Sainimili Magimagi 
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre says the national draft Referendum Bill is poorly drafted.
Miliana Tarai, Legal Services Manager, presented on behalf of the FWCC on the Bill before the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee today. She noted grammatical errors and linguistically inappropriate errors in the Bill.
Tarai added that this creates confusion about the intended meaning of certain provisions.
She claims that the Bill “mimics the Singapore National Referendum Ordinance and does not reflect lived realities faced in the country.
She adds that it undermines democracy.
The FWCC states that while looking to international laws is encouraged, legislators must ensure that such examples are contextualized and adaptable to the local setting.
“Look globally, but think locally.”
The Centre is also concerned with the enforcement powers stipulated in section 22(2) and section 26(3) of the Bill, which permit police officers to arrest without warrant individuals offending the relevant provisions.
Tarai adds that the Bill does not specify the seriousness of conduct required to justify the arrests, nor guidelines on necessity or alternative enforcement options
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