25 Jul 2012

ACP/EU mission notes scepticism about Fiji regime

4:45 am on 25 July 2012

A joint fact-finding mission of African, Caribbean and Pacific and European Union parliamentarians says Fiji's constitutional process is on track, but there's a lot of scepticism in the country.

The visit is in response to a proposal put forward by Fiji during last year's Pacific-European leaders' meeting in Hungary.

The delegation met trade unionists, diplomats, former politicians and the government.

The co-president of the Joint ACP/EU Parliamentary Assembly, Musikari Kombo, says Fiji has got to carry out electoral reforms or it will remain a pariah state.

"The government, in its roadmap, says they want a participatory process. But because this whole undemocratic situation has been on for so long, there's this scepticism from the population. But by and large the people that we talked to want to be engaged. They want to dialogue with the government and we have urged the government to listen to its people."

Musikari Kombo, the co-president of the Joint ACP/EU Parliamentary Assembly