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KONROTE can't continue to take shelter behind post-Winston recovery. Opposition leader Ro Kepa says as President he must recall Parliament as petitioned by MPs, to hold Government to account for donations etc

15/3/2016

6 Comments

 

"The Opposition stands ready to work with the government in the overall relief effort. We are all in this together. Never has there been a greater need for bi-partisan co-operation and pooling resources."

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Opposition Leader says the President is obliged to summon Parliament after he received a petition from members for Parliament to be recalled in accordance with S67 (4). There is no discretion to do otherwise.
 
The Opposition Leader Ro Teimumu Kepa said the President Jioji Konrote must call a meeting of Parliament without delay for the country’s supreme governing institution to make decisions on the unprecedented crisis caused by Cyclone Winston.
 
Ro Teimumu said Sec 67 (4) of the constitution is very clear, If (a) Parliament is not in session; and (b) the President receives a request in writing from not less than one third (17) of the members of Parliament requesting that Parliament be summoned to meet to consider without delay a matter of public importance, the President shall summon Parliament to meet.
 
Ro Teimumu said the 17 Opposition members have complied with these provisions and have signed a request to the President which was delivered on March 3rd. The provisions of 67 (4) are very clear, the President must act on the members request. He has no discretion in the matter.
 
With regards to comments attributed to the Speaker, indicating Parliament is not likely to meet? I am not clear why she is commenting on our petition because it was addressed to the President not the Speaker, but even if we used S67 (5) which involves the Speaker it still says if no less than one third of the members of Parliament requesting that a sitting be held to consider without delay a matter of public importance. - The Speaker must call a sitting of Parliament within one week of the date on which the request was made. 
 
She has no discretion and in fact she is obliged to act within one week from the date of the request, under s 67(5). In this case, the Opposition is acting under s.67 (4), which - with respect - does not involve the Speaker at all.
 
It is now twelve (12) days since the Opposition communicated with the President and so far he has been silent. If His Excellency declines to respond, the Opposition must then consider options open to it.
 
It has been three weeks since the destructive force of Winston struck, multiple nations have come to our aid, millions of dollars in cash and kind have poured in, many people have begun receiving aid and support, and many more are still waiting.
 
Government must now report to the people through their Parliament, the people must be told the extent of the damage, how much it’s likely to cost, how much can we expect from aid and how much will we need to raise from our own resources to pay for the rebuilding of the nation. Those affected need to know how long it will all take and how do we cushion the impact on those affected in the meantime.
 
Decisions must be taken on realigning or deferring planned expenditure in the 2016 Budget.
 
All the donor nations and their taxpayers are entitled to be told, through Parliament, about the progress of the government’s plans for on-going management of the crisis and the large flow of aid. Our own citizens need to be informed, they are the key stakeholders, especially those who have lost everything in Fiji’s worst natural disaster.
 
It is crucial that accountability, transparency and appropriate standards of governance are maintained as the country grapples with the ruin and tragedy of Winston. That will give confidence to the international community to give more and more meaningfully (targeted assistance).
 
Ro Teimumu said at a time of national crisis such as we have now, national unity becomes vital, because in order for us to complete the task of the magnitude that Cyclone Winston had bought to bear on us, we all need to be on the same page, and we need to use everyone we can in order to spread our advantage and lessen the burden on anyone individual, and we all need to be focused on achieving as much as we can in the quickest time possible.

The reality is that we cannot expect the supporting nations to be here permanently to fix all the Cyclone Winston related damage for us, they will certainly help restore things and get our people back on their feet with the basics, but at some stage their efforts will come to an end and they will leave and it will once again fall to us to finish the job.

So a focused, unified and committed team involving both the Government, Opposition, Private sector and NGO’s and the International community will yield better results than a divided one and my offer of support to the Prime Minister remains open and all he needs do is to accept it in the same way he has accepted every other offer of help both local and international.

The Opposition stands ready to work with the government in the overall relief effort. We are all in this together. Never has there been a greater need for bi-partisan co-operation and pooling resources.
 
We have announced how our parliamentarians will contribute financially to the fundraising. We have met with many victims and assured then we will relay their pressing and desperate needs to government. Some of our members are distributing aid they have gathered from their own resources.
 
