The People’s Alliance party and the National Federation Party have agreed that Sitiveni Rabuka will be appointed prime minister if they win the 2022 General Election.
Mr Rabuka told supporters in Lautoka yesterday that following discussions between their members, both parties agreed that he would take on the role of PM.
However, he said, the coalition would not make it into Parliament without the support of the populace.
“We have the people, you are the numbers, you have the power,” the former prime minister said.
“You give us your vote, transferring the power to us, we will do everything that God has given us the ability to do, to work for you.”
Mr Rabuka said NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad’s willingness to work with him was similar to that of former party leader Jai Ram Reddy in 1997 when the two parties agreed to formulate the 1997 Constitution.
“The same Jai Ram Reddy, who was the leader of NFP, had sacrificed his future in politics by working with the Soqosoqo Vakavulewa ni Taukei, the SVT government of the time, to formulate and enact the 1997 Constitution, a constitution that was acclaimed the world over.
“It allowed Fiji to be acknowledged as one of the more progressive countries that had the speediest recovery from the coup of 87 to a new constitution and enacted unanimously by the Parliament of Fiji within 10 years.
“That was the biggest turnaround in any country in the world that had been beset with a coup.
“We did it because of the cooperation across the floor of Parliament, across the ethnic divide of iTaukei and Indo-Fijians of the time.
“The unity we created at the time, the sense of belonging, the sense of oneness, the sense of nationalism or patriotism that we created at the time we have never seen again.”
Prof Prasad said he believed in the coalition with Mr Rabuka’s party and the future they could build for Fiji.
“We believe in this strong partnership and we believe that we can bring about the change that Fijians have been wanting for many years,” he said.
