Fiji’s main opposition FijiFirst sacks 17 MPs who voted for pay rise

FijiFirst - the largest single political party in Fiji's Parliament - sacked 17 out of its 26 MPs. Photo / Facebook

By RNZ

The political fallout from Fijian parliamentarians giving themselves a pay rise last week is growing, with main opposition party FijiFirst sacking 17 of its 26 MPs.

Sixteen of the sacked MPs for FijiFirst - the largest single political party in Parliament - had voted for an increase to MPs’ salary and benefits, including opposition leader Inia Seruiratu, who told Parliament MPs had “wants” and “needs” and “church commitments” to justify the salary bump.

One MP, Alvick Maharaj, who was part of the special parliamentary committee that recommended the raise and had abstained, was also handed the termination letter.

FijiFirst has written to the Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, informing him the MPs have been expelled for not following a party directive on May 24 to vote against or abstain on the motion for the pay increase.

The letter, signed by the FijiFirst leader and convicted former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama (who is serving a one-year jail sentence) and the party’s acting secretary-general, Fiayaz Koya, was reportedly handed to the Speaker on Thursday afternoon.

“Given the immediate vacancy of these seats, we have copied the Electoral Commission in this letter so it can, as per sections 64 of the Fijian Constitution, award the 17 vacant seats to the remaining FijiFirst candidates ... to fill the vacant seats at the earliest,” the letter stated.

In a statement, a senior (now former) FijiFirst MP, Jone Usamate, said the 17 received letters from Koya notifying them that their seats in Parliament had been vacated.

“We are disputing the legality of the termination letter and as far as we are concerned we are still members of Parliament,” he said, adding they will “await the full process of the law to take its course.”

According to the 2013 Fiji Constitution, section 63(1)(h) states: “The seat of a member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member; votes or abstains from voting in Parliament contrary to any direction issued by the political party for which he or she was a candidate at the time he or she was elected to Parliament, without obtaining the prior permission of the political party”.

On Wednesday, Usamate said the 16 FijiFirst MPs met with the Speaker and the secretary-general of Parliament to seek clarification of the processes of Parliament.

- RNZ