Government concerned with party. Prasad: FijiFirst enacted Act, was not complying with its provisions

ACTING Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad says Government is concerned that the FijiFirst party — which had enacted the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013 — was not complying with its provisions.

FijiFirst could be deregistered if it does not submit the party’s audited financial account within a subscribed period. Prof Prasad said the Act guided political parties, and those who did not follow it faced legal consequences.

“There are clear laws that were put in place by the previous government,” Prof Prasad said.

“As you know, the Political Parties Act, the Electoral Act and political parties, their conduct, their financing is guided by that law.

“So if a political party doesn’t follow the law and doesn’t live up to the law, then the law will deal with that.”

He said the Acting Supervisor of Elections had made clear that once a party was deregistered, its members in the Parliament have a choice to remain there as an independent candidate, or they could join another political party.

“But if they will leave as the Supervisor of Elections quite rightly pointed out, then there has to be a by election for those 26 seats.

“So there’s no such thing as constitutional crisis.

“Of course, we would be concerned about political parties who don’t follow the law.

“This is a political party that made the law and so we expect them to follow the law and if they don’t follow the law, then the law will be dealing with them.”