Pacific / Fiji

Fiji opposition question AGs role in committee

08:38 am on 20 May 2015

The opposition in Fiji don't think the Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum should be part of a committee which is deliberating over a complaint that he raised.

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's Attorney-General Photo: RNZ / Republika

The majority of members in Parliament on Monday voted in favour of Mr Sayed-Khaiyum's motion that Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu be referred to the Privileges Committee for alleged derogatory comments made against the speaker of parliament.

The SODELPA MP is accused of making comments in the iTaukei language at a constituency meeting last week.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum sits on the Privileges Committee and opposition MP Tupou Draunidalo on Tuesday asked the speaker to make a ruling on whether that was appropriate.

"We thought that it would not be proper for the complainant and the mover of the motion to also sit in judgement of the member that's accused of what he's accused of. We just thought that was a basic matter of natural justice."

Tupou Draunidalo says they hope the speaker Jiko Luveni, who is the subject of the alleged comments, will make a ruling before the committee is due to report to the house on Thursday.