Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua Party leader and former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said they are satisfied with the reasons for the deferment.
It’s understood the interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama will not be available on April 3 because of a prior engagement.
Qarase said, “It’s only a week and the PPDF will not be affected by it. What it will do is allow parties more time to look at the issues they will be taking to the next meeting which now will be held on the 9th of April.”
The next meeting would discuss the mediator for the PPDF and the terms of reference.
The National Federation Party has also presented similar sentiments and have said that the delay will not harm their preparations for the dialogues that would ensure elections in the country.
So far no date has been set for the PPDF but political parties are anticipating that it would begin in May.
Commodore Bainimarama has reiterated Fiji will not bow to any pressure and fast track the dialogue process but will use the forums to decide on changes to electoral system.
Fiji’s NGO Coalition on Human Rights is concerned that the President’s Political Dialogue Forum may be “heading off track.”
It said the high-level dialogue was meant to be open and transparent, but it appears that the current process is “not as independent as it should be.”
In a statement coalition chairman Virisila Buadromo said during discussions with the U.N. and Commonwealth Secretariat during their last visit to Fiji, civil society was clear, that is, any dialogue process must be independent, open, transparent and inclusive.
At the moment however, the PPDF does not meet these basic requirements, she said. “A particular worry is how NGOs and civil society are being brought into the PPDF process – by nomination from political parties,” Buadromo said.
Political parties have been given time to nominate non-governmental or civil society organizations for participation and the final1five organizations will be selected and approved by Bainimarama.
According to Buadromo, “The coalition is worried that this lack of independence and pressuring stakeholders to conform to a pre-determined agenda will seriously hamper the success of this dialogue in the long-term.”
She added, “While we need a collective approach to identifying a return to parliamentary democracy, we need to look to technical support from experts within the U.N. and Commonwealth Secretariat to help maintain the independence of this process, and to reach consensus on the agenda.”
The coalition said there needs to be greater clarity between the Fiji Political Dialogue process which began last year, and the request from Fiji President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, which the U.N. and Commonwealth responded to.
The human rights groups said it will continue to work through independent civil society peace initiatives until the official dialogue establishes an independent and open process, which is inclusive of alternative viewpoints and minorities.
