Labour begins consultations on Peoples Charter

[posted 4 September 2008, 1500]

The Fiji Labour Party has begun its consultations on the draft Peoples Charter with discussion meetings held in various parts of the country.

Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry and former Ministers in the interim government, Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi and Tom Ricketts, are conducting the meetings. In the past two weeks, six meetings were held – two in the Central Division and four in the West.

This week Mr Chaudhry is in Vanua Levu where five consultation meetings have been planned. These will be followed by further meetings in the West and in the Suva-Nausori corridor.

The FLP is seeking the views of its rank and file members and officials in the various parts of the country on the Charter, and more importantly, on the electoral reforms and constitutional amendments proposed therein.

Views that have been expressed by FLP members to date show a clear preference for a decisive move away from the predominantly communal and undemocratic electoral system under the 1997 Constitution to one which is truly democratic, simple to understand and one that provides for a vote of equal value to all citizens, irrespective of all other considerations.

The FLP will hold a workshop on the Charter on 14 September at which the various key recommendations of the Charter will be discussed.

The conclusions of the workshop will be referred to the Party’s National Council on September 21 for further deliberation.

“In the next couple of weeks, the Party will be closely studying the electoral provisions proposed in the Charter. Its views and findings will be published on the Party website beginning with the main recommendations of the Charter,” Mr Chaudhry said.