Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama has termed the SDL party’s constitution submission as racist and said it will not be accommodated.
Commodore Bainimarama said the non-negotiable principles that need to be in the new constitution have been announced and racist policies will not be entertained.
He said he will ensure that principles like a common and equal citizenry, a secular state where there is no official religion and no religion will be given preference by the state, elimination of discrimination, one person one vote one value, the elimination of ethnic voting, social justice and the removal of systematic corruption are included in the new constitution before it is accepted.
In the SDL submission to the Constitution Commission, the party wants Fiji to be declared a Christian State, Christianity to be the state religion and Fijian to be the national language of the state.
SDL said they also want the name “Fijian” to be reserved for the indigenous Fijians and all citizens to be called “Fiji Islanders”.
SDL also proposes that there should be no provisions for dual citizenship.
Speaking to the Professor Yash Ghai led commission, the SDL officials said that the party wants the term “sexual orientation” to be removed from the Bill of Rights of the 1997 constitution.
In that section it states that a person must not be unfairly discriminated against, directly or indirectly, on the ground of his or her sexual orientation.
They propose that parliament and senate should be retained, some communal seats to be retained and the balance to be won under the one man one vote system.
On the appointment of the country’s President and Vice President, SDL has suggested that they should still be appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs.
Commodore Bainimarama stresses that the Great Council of Chiefs will not be reinstated.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
