At least half of the 17 FijiFirst party Members of Parliament will remain independent MPs, it has been revealed.
Opposition MP Mosese Bulitavu disclosed that he would stay as an independent MP following the deregistration of the FijiFirst party on Monday.
Mr. Bulitavu also expressed strong interest in supporting priority-focused areas of Government.
“I can confirm that about eight to ten of us will remain independent to move the country forward in areas such as working towards passing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and reviewing the 2013 Constitution,” Mr. Bulitavu said.
He clarified that he would not join any political party.
“I will not join the Prime Minister’s political party or any other party because the rules and constitution are not clear.”
He explained that the drafters of the 2013 Constitution did not foresee a scenario involving independent MPs and how they would cooperate with the Government.
“The Speaker had requested us last month to inform him individually about our status—whether we would join any party or remain independent,” he said.
“We will submit our response today (Wednesday).”
He mentioned that he had shared his viewpoint with others among the 25 MPs in discussions, seeing this as an opportunity for national unity under the Government.
“We need to establish the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a path for our leader, Voreqe Bainimarama, who is serving his prison sentence, to seek forgiveness and spend time with his family,” Mr. Bulitavu emphasised.
“Secondly, we need to address the loopholes in the 2013 Constitution.”
Mr. Bulitavu revealed that enough time was provided to the party to respond to the Supervisor of Elections, Ana Mataiciwa, but they lacked the authority to amend the Constitution as all the founders had resigned.
“The office bearers, who were the founding members, were active when we received the letter from the Supervisor of Elections, but they chose to resign,” he said.
“We sought legal advice on how we could salvage the party, but we did not have the authority to do so.”
He said some businessmen offered assistance to clear the party’s debt, but they declined.
“When businessmen get involved in the party, they want to influence the board and make decisions for their own benefit, which was the culture in the past where they determined the direction,” he said.
“We do not want this to happen at the expense of our voters’ interests in advancing the country.”
He added that they would seek further legal opinions today and asked FijiFirst voters for their continued support.