Qoriniasi Bale - Policies

Policies

A member of the ruling United Fiji Party (SDL), he is known to have Fijian nationalist sympathies and has called for substantial amendments to be made to the Constitution adopted in 1997. This Constitution, which was abrogated in the course of the 2000 coup, was subsequently reinstated in March 2001, following two court rulings. He told the Senate on 30 October 2004 that there was no point in debating the pros and cons of the Constitution, as there was no public consensus on the document.

In May and June 2005, Bale has been promoting the highly controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which proposes the establishment of a Commission with the power, subject to presidential approval, to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of crimes related to the 2000 coup. Despite mounting public opposition from many sectors of the community, Bale has refused to withdraw the bill or submit it to a referendum.

In July 2006, Bale claimed that the Fiji Labour Party had no right to call itself the opposition and appoint shadow ministers. He interprets a provision in the constitution as only allowing the FLP itself to join the government, not just certain members (Mahendra Chaudhry said that nine FLP members would join the government). Bale said "as far as the Opposition goes there are only two formal Opposition members while the rest of the FLP members are government back-benchers."

Legal offices
Preceded by
Vasagam Pillai
Alipate Qetaki
Attorney-General of Fiji
1984 - 1987
2001 - 2006
Succeeded by
Jai Ram Reddy
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

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