[Photo: FILE]

A call has been made for a reserved parliamentary seat for persons with disabilities to ensure their voices are represented in national decision-making.

Viliame Torova raised the proposal during public consultations on the Constitution Amendment Bill in Levuka.

Torova says he had previously submitted the recommendation to the Constitution Review Commission but did not see it reflected in the proposed Constitution.

The Resident believes Parliament can only be truly inclusive when persons with disabilities are given the opportunity to represent themselves.

“We will only have an inclusive House of Representatives if we have persons living with disability sitting in parliament, because I feel the best person to represent themselves is persons with disability themselves.”

Torova also raised concerns about housing rights, calling for affordability to be explicitly recognised in the proposed Constitution.

“Because right now, the law focuses heavily on structural adequacy, but ignore the price tag. This will empower parliament to step in, regulate the rent spike and work with traditional Turkish landowners on this issue. So I’m recommending the word affordable be included in the constitution.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has assured those who made submissions that their views will be recorded and considered as the committee prepares its report for Parliament.

“We thank you all very much for what you’re doing in the communities, in the villages, in the Vanua, and in the government and the town. We now will go back and put everything you’ve given us into writing, compress them into workable, readable versions for the bill before the debate. We hope you’ll be listening in during the debate so that you can see and hear that your points of view are being brought up on the floor of Parliament.”

The consultations have provided an opportunity for members of the public to raise concerns and propose changes to the country’s constitutional framework.