Croz Walsh's Blog -- New Zealand and Fiji: How Much Fairer They Could Be

RO TEIMUMU CLARIFIES. Ro Teimumu claims to have been mis-cited by some sections of the Fiji media.  She says SODELPA has not called for a Christian state, only for a state living by Christian values. She says the Bainimarama government has undermined indigenous protection.

SODELPA will restore the Great Council of Chiefs with possible changes, and mataqali landowners will be consulted about the distribution of land rents.  She had earlier said chiefs deserved a larger share because they had more responsibility. She said nothing about the accountability of chiefs for the moneys paid to them,

'I WAS NOT EVEN INFORMED'. SODELPA's claim that it has the support of the people of the Lau islands is questioned by the chairman of the Bose Ni Vanua Ko Lau, Ilisoni Taobawho says he knew nothing about the meeting between Ro Teimumu Kepa and a Laun delegation at Ono-i-lau House, Nadera on Wednesday.

“I’m the chairman of the Bose Ni Vanua Ko Lau and I was appointed by the late Tui Nayau,…

Macuata high chief, Turaga na TuMacuata Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, yesterday (Monday) strongly denied the claim that he was no longer with the FijiFirst party.The claim was posted on the anti-government anonymous Fijileaks and Coup 4.5 blogsites.

When interviewed by the Fiji Sun yesterday the Tui Macuata said: “It is a lie.”

He said the two blogsites were very unrealiable. “People should not believe such blogsites because they don’t have the guts to show their sources of information or evidence.”

“People don’t have hard evidence to back their blogs,” he said. The Tui Macuata said it was a shameful act and those involved must stop it.


He said if he was not supporting the FijiFirst, he would inform the party and the secretary would make a release.

“If I stopped supporting FijiFirst our general secretary will release a press release.”

He said the FijiFirst campaign would start again in the North tomorrow with his full support.
“We will have a group from Suva coming for the campaign,” he…

Upstairs, Downstairs. What Can and  Cannot Happen in 72 Hours Opinion by Crosbie Walsh
For readers who have no idea what happened to cause the Electoral Commission and Supervisor of Elections to disagree last Friday and why the disagreement went to  Court, the EC was required to submit its findings on the 21 appeals and objections on who should and who should not be able to stand as candidates in the election by Friday, but what time on Friday was arguable.

 The Supervisor, backed by the Solicitor-General, and ultimately by the Court, said 4:15pm, 72 after the time the appeals and objections closed.

The Commission, however, took the definition of the Interpretation Act, in which a day is defined as running from midnight to midnight. They had made their decisions by 2pm but needed to write them up properly, and not just provide the Supervisor with one liners.

At this point one might have thought the Supervisor, anxious to obtain the Electoral Commission's report on time, mi…

Opinion by Crosbie Walsh

"Over and over, one hears claims from Bainimarama supporters that Fiji now has the most democratic electoral system ever, in which Indo-Fijians are now finally “equal” to indigenous Fijians, with “1 person = 1 vote = 1 value”-- Dr Wadan Narsey

The Bainimarama government has promoted the slogan "One person=one person=one value" claiming it is a fairer system than the old First Past the Post and Alternative Vote sytems that preceded it.  Dr Wadan Narsey disagrees.

Myth 1, he says,  is that Indo-Fijians were under-represented in the old system, and cites the election victories of  the Bavadra and Chaudhry governments as evidence. My view is that these victories came about because of divisions among Taukei and competition between Taukei parties, not because of the the equal value of the Indo-Fijian vote.

His Myth 2 is that the new system, with its 5% threshold,  is unfair to  independents and smaller parties.

Further, he doubts the new system will p…