A former cabinet minister and MP says “time will tell” where the deregistered FijiFirst party politicians’ loyalties lie.
Premilar Kumar, who was a central figure in the Bainimarama administration, told RNZ Pacific that the interventions at this week’s Budget debate in Parliament will provide a clearer picture of individual MPs’ political allegiances.
The former ruling party’s downfall occurred just over 18 months after losing power, primarily due to some of its MPs voting in favor of a government bill for a significant pay rise, which led to their suspension.
This suspension was challenged in a complaint lodged by Mosese Bulitavu, a former FijiFirst MP and now an independent. Bulitavu alleged that FijiFirst breached its own constitution by not allowing its parliamentary leader, Inia Seruiratu, to participate in the party’s Leadership Committee meetings.
The Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa, deregistered the FijiFirst Party under section 12(4) of the Political Parties Act. Mataiciwa noted that FijiFirst had no provision for an internal party dispute resolution, a requirement under political party laws. She notified FijiFirst on 30 May to amend its constitution to include these provisions by 28 June. However, the party’s founding members, including Bainimarama, resigned en masse, and it failed to amend its constitution, resulting in deregistration.
Kumar stated that the 26 FijiFirst MPs, now independents, are preparing a response to the Budget this week. “Time will tell us, and the only way we can test this out is in the Parliament to see how people respond to the Budget. That will indicate [who is] standing on which side,” Kumar said. She added that it is uncertain who will remain independent and who will join another party.
Kumar herself plans to become an independent MP and remain in opposition. “I will continue to hold the government accountable; I will continue to scrutinize the work they do for this country’s people,” she said. She also mentioned that discussions would be necessary to determine whether FijiFirst will form a new political party with the same MPs.
Former leader of the United Peoples Party and ex-opposition leader, Mick Beddoes, commented that FijiFirst chose this path. He noted that the party could have complied with constitutional requirements in time and settled its debts. “I’m saying that what we are seeing here, the sequence of events, I don’t think what we’re seeing is necessarily the total picture,” Beddoes told RNZ Pacific. Beddoes also mentioned speculation that between seven and ten former FijiFirst MPs might remain, while the future of others is uncertain.
Local media reports indicate that nine FijiFirst MPs have pledged their support for Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition. Fijian voters have expressed mixed views; some believe the deregistration was fair due to non-compliance, while others stress the importance of a strong opposition for accountability.
Beddoes emphasized the importance of a strong opposition in any democracy. He expressed his opposition to the idea of a “government of national unity,” a proposal floated by Rabuka. “Governments of national unity form when there’s a national crisis, civil strife, or a war. There is no crisis right now,” Beddoes said. “The implosion through their own mishandling of things is not a crisis; it’s a failure of the political party.”