A civil society group in Fiji is urging the head of the military government to rescind a decision to dispense with the draft constitution it commissioned last year.
The Citizens' Constitutional Forum describes Thursday's announcement of the decision to replace the draft as marking one of the saddest days for Fiji since the abrogation of the 1997 Constitution in almost four years ago.
The regime has given its legal team until the end of the month to produce a new one and says that draft will then go to a constituent assembly for debate.
But the Forum says that through the decision taken, the interim government has pre-empted and nullified the role of the Constituent Assembly.
It says the decision is also in breach of Decree 57 which empowered the Constitution Commission to base their decisions upon "the wishes of the people of Fiji" and also breaches the Principles of Decree 58.
The Forum's chief executive, Reverend Akuila Yabaki, says the aspirations of the people of Fiji have been dealt a cruel blow through the decision by the Bainimarama government to amend the draft constitution prepared by the state-appointed Constitution Commission.
He says the Forum stands by and supports that document as it is consistent with good constitution making principles and reflects the voice of the people of Fiji.
Meanwhile, a leading women's advocate in Fiji is calling for the regime to end what she describes as the farce that is the process by which a new constitution is being compiled.
Shamima Ali of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre says it is time the interim government gave up the pretence of inclusivity.
"I believe they should not carry on with the farce. They should say, 'Look, we are in control and this is the way things are going to be, you just listen and do what we tell you to do.' And people can say, 'All right, they have got the guns, we can't do anything about it,' and carry on. Or use the spaces that are available. It'll get harder and harder to find those spaces, but you know, some of us have to continue finding those spaces."
And Fiji Trades Union Congress is calling on the international community to maintain pressure on the military government following its decision.
The Congress's national secretary Felix Anthony says people in Fiji are very concerned about what is going on but the level of intimidation in the country is still extremely high.
People are scared to speak up. People are scared to simply demand for their rights in this country. I don't believe that the international community should accept what is going on. This is not acceptable. I think the government here needs to understand that when they make commitments, they make promises to the international community, it must be serious.
Meanwhile, a former Fiji military officer says Fiji's self-imposed leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama has thrown out a draft consitiution for the country to protect himself.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara, who fled Fiji in 2011 while facing sedition charges, told Auckland-based Radio Tarana the reason for the dropping of the draft constitution is clear.
Bainimarama, what he is actuall doing is trying to protect himself, save himself, nothing else. He does not have the interest of the people at heart, he doesn't have the interest of Fiji at heart and he does not care about the international community.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara wants other countries to put their foot down and demand the draft be reinstated
