Khaiyum: Commerce commission can’t assist FLP

Fiji’s Acting Prime Minister, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum has confirmed that the Fiji Commerce Commission doesn’t have the legal authority to deliberate on the complaint lodged by the now suspended Fiji Labour Party.

Click on the following link to read more on the functions of the commerce commission:

http://www.commcomm.gov.fj/istory/

The FLP had lodged a complaint regarding the ‘high fees for the publication of its assets and liabilities in the Fiji Sun’ newspaper, with the commission.

“The question of whether the commerce commission has jurisdiction over this particular issue, whether they have the legal ability to make a determination regarding it. It does not, and the commerce commission has already written to the Labour Party saying it does not have that legal authority to make a determination, but none the less they have in-fact gone ahead and compared the rates that was charged by the Fiji Sun in respect to their advertisement and they also found the fact the rates that Fiji Sun charge were cheaper.”

The suspended Fiji Labour Party was required to pay about $6,375.60 to the Registrar’s office by July 15.

“The fact is that the registrar of political parties has obviously taken the decision for the suspension for the Fiji Labour Party on the basis that there was non-compliance to the actual law in place. Should the Political Party in question remedy the breach then obviously they can again operate as a political party and they are given sixty days to remedy their breach.”

Suspended Fiji Labour Party member, Surendra Lal had earlier said that arrangements are being made to pay the Registrar of Political Parties.

-fbc

Leave a Reply