Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji regime dismisses criticism from the Constitutional Commission

Posted at 08:28 on 19 July, 2012 UTC

The interim Fiji Government is rejecting the criticism levelled at its latest decrees by the Constitution Commission.

The Commission believes the new Constitutional Commission and Constituent Assembly Decrees are undemocratic.

Don Wiseman has more:

“The Commission says the push for immunity for the coup makers to be written into the constitution is undesirable. And it says controls on the media, lack of court access and the wide reaching powers of the security forces are particularly worrying. But the interim government claims the new decrees set out the framework for a free, fair, and open constitutional process. It says immunity is common in nations promoting reconciliation. The government says having the prime minister decide who can sit in the Constituent Assembly will ensure a broadly representative body is formed. It says the Constitution Commission is wrong in its claims about media freedom, access to the courts, and powers of the security forces. It says the media and the courts are independent and that the security forces are subject to the country’s laws. And it says none of the issues raised by the Commission have any bearing on its mandate as laid out by the decree that created it.”