3 Sep 2003

Rightwing Fiji senator says Prime Minister should stay resolute over multi party Cabinet issue

4:58 pm on 3 September 2003

A Fiji Government senator has urged the Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase not to follow the Supreme Court ruling to form a multi party Cabinet with Labour.

The call has been made by Senator Asesela Ravuvu, a former Professor of Pacific Studies at the USP, who was appointed to the Upper House by Mr Qarase.

Senator Ravuvu says Mr Qarase should be firm and resolute and not waiver under pressure on the multi-party Cabinet issue.

He says the multi party Cabinet provisions of the constitution were born out of a hidden agenda to harass the elected Government which champions the rights of the indigenous people.

He has told the Senate that the multi party Cabinet is a means of diffusing the efforts of polityical parties running the governent and is not democratic.

As well, it is an instrument used by rival parties to sabotage self rule by indigenous people.

Senatore Ravuvu has justified the coups of 1987 and 2000 in the name of indigenous rights and aspirations.

And he says law suits and litigation by the Labour Party will not solve Fiji's political and social problems but only create further resentment and vindictiveness.

Senator Ravuvu chaired the post coup Qarase interim administration's constitution review committee which was declared illegal by the High Court.

His report was later described as the most racist document ever seen in Fiji.