Suva (Fiji), June 14 (IANS) Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry has triggered a fresh controversy by saying that Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was not sincere about the party's participation in the new multi-party cabinet.
'It was the FLP that ensured the formation of a multi-party cabinet in accordance with section 99 of the constitution,' reports here quoted Chaudhry, former Indo-Fijian prime minister, as saying.
General elections in this Pacific island nation last month saw the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) party winning 36 seats in the 71-member House of Representatives. The FLP won 31 seats while the United People's Party (UPP) and independents won two each.
After the two independents threw their support behind the new SDL-led government, the FLP accepted an invitation from the SDL to join the new cabinet. This resulted in a constitutional issue with the country's parliament having virtually no opposition.
After his party was allotted nine berths in the new cabinet, Chaudhry announced his intention to run for the post of the leader of the opposition. However, following advice from legal and constitutional experts, Fiji's President Ratu Josefa Iloilo appointed Mick Beddoes, leader of the two-MP UPP, to the post.
Hardly had this issue died down when Chaudhry announced that he would not vacate the office by virtue of the FLP being the second largest party. Chaudhry was allotted the office of leader of the opposition as he had been holding that post for five years.
After prolonged discussions, Beddoes finally acceded to Chaudhry's demand on the condition that the office would be used as the opposition's office with the UPP also having access to it.
Now, with the new allegation against Qarase, the future of the new multi-party government does not seem all too rosy.
'The fact of the matter is that upon declaration of the election results in the last two general elections, it was Qarase who himself said that the MPC (multi-party cabinet) was unworkable and was not wanting the FLP to accept,' fijilive.com quoted Chaudhry as saying in a statement.
'Similar sentiments were expressed by Qarase after the 2006 general elections, where he has gone on record saying that he did not want the FLP to be a part of government,' he said.
The Indo-Fijian leader claimed that Qarase had a mandatory requirement under section 99 of the constitution to fulfil and he had done so.
'As such he deserves no extra credit as has been heaped on him by certain organisations and individuals seeking to curry favour with the Qarase administration,' he said.
By not taking up a cabinet post and being denied the leader of the opposition's post, Chaudhry is now virtually a backbencher in the country's new parliament.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service | 
