Mollyn Nakabea 
[Photo: File]
The Constitutional Review Commission is finalizing its report after completing nationwide public consultations last month.
Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says the commission is expected to submit its report to the President by 31st August.
Turaga says Section 159 and Section 16 of the Constitution provide for a demanding process for constitutional amendments, which includes a required parliamentary majority and approval through a referendum.
“That threshold is important. It means that fundamental changes to our constitutional framework cannot be made simply because one government has the numbers to do so. Constitutional reform must be supported by a broad and considered national consensus.”
Turaga says that the work of the Constitutional Review Commission should not be seen as a delaying reform.
“These laws do not exist in isolation. They interact with the land tenure, trust administration, licensing arrangements, commercial relationships, and other legal rights upon which individuals, families, landowning units, corporate teams, and financial institutions have relied for many years.”
He adds that a wholesale repeal without the appropriate constitutional agreements could create legal uncertainty.
