Adi Sivia Qoro, president of Unity Fiji, has advocated for a comprehensive and sincere review of the 2013 Constitution. She raised concerns about the formation of the Constitution, highlighting that the original draft developed by Yash Ghai’s Constitution Commission was disregarded by the previous government, which instead instituted its own version that was enacted in September 2013.
Adi Sivia criticized the consultation process, asserting that it failed to adequately reflect the views of the Fijian people due to its brief duration, which resulted in uncertainty about whom the Constitution genuinely serves. She underscored the detrimental impact of Fiji’s prior coups on the nation’s democracy, social fabric, and economy, warning that these events have set back the country significantly and that a flawed Constitution cannot rectify the resulting issues.
She stated, “It brings into question the credibility of the nation’s democracy, the negative social implications which we are now witnessing, and the economic welfare of our people. More than anything, it sets the country back by so many years in terms of its development.”
Regarding constitutional amendments, she noted that the amendment provisions make the Fijian Constitution one of the most challenging in the world to revise, which poses serious implications for the democratic rights of citizens in participating in the constitutional process. Adi Sivia urged that these matters should be openly discussed by the public to find a way forward.