Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo has questioned former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s legal expertise, reminding him how he disqualified himself from Parliament under the very Constitution he had defended for years.

Vosarogo was responding to Sayed-Khaiyum’s criticism of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka over comments concerning the timing of the next general election.

Sayed-Khaiyum had accused the Prime Minister of another constitutional blunder after Rabuka reportedly stated that the timing of the election would be determined by the Fijian Elections Office rather than the Government.

Citing section 59(1) of the Constitution, Sayed-Khaiyum argued that the President issues the election writ on the advice of the Prime Minister.

However, Vosarogo questioned Sayed-Khaiyum’s credibility in lecturing others on constitutional interpretation, pointing to his appointment to the Constitutional Offices Commission (COC) in January 2023.

That appointment resulted in Sayed-Khaiyum’s disqualification from Parliament under section 63(1)(b) of the Constitution.

Vosarogo also recalled former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s subsequent announcement that Sayed-Khaiyum would manage FijiFirst from outside Parliament, despite restrictions under section 14 of the Political Parties Act concerning public officers holding political party office.

He described the episode as extraordinary for someone who had served as Attorney-General for more than a decade.

Vosarogo further argued that Rabuka’s comments, made in iTaukei during consultations on the Constitution Amendment Bill, had been taken out of context.

He maintained that the Prime Minister’s central message was that the Government would not interfere with the electoral process.

Vosarogo suggested that Sayed-Khaiyum should reflect on how he lost his own parliamentary seat before questioning the Prime Minister’s understanding of the Constitution.