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Issue No: 563; 8 March 2001
The SVT and a collection of factions from political parties has demanded that the 1997 Constitution be abrogated and that only an ethic Fijian be allowed to be become the Prime Minister. The collection, calling itself the Fijian Forum, comprises the SVT, the Nationalist Parties, and factions of the Fijian Association, and the VLV. But yesterday the two nationalist parties walked out of the Forum meeting claiming that they were being used by the SVT. In a press statement, the Forum's spokeswoman, Ema Druavesi sated that the Forum decided that the 1997 Constitution should be "thrown out", that Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry not be allowed to return to his office, that the Prime Minister be an ethnic Fijians, and that only those who know the ethnic Fijian language and customs be allowed to become the Prime Minister. The decision is in effect to reject the decision of the Fiji Court of Appeal. The group claims that it has passed its decision to the Great Council of Chiefs which is meeting today. Meanwhile two SVT members of Parliament (out of its 8 MPs) want the SVT leader, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, replaced. The SVT had earlier decided to nominate Ratu Inoke, with 8 out of 71 seats in the Parliament, to become the Prime Minister. The two MPs claim that this decision should have been made by the SVT Parliamentary Caucus rather than the SVT Management Board. The SVT, under General Sitiveni Rabuka's leadership, had endorsed the 1997 Constitution unanimously. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
