3 Jul 2002

Fiji NGO waiting to hear on permission for march

10:13 am on 3 July 2002

A Fiji human rights organisation says it's still waiting to hear whether it will be granted permission to hold a protest march at an international summit in Nadi this month.

Reverend Aquila Yabaki, who's the chair of the NGO coalition on Human Rights, says they want to march at the summit of leaders from the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to protest the unconstitutionality of the government.

Reverend Yabaki says the point of the demonstration would be to highlight to ACP leaders what the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, has been doing.

"To bring home the message that we are not fully returned to constitutionality given the fact that the multi-party requirement of the constitution has not been fulfilled by the government. And, anybody who chairs that important meeting, and Qarase's going to chair it, should not be pretending that he's fully fulfilled the requirements of the constitution when he hasn't."

Reverend Yabaki says if they're not given permission for the march, they will hold meetings with leaders attending the ACP summit.