Public participation & constitution-making in Fiji: a critique of the 2012 constitution-making process

Abstract

On 1 July 2009, the Bainimarama regime announced a Roadmap for Democracy that promised a transition to parliamentary democratic rule by September 2014 (Ministry of National Planning 2009). An important part of this Roadmap, according to the same announcement, was the plan for a constitution-making process that would provide a ‘solid foundation and framework for the rebuilding of our nation [that is] is critical for Fiji’. To ensure national ownership of the Constitution, the regime promised a participatory constitution-making process that would involve political parties, the private sector, civil society, non-government organizations, and citizens of Fiji. Show more