13 Sep 2012

Fiji Labour Party says Commission must resolve contradiction over immunity

4:28 am on 13 September 2012

Fiji's Labour Party says the Constitution Commission has to confront the contradiction in the directions given it by the interim regime.

It has presented the Commission with a preliminary submission and asked how it will resolve the contradiction contained in Decrees 57 and 58.

These decrees include provisions for blanket immunity for the coup makers and give the regime control of who will sit in the Constituent Assembly.

Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, says one part of Decree 57 directs the Commission to prepare a draft constitution giving Fiji true democracy and protecting people's human rights.

But he says another part of the Decree provides immunity to people who have usurped democracy and violated human rights.

"There is a contradiction there. How would they reconcile that? This is a question we put to the Commission. How would they deal with these contradictions? Because I think it is important. This is where many of our people are confused. Because many of them are saying what will be the end result of all this?"