KEY POINTS:
The Pacific summit agreement reached about Fiji was turned on its head yesterday when interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama warned he could change the constitution.
That was contrary to the understanding of his agreement with other leaders as supported by forum chairman, Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele.
"I think we have made it quite clear that Fiji will continue on the existing constitution and the laws ... Anything beyond that is not acceptable," said Dr Sevele.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday Dr Sevele's comments had reflected commitments given by Fiji at the forum and warned against "shonky" changes to the constitution before the proposed March 2009 election.
But Commodore Bainimarama said yesterday he may hold a referendum on a proposed People's Charter that is being developed and change the constitution to allow only one vote.
"We might change the constitution before the election," he said.
Asked how he could change a constitution without a Parliament, he said by referendum.
At present Fijians have a general vote and a local race-based vote, which Commodore Bainimarama says keeps the races in Fiji apart. He raised the issue of a referendum on the charter and changes to the constitution last month in his speech to the United Nations - without reference to a timeframe.
But the agreement with Pacific leaders on Wednesday to hold elections by March 2009 appeared to be predicated on the agreement that the constitution would remain intact.
The forum agreement "noted" that the Fiji interim government was pursuing an initiative to produce a People's Charter. The commodore yesterday interpreted that as a recognition by the forum of Fiji's problems "that need fixing".
"That has never been recognised."
He also rejected as untrue recent reports that the SDL party of ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase would not be able to stand at the next elections.
Commenting on the commodore's fresh statements yesterday, Helen Clark took a more critical stance than she has taken for some time. "I don't think the commodore himself has a clear idea of how these things can be accomplished in a constitutionally credible manner."
The process forward in Fiji had to be credible.
"That rules out any shonky changes to the constitution."
She said the leaders had not seen anything around his proposal for a People's Charter as helpful to the roadmap.
"We think it is a diversion. He is proposing a process through a People's Charter which claims to promote reconciliation which he is leading when he has too much baggage to lead any kind of reconciliation process.
"This is the problem when you close down your Parliament and act in a way that is clearly unconstitutional and illegal and finding a pathway back from that is tortuous."
