Proposed constitution attacked by counsel

Press, 8 October 1988, Page 8

Proposed constitution attacked by counsel

The proposed Fijian constitution was contrary to most of the submissions made to the review committee which drafted it, a former legal counsel to the ousted Fijian Prime Minister, told a meeting in Christchurch last evening.

Dr John Cameron said it had been rejected by Dr Timoci Bavadra because it would institute “racial segregation,” he told about 60 people at the meeting at the Workers’ Education Association.

Mr Jim Anderton, member of Parliament for Sydenham, and the secretary of the South Island branch of the New Zealand Clothing Workers’ Union, Mr Hugh McCrory, also spoke at the meeting. Dr Cameron said the constitution would discriminate both tribally and feudally. “Yet the New Zealand Government continues to support aid to Fiji at a level close to last year's figures.” Aid to Fiji in the year

before the coup in May last year had totalled $4.87 million. Yesterday was the first birthday of the Fijian republic. Although Fiji remained politically independent it was socially and economically controlled by foreign international and trans-national corporations either in Australia or New Zealand, he said. Investment by the United States had been small and was likely to remain that way.