3 MPs of suspended NFP cannot attend next week’s parliament sitting

The three MPs of the suspended National Federation Party cannot attend next week’s parliament sitting.

Speaker of Parliament Doctor Jiko Luveni has made the decision after getting legal advice on the suspension of the party.

Doctor Luveni says the suspension of the registration of a political party has the effect of suspending that political party and all its members from Parliament.

She says this means that any such suspended political party and all its members cannot participate in Parliament or in any of the committees of Parliament.

Doctor Luveni also confirms that the political party or any of its members cannot be entitled to any pay from Parliament for the duration of the suspension.

The Speaker will be writing immediately to the individual members affected to inform them of the same.

The members are Biman Prasad, Tupou Draunidalo and Prem Singh.

The party was suspended for 30 days on Monday for contravening the Political Parties Decree.

The Registrar of Political Parties Mohammed Saneem says the suspended NFP’s accounts were not audited by an accountant certified by the Fiji Institute of Accountants as required under the decree.

Section 19 (4) of the decree states that a political party that has been suspended shall not be entitled to any of the rights and privileges specified under the decree.

Saneem says the NFP has 60 days to remedy the breach or face deregistration as a political party.

During this period of suspension, the NFP cannot operate, function, represent or hold itself out to be a political party.