Six civil society groups and the Fiji Law Society have joined forces to condemn the latest changes to the electoral laws, with the specific charge that they are far worse than anything that occurred in the Bainimarama era.
That is astonishing in itself given the Coalition came to power promising more transparency and accountability and we now have definitive proof that they have delivered less.
Here it is in black and white from the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue – the independent policy think-tank formerly known as Dialogue Fiji – whose CEO, Nilesh Lal, is emerging as a much bigger thorn in the side of Sitiveni Rabuka‘s government than the supine formal opposition under Inia Seruiratu.
You need to read the following material carefully to appreciate the extent of the Prime Minister’s betrayal of democracy while remembering that Nilesh Lal isn’t alone.
Five other civil society groups and the Fiji Law Society President, Graham Leung, have joined him in expressing dismay that weeks out from the election, the People’s Alliance has pushed through so-called reforms in the parliament that are not only demonstrably self-serving but downright sinister.
Why, for instance, has the government changed the rules so that votes will no longer be counted in situ at polling stations but transported to a central counting point? It doesn’t take much imagination to realise that’s exactly what you’d do if you want to rig an election – the opportunity for votes to be tampered with or go missing along the way.
It’s what’s happened in a string of other countries and we now have the distinct possibility of it happening in Fiji, which has had world class provisions until now to protect the choice voters make on election day.
It is deeply disturbing and the Fijian people must resist it. Yet it isn’t the formal opposition that is complaining long and loud but civil society organisations and the legal profession. They have become the genuine watchdogs of democracy, not those we elected for the task, which is a sad reflection of the current state of the nation all in itself.
Question: Did Nilesh Lal and the CDD inadvertently bring on this fundamental assault on democracy with its recent opinion poll showing that the senior coalition partner, the People’s Alliance, has no hope of securing an outright majority in the parliament and will again need to govern in coalition with other parties?
It sure looks like it. Because before you wade into the detail of what the CDD, other civil society groups and the Fiji Law Society are saying, ask yourself another basic question. Could the following stories perchance be related?
Now the detail, which tells us we should all be fearful about the integrity of the process. Because never mind Rabuka and the People’s Alliance trying to ram a new constitution down our throats without adequate consultation, there is strong evidence that they are tampering with the electoral system to try to gain an advantage and steal the coming election.
The details of the impact of those changes in a separate CDD media release…
Media coverage from the Fiji Times…
And from Fiji Village…
If you’ve managed to get this far, here’s the point. Why has the government chosen to alter fundamental election rules weeks out from the actual poll, including the manner in which votes are counted?
Answer: Because they are no longer confident of winning and are desperate to give themselves a better chance.
We had years of no opinion polling and the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue suddenly dropped a poll that will have shocked Sitiveni Rabuka and his colleagues to the core – that they aren’t in the strong position they have always imagined and could, in fact, wind up in opposition. And in the way of these things, they will now do anything to give themselves an advantage.
It is not only worse than Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum ever did – the CDD’s words, not Grubsheet’s – but is yet another fundamental betrayal by Rabuka and the PAP of the promises they made to the Fijian people to govern with more integrity.
You know what to do, Fiji. Punish them for that betrayal.
How? By voting the bastards out.
What has caused the panic.
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