Taxpayers’ money should fund urgent drought relief instead of pushing ahead with constitutional changes, One Nation President Roko Tupou Draunidalo told Fijivillage on Monday.
Draunidalo made the call while submitting evidence to the Special Committee on the Constitution Amendment Bill 2026. She urged the government to halt the third reading of the legislation.
Constitutional amendments should wait for the next elected government, she told the committee.
Only about one percent of the population has made submissions on the draft, which shows that reform is not a priority for most Fijians.
Instead, the government must tackle the ongoing El Niño weather pattern and severe water shortages affecting communities nationwide. Extending the consultation period earned the administration public goodwill, and stopping the amendment process now would secure even greater support.
Draunidalo also questioned proposed changes to immunity provisions in the 2013 Constitution. The current government came to power through democratic elections and does not need additional legal protections, she said.
One Nation supports keeping existing immunity rules because they formed part of the political compromise that restored democratic rule to Fiji, she told the committee.
However, the party backs a new clause barring future immunity for subsequent actions.
Answering a question from committee member Parveen Bala about removing immunity, Draunidalo warned that stripping away current protections would undermine past stability.
The constitutional overhaul will also fail to boost i-Taukei participation in the national economy, she said. Expanding economic opportunities requires targeted government policies rather than structural legal overhauls.
Proposals involving the Bose Levu Vakaturaga and traditional chiefs could disadvantage non-chiefly i-Taukei and minority communities, Draunidalo told Fijivillage. Traditional leaders can better drive economic development by working independently with the private sector.
The bill also contains more than 100 typographical mistakes and errors.
Draunidalo urged the committee to fix these mistakes before taking any further steps on the legislation.
“[The proposals] could disadvantage non-chiefly i-Taukei and minority communities,” Draunidalo told Fijivillage, adding that traditional leaders contribute more effectively through independent collaboration with businesses.
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