FijiFirst will be an effective Opposition: Sayed-Khaiyum

FijiFirst will be an effective opposition, FijiFirst general secretary and Opposition Member of Parliament, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum followng the first Parliament sitting after a contentious 2022 General Election.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said FijiFirst was still the largest political party in Parliament on their own.

“We won 26 seats on our own, People’s Alliance (PA) 21, National Federation Party (NFP) Five and Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) Three,” he said.

On Saturday, 28 MPs voted, a slim one-vote majority, for Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu and deputy Speaker Lenora Qereqeretabua. The rogue vote went to FijiFirst, increasing its votes from 26 to 27.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the behaviour from The PA, would appear that they will not necessarily be going to follow the law.

“They will need to be reminded just as we are following the law and the Constitution and they need to do the same thing,” he said.

“We are already seeing that the people from the PA in particular that they are not necessarily tuned to listen to many voices.”

Can’t get rid of FCCC, FICAC

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum added the manifesto of The PA stating they are going to get rid of FICAC.

“You can’t get rid of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) unless you amend the Constitution,” he said.

“This shows the lack of depth within this political party so we’ll see how it turns out.

“We are here to ensure that the rule of law is followed and the constitutional provision is followed.”