The Opposition caucus in Fiji, composed of Members of Parliament (MPs), are now without a party affiliation and will serve as independent MPs. This happens after their party, FijiFirst, was deregistered and still pending a caucus meeting regarding the said deregistration.
Ana Mataiciwa, the Supervisor of Election, announced yesterday that FijiFirst is no longer an official political party. Expectedly, Mataiciwa was supposed to issue this news last Friday, as the deadline for FijiFirst’s deregistration was at 4pm.
Under Section 12(4) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act, 2013, Mataiciwa has the authority to deregister the party. She advised FijiFirst to make changes to their party constitution, specifically on how they handle members’ complaints. Failure to make the necessary amendments led to the party’s deregistration.
Senior Opposition MP, Premila Kumar stated that the MPs are currently deliberating on their next steps now that FijiFirst is deregistered. Despite this, there will be no changes to how they serve the public as they will continue to operate as independent members of the opposition.
Meanwhile, Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj stated that regardless of the party’s status, they will continue to adhere to FijiFirst’s principles. Senior Opposition MP Jone Usamate echoed the same sentiment, ensuring they will fulfill their parliamentary duties. Lastly, Opposition MP Penioni Ravunawa said that now the news has been officially released by the SoE, they will now review the options available to them as independent MPs.