4 Jul 2006

Strong backing for Fiji Labour Party to take action against Mahendra Chaudhry

5:27 pm on 4 July 2006

Several thousand members of the Fiji Labour Party have signed a petition calling on the party's management board to take disciplinary action against their disputed leader, Mahendra Chaudhry.

Radio Legend reports that this has been revealed by the former Labour MP for Vuda Open, Vijay Singh, who was dropped by Mr Chaudhry from his proposed list of senators even though he had been given a written undertaking.

Mr Singh says the petitioners are members of Labour's Vuda Open branch.

The branch president, Prem Chand, says they are unhappy with Mr Chaudhry's decision to drop Vijay Singh from the senate list even though he had been endorsed by Labour's management board.

Mr Chand says it is about time they speak out against Mr Chaudhry's decisions and branch members are looking to the future of the party under new leadership.

But Mr Chaudhry's supporters are reported to be campaigning to have him re-endorsed as party leader by getting Labour MP's to sign a document showing their support.

Mr Chaudhry, who is in Hong Kong, has refused to say who gave the authority to circulate the document for signing.