Fiji: ‘All about retaining power’

Observers are saying the rules surrounding the Fiji elections suggest the regime is determined to retain power.

The president of the Fiji Law Society, Dorsami Naidu, says regime-written decrees which control rules around the elections processes are being widely criticised for placing onerous conditions on parties who want to contest the election in September.

Naidu says the rules seem to be tailor-made to prevent parties from participating effectively and freely, in what are meant to be the first democratic elections in the country in eight years.

“There are so many obstacles, so many conditions placed in your path, regarding registration, regarding who can be an official in the party, et cetera.”

He agrees with suggestions that the fact that Fiji First leader Frank Bainimarama started campaigning before officially registering the party created a double standard.

“Oh yes, it is. I mean, he started campaigning well before, and his party got registered or even he got the name before he lodged it for registration. Common knowledge, common fact.

“And he’s used state resources in the campaign, which totally goes against the democratic system of how we conduct these things.

“I don’t think any particular decree was given much thought to, it was just put in to control other parties or other individuals who are not in line with the regime’s thinking.

Naidu says just about all aspects of the Political Parties Decree and the Electoral Decree are of concern.

“The whole decree basically. You know, in order to form a party, to register a party, you’ve got to get so many signatures from here and there, you know, different parts of the country. In any democratic country, it’s the vote of the people who decide.

“So why are we worried, and why do we put in such onerous conditions in decrees that deny people the right to participate effectively and freely in the elections?”

He agrees it’s because the regime is afraid the people might actually have their say that they have created such draconian rules and decrees around the election.

“I think they want to get back in power. It’s very unfortunate if that happens because we’ve had coups since 1987, and none of the coups have been successful.

“Every time we have been put back quarter of a century economically, politically and socially. And every time there’s been a coup, the prime purpose has been to remove the existing constitution and put in another constitution.

“Anyone who says that they were right, you know, coups should have been carried out, they need themselves checked out I think.”