NFP Withdraws from Special Committee - directs MPs to vote against Constitution Bill.

The National Federation Party Management Board, endorsed by the Party’s Working Committee, has directed NFP Members of Parliament to vote against the Constitution (Amendment) Bill No. 32 of 2026 at its third reading.

On Thursday, 29 October, I wrote to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka advising him of our position and urging the People's Alliance to withdraw the Bill from Parliament's consideration on Monday, 2 November. I outlined the reasons for my decision.

I did so out of respect for our coalition partnership, which has quite often endured difficult circumstances since 2022. But cooperation in government does not require us to abandon our principles, as ably demonstrated in May 2024 when we, in compliance with a party directive and our principles, voted against the Parliamentary salaries rise.

The NFP supported Bill No. 32 at its second reading on 2 October in good faith. We believed the proposed Constitution deserved public scrutiny and that genuine consultation, dialogue and negotiations in good faith could produce common ground.

Having participated in the Special Parliamentary Committee's consultations, I am convinced that our initial concerns about the rushed timetable were justified.

Many Fijians have barely had time to read the draft, much less understand its implications. The proposed Constitution has not been translated into vernacular languages. Even those appearing before the Committee have faced restrictions on the time available to present their views.

I outlined these concerns quite clearly: firstly, in a media release on 6 October after the Prime Minister announced 9 December as the date of the referendum on the Constitution (if it is adopted by Parliament with at least 66% majority); and secondly, during the first meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee.

When citizens are being hurried through their submissions on the supreme law of their own country, something is fundamentally wrong with the process. When there is no interaction whatsoever between the members of the Special Committee and Fijians making submissions, particularly through questions and answers, and when the provisions of the Bill are not outlined in Vosa Vakaviti and Hindi for ease of understanding, consultations become meaningless and worse than a cosmetic exercise.

The Committee itself has not collectively examined the Bill clause by clause. Fundamental questions remain unresolved, while the exclusion of opposition parties from the earlier review process has made national consensus even more difficult.

This is because there is just a 19-day timeline from 12 to 31 October for three days of around six hours of preliminaries, 13 days of restrictive public consultations and just two days for finalising and writing a report to be presented to Parliament on Monday as outlined by the Prime Minister yesterday.

It is simply inconceivable that anyone with even a basic understanding of the lawmaking process, especially for a constitution, would accept and embrace the outcome of such a fast-tracked and rushed process.

We cannot condemn the imposition of the 2013 Constitution while accepting an inadequate process for replacing it. We would be hypocrites if we did so – replacing one imposed constitution with another one.

There is no compelling reason to complete constitutional reform before the next general election. The process can continue afterwards, facilitating thorough and proper consultation, intensive parliamentary scrutiny and an informed decision by the people in a referendum.

I urge the People's Alliance to reconsider its approach. The NFP remains committed to constitutional reform and constructive engagement with our coalition partners.

But constitutional legitimacy cannot be sacrificed for political expediency. There should be no shortcuts or fast-tracking of a constitutional process.

We have exhausted all avenues to convince the Prime Minister and the Committee to extend the timeline beyond the general elections for continuation of the process.

I will therefore no longer participate in the special parliamentary committee, nor will I be a signatory to the Report of the committee to Parliament.

Fiji deserves a Constitution made with its people, not hurried past them.

Professor Biman C. Prasad, Leader