Alvick Maharaj [front] with the Parliamentary Standing Committee during their visit to Savusavu

Chairing two parliamentary standing committees is no easy task.

Chair for the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Justice, Law, and Human Rights, as well as the Public Accounts Committee, Alvick Maharaj, says attracting public submissions has been an uphill battle.

With around 40 submissions received on the Code of Conduct Bill, Maharaj says they have to dig deep to ensure more Fijians are involved.

“People are not too interested in, initially we thought that we are not actually making enough of advertisement, not going out public and letting people know that there is going to be a submission, but there’s a lack of interest in the Fijians to actually come and submit before the committee.”

He says one of the avenues they’re using is tapping into the Turaga-Ni-Koro network and working with Advisory Councils to get the word out.

Public submissions wrap up this weekend on the Code of Conduct Bill which aims to ensure the unprecedented accountability of all public office holders.