The prime minister of Fiji, Laisenia Qarase, has told the people of Kadavu province that it's highly unlikely the Labour Party will get its preferred portfolios if the supreme court rules that it should be part of the cabinet.
Mr Qarase says the appointment of ministers is entirely up to him, including the allocation of portfolios.
The Fiji Times reports that he was responding to concerns raised by a former cabinet minister, Akariva Nabati, who urged Mr Qarase not to allow Labour to join his government.
Speaking during a cabinet tour of Kadavu yesterday, Mr Nabati said the inclusion of Labour would disrupt the government's 20-year blueprint for indigenous Fijian development.
But Mr Qarase said if Labour joins the cabinet, the government's manifesto would not be affected as the SDL coalition would still have the majority.
He said the multi-party government concept has failed in many countries and it could happen in Fiji.
Mr Qarase said the government was looking into changing the 1997 constitution which provides for the multi-party government.
