Fiji’s planned constitutional review will be carried out “lawfully, transparently and with meaningful public participation,” Minister for Justice and acting Attorney‑General Siromi Turaga told Parliament on Tuesday, offering fresh assurances about the government’s approach as the broader process moves from debate to formal oversight and legislative preparation.
“A Constitution is not an ordinary statute. It is the supreme law and establishes the architecture of the State,” Turaga said, stressing that any change must be handled with the care, legality and public consultation it demands. He reminded MPs that Fiji has had four successive constitutions and that constitutionalism in the country “has always been a work in progress,” shaped by the “aspirations, tensions and compromises of its time.”
Turaga sought to place the current push for review in a longer national conversation rather than as an overnight initiative. He said the move “has been a process unfolding through national conversation, institutional engagement, and lawful processes over several years,” pointing to a recent surge in civic engagement. Over the past two years, he noted, institutions including the Fiji National University, in partnership with the Australian National University, have hosted public forums to explore questions of constitutional change.
The minister also set out concrete mechanisms the government has put in place to manage the exercise. A Constitution Review Commission and a Cabinet Subcommittee have been established to oversee the process, he said, and officials have prepared a draft National Referendum Bill 2025 intended to govern how any future amendments would be put to the people. Those steps mark the latest formal architecture for a process that was publicly launched earlier in the year and has been the subject of legal and parliamentary debate.
Turaga recalled that Parliament itself engaged directly with constitutional reform when the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2025 was introduced and debated last year, but did not secure the required majority. “We debated. We voted. And we respected the outcome,” he said, using the episode to underscore that elected representatives have been allowed to confront constitutional questions and that democratic processes have been observed.
Reinforcing the government’s commitment to due process, Turaga said ministers will refer constitutional questions to the Supreme Court and will follow the court’s rulings. “Let me reassure this August House and the people of Fiji: any amendment process will be lawful, transparent and consultative, and be guided at all times by the national interest. The Government will be responsible and honest. It will follow the law, the Constitution, and the decision of the Supreme Court of Fiji delivered on the constitutional reference last year,” he said.
The minister’s remarks are the latest development in an unfolding national conversation about Fiji’s foundational law. They come after the government launched a public‑led constitutional review earlier this year and follow legal scrutiny of constitutional change in the Supreme Court last year, which has shaped how Parliament and the executive now frame reform. Turaga’s statement signals an attempt to balance the push for reform with legal safeguards and wider public engagement as the review proceeds.
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