Fiji's coalition government intensified its public campaign on Saturday to win support for sweeping constitutional amendments, with Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica urging citizens to read the draft before judging it. The push drew sharp pushback from opposition figures over provisions affecting parliamentary representation.

The proposed changes would revise the 2013 Constitution's amendment thresholds and alter aspects of electoral representation. Kamikamica, speaking in Suva, acknowledged concerns about how the amendments could affect smaller communities and provincial voices within Parliament.

The reform drive is central to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka's coalition agenda since taking office, as the government seeks to loosen the rigid amendment rules imposed under the Bainimarama-era charter. Legal scholars at the University of the South Pacific and opposition FijiFirst figures have questioned whether the process meets the existing Constitution's stringent referendum and supermajority requirements.

Kamikamica's remarks signalled that the government expects continued resistance as it moves toward a parliamentary vote. Opposition representatives said they would not endorse changes they argue dilute protections for minority representation and concentrate power in the governing coalition.

"I urge every Fijian to read the amendments carefully and not rely on rumour," Kamikamica said, according to the Fiji government's communications office. "This is about strengthening our democracy, not weakening it."