As the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum announced today that it wants Fiji to honor its commitment to have elections in March 2009 or face further action, the leader of the Fiji Labour Party and former Interim Finance Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry said this is a wrong move by the forum.
Chaudhry said everyone in Fiji, the Pacific Forum and the international community should understand that elections cannot be held in the first quarter of next year.
He said the electoral system has to change first as the current system will not pass the test of democracy under the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
“I think they have been unrealistic, definitely elections by march 2009 is out and as you know that currently the work has been done on the electoral reform. I believe and so does the Fiji labour Party believe that we need electoral reform to make our electoral system to near and representative and democratic. As it is, it’s seriously flawed. Those who talk about early elections in Fiji need to first of all understand that electoral reforms are absolutely necessary before we go into the next election. We had communal politics dominate parliament here and that has been the root course of division and discoed in our society and I think those who want to turn a blind eye are doing great injustice to Fiji”.
On the threat of suspension from the forum at the end of this year if Fiji does not have election in March 2009, Chaudhry said it will be the forum that will lose out if Fiji is suspended.
“Forum should be more concerned about assisting Fiji and resolving this particular issue and not putting it into a corner and making demands on it. I feel that Forum would be weakened without Fiji’s presence. I don’t think in the long term Fiji has much to lose if it’s not the member of the forum to be quite honest. I myself had reservations about the usefulness of the forum. When I see it largely as an organization dominated by Australia and then by New Zealand, Island nations have had very little to say in shaping the forum and it is time the Island nations took a little assertive position with regard to what the forum should be doing. How its policies should be formulated and not be pushed around by Australia or New Zealand”.
No Excuses-Qarase
Ousted Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase is hoping that the interim government will take the advice from the Pacific Forum seriously to have elections by March next year and not to face suspension.
After hearing the news that the Forum has taken the stand, Qarase said it will not be wise for the interim government not to have election in March as they will lose out on a lot.
“I just hope that interim government will sit down and consider a suggestion advice from Pacific Islands Forum on what we need to look at and need to do and to take Fiji back to democratic rule. I think that the important thing ahead of us, I also welcome decisions, suggestions and the advice given by forum, they were wise decisions and recommendations, and under the circumstances do not expect the forum to make any other decision that are different from what they have done. It is really onto Fiji where we go from now, I would suggest that the best thing for the interim government to do is to sit down without emotions consider the recommendations and suggestions from the forum take us forward according to some of those recommendations and suggestions. I think if they do that, we will get back to democratic rule very quickly”.
Qarase still believes that elections can be held by March, 2009 under the 1997 constitution.
‘We can still have elections by March 2009 If election is held under the 1997 constitution. No problem about that. We have been through to two elections in 2001 and 2006, my government was involved and we organized the entire process and completed within a period of six months so we still have time and there’s absolutely no excuses as to why we can’t have elections by March 2009 under the 1997 constitution. The interim government has been making excuses all this time simply for the purpose of delaying elections”.
Wrong Move, No Loss to Fiji-Chaudhry
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