FCCC Turns Up Late, Bars Media From Consultations

The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) is facing renewed scrutiny over the way it has conducted public consultations on the proposed electricity tariff increase, following two separate incidents that have raised concerns about transparency and public access.

In one incident, members of the public reported delays during FCCC consultation sessions, with the Commission allegedly arriving up to an hour late to a consultation at the MHCC mall in Suva.

In a separate consultation, media organisations were barred from attending a consultation session involving the Fiji Council of Employers Federation (FCEF).

FCCC claimed that the session in question was conducted privately at the request of the FCEF.

However, the FCEF has since publicly denied making any such request, stating that it did not ask for a closed-door meeting.

These developments add further pressure on the FCCC, which was already under scrutiny after approving a significant electricity tariff increase shortly before Christmas, a decision alleged to have been made without proper consultation and which has since been suspended, with critics also accusing the Commission of conducting subsequent consultations improperly by restricting questions and running sessions more like lectures than genuine public engagement.