The Paramount Chief of Fiji's Rewa province says her people's ability to contribute to the new constitution will be severely limited by their inablity to meet.
Late last year, the interim Fiji government suspended the Rewa provincial council meetings after Ro Teimumu Kepa delivered a speech reiterating the council did not support the Bainimarama regime.
The Constitution Consultation Commission has begun meeting in Suva this week and will soon be travelling throughout Fiji to hear public views on the new constitution.
But Ro Teimumu says her people might not get the chance to be heard.
"It makes it very difficult for us because the issues that involve people right at the grassroots level, they do not have a voice, so we are missing out on this first lot of meetings and we have been told verbally that we can sit but there's certain criteria that has to be fulfilled."
Ro Teimumu says they will try and have meetings but then they will have to apply for a permit under the Public Order Amendment Decree, which affects all organisations.
