23 Jan 2012

Fiji's Sayed-Khaiyum stresses social and economic rights in talks on new constitution

10:05 am on 23 January 2012

The Fiji interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says economic and social rights should be discussed as part of consultations on the new constitution.

The regime says consultations start next month in time for the elections promised for 2014.

He criticised Fiji's last constitution which was abrogated by the regime three years ago and compared it with South Africa's which includes provisions on socio-economic rights.

"If you look at the 1997 constitution, it did not have those provisions it had purely what are generally termed civil and political rights but not the economic rights and the social rights. So these are the sort of things that are up for discussion."

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says the main aim of the process is to get Fiji people's views.