Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[Photo: Supplied]
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the final decision on whether Fiji’s constitutional status as a secular state should change will be made by Parliament.
This comes after the Constitutional Review Commission reports recommended changes to Fiji’s Constitution, including its current provision defining Fiji as a secular state.
Rabuka says the recommendations presented to the President are based on views gathered from Fijians during the review process.
He says those recommendations must now go through the legislative process before any changes can be made.
Rabuka says Cabinet will first consider the recommendations before they are translated into an amendment Bill.
“Those will have to be considered by Cabinet and the final outcome will be the vote in Parliament.”
The Prime Minister says any proposed constitutional changes will then have to go through Parliament and a committee that will work with the drafters.
“All the recommendations, the views of the people are put into the bill, the amendment bill.”
This effectively places the next major decision in the hands of Cabinet and Parliament, rather than the Prime Minister alone.
Rabuka has previously made his Christian faith and views on Fiji’s identity clear, but says the constitutional review process must now be allowed to run its course.
He has also urged Fijians and political leaders to approach the debate responsibly and avoid turning it into a religious or political confrontation.
The Constitution Review Commission’s recommendations are therefore not yet changes to Fiji’s Constitution with the final say resting with Parliament.
