Three legal documents, too little time

Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Commissioner Alefina Vuki says the public is not being given enough time to understand and respond to proposed changes to Fiji’s Constitution.

Vuki says the timeframe provided was not fair as people are expected to consider the 2013 Constitution, the Constitution Review Committee’s draft and the Government’s revised version.

“So the public, they have three complex documents that they need to have at least a reasonable understanding and for that to happen you need to give them time so they can come together as a community and within the community get people who are knowledgeable in such issues.”

She says the limited time allocated for public consultations could prevent meaningful participation.

Vuki says communities need enough time to discuss the proposals, seek advice from people with legal knowledge and make informed submissions.

She also says some concerns raised by members of the public may already be addressed in the Government’s revised draft, urging people to examine the documents carefully.

Vuki maintains that constitutional changes are too important to be rushed and that the public must have a genuine opportunity to understand what is being proposed.