30 Apr 2002

Fiji Labour Party sceptical that governmentt will accept court ruling

4:29 pm on 30 April 2002

The leader of the Fiji Labour party, Mahendra Chaudhry, is sceptical that the government will ever acccept any court ruling that it must include the party in cabinet.

This follows the attorney general's statement that the government intends to ask the Appeal court to review its decision that Labour must be represented in cabinet because it won more than 10 percent of the vote.

Mr Chaudhry says the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, has made it clear he doesn't want to work with the Labour party.

"He just wants to keep us out, the longer he can do that the better it is for them but I think it is really doing great harm to the country, because there is no stability there is uncertainty. And Mr Qarase has of course made it known that he doesn't want to work with the Labour Party, so I think he is sticking by what he said, but at great cost to the nation."

Mr Chaudhry says the Labour party believes the Appeal Court will reject the request and the case will go to the Supreme Court.