Finau, Glen and Tavaiqia, Lagakali (2017) Public accountability, public accounts committee and constitutional design: a case study of Fiji. Journal of South Pacific Law, 2017 . pp. 55-72. ISSN 1684-5307
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Abstract
This paper discusses the constitutional provisions relating to Fiji’s Public Accounts
Committee (PAC). While many Pacific jurisdictions have inherited the British Westminster
system, there is variation in their constitutions with regards to PACs -- specifically the
mandate, composition, and leadership of the PAC. Most research and international best
practice recommends that PACs must be chaired by a non-government member and should
also be dominated by non-government members. Such a structure is argued to enhance the
independence of PACs, which will in turn lead to a more effective scrutiny of government
spending. While some Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have PAC provisions stipulated in
their constitutions, the authority of PACs in Fiji stems from Parliamentary Standing Orders.
The differences in the constitutional authority of PACs provides greater discretion to Fiji’s
Parliament, and other countries in the Pacific with similar structures, to change aspects of
PACs. In 2014, the Fiji Parliament made an unprecedented move to amend Standing Orders,
which allows a Government member to chair the PAC. Fiji’s case highlights post-colonial
states’ growing awareness that the “rules of the game” can be changed and may be a catalyst
for other PICs to circumvent parliamentary oversight systems and institutions.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | K Law > K Law (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Accounting and Finance |
| Depositing User: | Glen Finau |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Jun 2018 23:04 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Oct 2018 22:38 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/10814 |
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