Ro Teimumu said she and her parliamentary colleagues began visiting affected areas two weeks ago and again on the 11th of March (19) days since Winston, during another round of visits we learned that the village of Mataso and Nakorotubu for instance had still not received rations and that was 4 days ago. So while some are getting rations, others are still waiting.  Ro Teimumu said she had also commenced visiting representatives of donor nations to personally thank them for their timely and generous support, offered in the best spirit of international humanitarianism.
 
We shall never forget what they are doing for Fiji and our people.
 
Authorized By​                                        
Ro Teimumu Kepa


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Speaker Luveni shoots down Ro Kepa's Parliament Recall

Speaking to Fijivillage, Doctor Jiko Luveni said how can she call parliament knowing that many people need immediate attention and comfort.


Doctor Luveni said there are more important issues to address rather than going and sitting in parliament.

She said this is also the reason why the President is not responding to the issue at this time.

Doctor Luveni said government members are on the ground to ensure that people get immediate assistance, and people should understand the current situation.

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6 Comments
Samjha
16/3/2016 12:44:52 am

It's nonsense to talk about holding THIS government - the Fiji First Theft Party government - to account for anything. Since day one of its unlawful power grab in 2006 it has been unaccountable. It did not produce any auditor generals report during the whole duration of its reign as the Bainimarama Dictatorship. Then it held a phoney election to give itself a democratic garb. Parliamentary democracy is a farce in Fiji. The dictatorship lives on with Bainimarama's cronies planted in strategic positions to defeat any attempts to hold the dictator and his political sidekicks to account. No need for me to spell out the positions held by Bainimarama's cronies under the fictitious " merit " system he has installed. That's an open secret. Only lackeys and the intellectual imbeciles refuse to see that for what it is - the dictatorship entrenching itself in power . It's a waste of time appealing to the puppet president for anything.

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Donor
16/3/2016 02:36:47 am

Every dollar of the donations must be accounted for. How much was received, from who, and how was it spent - by the recipients name, sum, date. This must be done. Chaudhry failed to account for it - see where he is now? Qarase failed to account for it (the agriculture assitance) - see where he is now. Mara failed to account for it - see his downfall. (Rabuka had nothing to account for - he just didnt care for any victim - and see his fate). Fiji's history is littered with the political corpses of leaders who havent accounted for public funds or funds contributed to by the public. The same fate awaits Bai-Kai - if they dont publish a full list of all sums received and full, detailed expenditures of these. We wait in the meantime.

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Rajend Naidu
16/3/2016 05:06:17 am

Editor,
The South African Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has ruled the South African government's failure to detain Sudan's president Bashir as per the international arrest warrant issue on him and South Africa's obligation as a signatory to the relevant international protocols was unlawful and disgraceful.
The South African government claimed as President of Sudan Bashir had immunity.
The Supreme Court rejected that argument put forward by the S A government.
Human rights defenders have applauded the SA Supreme Court decision.
( source : France 24 news Eye on Africa 16/03 )
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu.

Reply
Try again...Later!
16/3/2016 09:17:28 am

His Excellency the President cannot act on Madam Ro Kepa’s request because the President knows that Khaiyum’s 2013 Constitution is a FRAUD on Fiji and the Speaker of the House reconfirms the President’s beliefs. Or why else can both be so casually ‘coce-levu’, naïve, disrespectful and unconstitutional –if Khaiyum’s 2013 Constitution was NOT a Fraud?

Madam Ro Kepa may do better if she invokes the correct sections of the Peoples’ living 1997 Constitution of Fiji in her re-request to the President to reconvene the Parliament. Or alternatively, Madam Kepa may also consider applying for a High Court Order –ordering the President to abide the (Fraud)‘constitution’ and reconvene the Parliament as per Madam Kepa’s ‘constitutional request’.

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Chiku
16/3/2016 10:09:53 pm

konrot : no reason for emergency sitting of parliament ( Fiji times 17/03 ) . No surprises here. He is after all a puppet president.
The message here is loud and clear : don't bother about democratic accountability. And we are led to believe " democracy has returned to Fiji "...

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Vili
17/3/2016 09:14:29 pm

So Mrs Kepa wants to engage in a gabfest at a time when all hands should be out there helping the victims of the Cyclone!

When it was time to sit down and talk, they boycott!

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