Fiji Government and opposition lock heads over official tour

Transcript

The Fiji Government's angry reaction to an official tour by the opposition leader has sparked a disagreement on constitutional rights.

Ro Teimumu Kepa visited the northern division last week, but the Government blocked meetings she had planned with civil servants.

While a law expert says the Government was within its rights, the opposition has demanded an explanation.

Alex Perrottet reports.

Under the Parliamentary Remunerations Decree, the leader of the opposition is entitled to Parliamentary funding for official trips.  Ro Teimumu Kepa is currently in Timor Leste on a visit to the Pacific Island Women Caucus with four other women MPs.  But at home, the Government isn't happy with her recent tour to Vanua Levu and Taveuni.  The Attorney General alleged it was not an official trip, and she should have sought the sanction of Parliament.  The Sodelpa spokesperson Mick Beddoes says that's totally wrong.

MICK BEDDOES: He's talking nonsense and he's supposed to be the chief legal advisor to the government? Utter nonsense. Does the government ministers apply to parliament to get permission to go on their jaunts? No one has to come to parliament and get permission, how absurd is that? The leader of the opposition, only the leader of the opposition, if she wants to make an official tour, has to come to the Parliament and seek their approval? What utter rubbish.

The Secretary General of Parliament, Viniani Namosimalua, contradicted Mr Sayed Khaiyum, saying the trip was official, and she duly approved a request for funding.  She says the opposition is clearly entitled to this under the decree.  Mahendra Chaudhry, the leader of the Fiji Labour Party, is a former PM and leader of the opposition. He says he never had restrictions on who he could meet in Fiji.

MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY:  Whoever the leader of the opposition is does not require the permission of the government to carry on her duties. So the Attorney-General is certainly not right in saying that the opposition leader needs to go through the government channels and obtain permission to visit a government station or a statutory body or whatever.

But the Attorney-General's concerns have been supported by a legal expert, who says any request for information not already public should be put first to the relevant minister.  Dr Bill Hodge, from the University of Auckland says, if the opposition leader was seeking answers from civil servants, it was right for the Government to step in.

BILL HODGE: Because all civil servants, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji have an obligation to keep government materials confidential, and not tell anybody those things that may relate to private persons or monies and so on, so it would imperil the independence or even the position of the civil servants concerned.

But Mick Beddoes says the Government is simply upset that the opposition was actively exercising its constitutional right to travel and observe government projects.

MICK BEDDOES: This clearly shows one thing, they don't want her to go out and get to meet the people because that's where you get hear what's really going on, because right now the people are only reading what the propagandists are putting in the papers.

The Attorney General has not responded to requests for comment.