THE private sector is eager to make a meaningful contribution to the work that is being carried out by the Constitution Commission.
Those were the comments of Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation chief executive Nesbitt Hazelman.
FCEF gathered its members to discuss issues it would like to see addressed in the constitution.
Mr Hazelman said the workshop provided an opportunity to identify fundamental issues they would like to see filter through the making of the new constitution.
"This has to do with the business perspective of the constitution, we are always referred to as the engine of growth in the economy, so it's important that our views are articulated well and provide a meaningful approach to constitutional building," he said.
He said the issues of land and the structure of government were among those discussed at the workshop.
"Key to this is having the separation between the executive powers and the judiciary, for investment to come in these are all the key things that they look at when they decide whether or not to invest in the country," Mr Hazelman said.
"Apart from that, there are issues too with the environment and how we protect the environment for our future generations.
"Also a key to the business community is education, we are always looking out for an educated workforce and that has to be an area that we hope will filter through in the constitution so training and development is highly vital," he added.
Mr Hazelman said the role of the auditor-general was another issue brought up at the workshop.
"We looked at the role of the auditor-general in ensuring that there are checks and balances in the way public funds are spent.
"These need to be kept in check at all levels in central government and at statutory level.
"These are some of the fundamental issues that we hope to drag up further in the course of this discussion."
The FCEF plans to submit its constitution submission before the October 10 submission deadline.