The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement is calling on the government to give more time for consultations regarding amendments to the 2013 Constitution as a rushed process risks excluding key voices, reinforcing past mistakes.
While speaking during the preliminary consultation on the Constitution Amendment Bill that seeks to amend Section 159 and 160 which relates to 75 percent majority in Parliament and 75 percent approval from registered voters during a referendum to amend the Constitution, FWRM Research Officer, Shayal Nand says consultations must be extensive and structured, spanning across different communities to allow for increased credibility and improve public trust, as this will better serve the interests of all Fijian citizens.
She also says better civic education should be undertaken before consultations as this will provide control over misinformation.
She says they are advocating for the provision and resourcing of civic education before public consultations happen.
Nand says they believe that without a solid understanding of constitutional principles and governance structures, many citizens may struggle to engage effectively in the process.
The researcher also says expert led constitutional reforms should be well informed and involve everyone as past efforts have shown that having experts lead the process is very crucial, and independent groups made up of constitutional law experts can make sure the changes are well thought out and fair.
FWRM Human Rights Training Officer Ala-Cassandra Singh says propaganda and misinformation can greatly oversimplify and underwhelm public's understanding of more complicated constitutional issues and they are already seeing this happening when people say that the Constitution should be thrown out.
She also says the threshold for constitutional amendments under Section 160 is unreasonably high and that it has implications for women’s political participation.
She says while the rate of women's participation in the election process has increased, a study conducted by the FWRM found that 77 percent of the 50.4 percent of women voters were influenced by the sex of the candidate when voting.
Singh says women tend to cast their votes for men, which underscores the urgent need for reform to facilitate greater participation.
She further says the limited range of women candidates is not just about availability but reflects broader societal norms and if more women had been elected and appointed to cabinet, it could have significantly altered the composition of Parliament and pushed for the constitutional amendments needed.
Singh says many Fijians are also questioning whether their involvement in politics is worthwhile and highlighted that as voter apathy rises, accountability in government weakens, making it harder for citizens to participate and make informed choices.
The preliminary consultation sessions have concluded and the Constitution Amendment Bill could be tabled in Parliament as early as next month.
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