and 2018 through the bal- lot box. The vote of confidence in n Prime Minister Voreqe Bainima- rama in the 2014 landslide victory y and close win in 2018 was a vote in n favour of the Constitution. Mr Rabuka was not an active participant in 2014, but Mr Prasad contested that election conducted under the new Constitution. Mr Prasad and all those who objected to the Constitution stood as candidates and got elected to Parliament and swore on oath that they would uphold the parliamentary values under the same Constitution.
Every year since 2014 they have been claiming that this is not the people’s people’sp Constitution. But it’s the same sames Constitution that put them in Parliament, Parliament,P gave them the freedom to tto express themselves ththemselvesl without withoutitht fearf fear and promote their different political ideologies.
If they really condemned the Constitution, they should have boycotted the 2014 election in protest to show they were serious. They knew that if they did, they would have been left behind and the majority of the people would ignore them in welcoming the restoration of democracy.
There is nothing wrong with this CConstitution.titti Constitution. WhWhatt What iis is wrong iis is hhow how we have interpreted it differently. For Mr Prasad and the NFP they should be happy because the provision for common citizenry, of one person one vote was exactly what the pioneers of the party, the late A D Patel and the late Siddiq Koya fought for and had only dreamed about. It was the top item of the NFP agenda in the 1960s leading up to the constitutional talks in London before Fiji became independent in 1970.
Besides, both Mr Prasad and Mr Rabuka have more pressing matters to talk about than the Constitution – matters like our current economic crisis because of COVID-19.