Emberson, Elegant and Poised
eanette Emberson is elegant, poised, and focused. She is perhaps the youngest person to have been appointed the Secretary-General of the Parliament of Fiji.
She was appointed to the post two weeks ago. She had been acting in the post since January this year and was the deputy secretary-general since 2015.
As a young lawyer, Mrs Emberson did not anticipate the career change and had been ready for the long haul in courtroom battles.
“I am privileged and humbled to have been appointed as the secretary general to Parliament by His Excellency the President
on the advice of the Constitutional Offices Commission,” she said.
“I thought that I would be in the legal fraternity throughout my career but with the evident change in career path, I am reminded that I am not in control – God is always in control!”
A Nausori girl
Mrs Emberson is an island beauty and is proud of her Banaban heritage.
She was born at the Nausori Maternity Unit.
Her father, the late Rev. Rongorongo Terubea, was a Methodist Church Preacher who passed away in 2002. He was also a lawyer by profession.
Her persona radiates the values of life instilled in her while growing up at the Davuilevu Theological College.
“My early childhood was moulded at the Davuilevu Theological College, at which time my father had taken up church-ministerial studies and work,” she said. “Life was a struggle because scholars had to plant their own food and when there was stipend, it was of a meagre amount.
“But considering the church-atmosphere, Davuilevu seemed like a ‘big happy family’ – children free to roam around and play, while parents helped each other. I guess, this upbringing of being communityoriented and in servitude was born there.” Since most of her life hovered around the Church, Mrs Emberson attended Holy Trinity Anglican School, Suva Methodist Primary School and Dilkusha Girls School.
She is an Adi Cakobau School exscholar and was also a head girl.
“Well, I think there was no other choice, my father wanted me to follow the footsteps of my older siblings, so I spent seven years at Adi Cakobau School from Form 1 to 7, culminating as the Head Girl of the school in 2002,” she said.
She says considering the nature of the schools she had attended, schooling days were peaceful, safe, disciplined, and empowering.
“Boarding life at ACS taught me to be responsible, independent and confident.”
Overwhelmed with emotions when she thought about her tertiary education days, Mrs Emberson said she was able to secure a Government scholarship to study law at the University of the South Pacific.
“I am truly thankful for my family’s support because despite the hardship, I was able to graduate with an LLB, get admitted to the Bar and take up my first official employment at the Attorney-General’s Office as a Legal Officer,” she said.
Coming from a family of five girls and a brother, Mrs Emberson said they are blessed that their mum, a loving, patient, and humble woman was still around.
Working her way up
Prior to her appointment as Deputy Secretary-General, Mrs Emberson had past work experience in public sector law.
She was an Acting Senior Legal Officer with the Office of the Attorney-General, under the aegis of the Solicitor-General.
She said in that role she worked in the Drafting Section- the section responsible in drafting the government’s legal documentation.
“Primarily, this entailed the drafting and vetting of written laws as well as subsidiary legislation including, but not limited to regulations, orders, bylaws, notices, declarations, rules, delegation of powers.”
Her other responsibilities included legal advice and assistance to Ministries/Public Agencies, other functions assigned by the SolicitorGeneral, vetting of Cabinet papers in respect of any legal policy proposals, and undertaking and facilitating public consultation on proposed laws.
She also dealt with policies of national interest and level- allowing her to tap into work that was out of her comfort zone. This prepared her well for the parliament office.
“While any or all workspaces are not immune to challenges, I always believe that it is really up to the individual how he or she chooses to address those challenges – I chose to see it as an opportunity for professional nurturing and growth.
“Staying focused and grounded, continuing faith and dependence on God and setting right priorities are what continue to help me cope with any situation at hand.”
The pandemic and its challenges
For a while this year, the world had almost stopped. This was the effect COVID-19 had.
And like all institutions, the Parliament of Fiji was also faced with enormous challenges.
Mrs Emberson said the lockdowns and social-distancing restrictions forced Parliament to look for alternative ways to the in-person interaction that goes on in the chambers with the debates, with the Standing Committee functions, and the dayto-day requirements of parliamentary work.
She said they had to be innovative to ensure that Parliamentary functions are not disrupted or put on hold because of the pandemic.
She said it was crucial to ensure that the Members of Parliament continued to discharge their responsibilities.
“Being one of the three branches of the state, it was pertinent that parliament continued with its work. We were fortunate to have embarked on an e-Parliament initiative from 2018 which included investment in a modern IT infrastructure and human resources and progress towards a paperless workplace.”
When COVID-19 hit Fiji, the Parliament of Fiji was already prepared to move to the online platform and have virtual committee meetings and inquiries.
For the first time in Fiji’s history, the convening of a hybrid sitting of parliament where the majority of members participated virtually was convened.
COVID-19 had restricted public access to Parliament, so it was ensured that online or social media platforms were working to ensure public access and participation.
Standing committees undertook virtual or online sittings where members of the public are able to view these live-streamed on Facebook and through our website.