Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the FijiFirst Government did not anticipate the 2013 Constitution to work against them when Government was formed in December.
Speaking to the Fijian diaspora at the Fiji United Methodist Church of Santa Rosa in California, Rabuka said in Fiji’s history, it was the first time for a Prime Minister to be elected on the floor of Parliament.
Rabuka said it was also the first time for this to be played out with the full effect and clauses of the 2013 Constitution, as well as the Standing Orders.
“When the vote was taken for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the Prime Minister, all three political parties were one with the power of one vote.”
He said the Coalition Parties had 29, but when the vote was taken, it came to 28 and 27 against.
“The power of one vote,” Rabuka added.
He also indicated that changes were happening within Parliament, yet still people were still calling for change.
“We wanted change. You wanted change. You encouraged us to bring about change, now we are into our third month; you are already asking where the change is.”
“On Friday, the Vunivalu of Bau will be installed. When we opened Parliament, the Speaker prayed in the name of Jesus and while 1300 delegates from all over the World were still in Fiji for the World Hindi Conference, the Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh spoke in Hindi in Parliament,” Rabuka said.
He added that Government will eventually grow the economy, investment will grow due to confidence in the economy, and Government will eventually decrease the debt level.
