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| An image to foster. pn269 (Renumbered from pn179) |
The
question now is how to reduce the doublethink to improve their party's
chances in the 2022 election, and put an end to Fiji's coup culture.
The
suggestions that follow come from many people, some expressed
publicly, others on blogs or emails. Some are from Fiji insiders;
others from outside well wishers. My task has simply been to weave
them into a collection, and expand on their arguments. In this
posting attention is given to what FijiFirst can do. Later postings
will discuss what the Opposition, the unsuccessful minor parties and
the public can do.
What
the FijiFirst Government can do
If
FijiFirst wishes to win the next election (which is an obvious
assumption of any political party) they need to do some serious
thinking about how to win more support from Taukei and the vocal
public.
Development
activities alone will not win them more support. Indeed, I suspect
that many who benefited from their development policies voted against
them.
They
need to encourage people, and especially Taukei, to speak up, and
listen carefully to what they say, whether they like their views or
not. They should be involved and consulted, at every level, as much
as possible. FijiFirst also needs to heed what the more
rational members of the Opposition are saying in Parliament. It has
been too easy for the Opposition to accuse them of arrogance and not
listening and too easy to blame Indo-Fijian and Muslim influence.
As
things stand, the elections saw a drop in their popularity and an
increase in support for the overtly pro-Taukei SODELPA. The slogan
"one people; one Fiji" did not work. Neither are
demographic changes working in their favour. Thanks to their age
structure and population growth, far more Taukei will vote at the
next election, and there will be fewer Indo-Fijian supporters thanks
to emigration.
Strengthening
FijiFirst Taukei's image
Whether
real or imaginary, a significant number of Taukei think, with
no small amount of prompting from SODELPA, that they are not being
fairly treated and that their traditions are threatened and
unprotected.
This
is the lynch pin for FijiFirst to win the next election.
The
Ministry of Taukei Affairs need their full attention. Many Taukei see
Indo-Fijian and Muslim faces everywhere in Government. To counter
this, the PM should consider transferring his Sugar ministry to an
Indo-Fijian and give more attention to Taukei Affairs.
Fisheries and Forestry could be combined to release one Taukei
minister, and the third highest voted Alipate Nagata could be
added as an Assistant to the Taukei Ministry.
Everyone,
but especially Taukei, need better access to Ministers. Some
Ministers
have too many portfolios and ministers other than the PM and A-G need
to be given more public exposure.
Now
with only one constituency for all the country, some Taukei feel the
absence of more local geographic representation. Hence, more
FijiFirst presence is also needed in the provincial councils, and
their MPs with links to local areas should regularly visit them.
Finally,
and this is a big ask, the status of the Great Council of Chiefs
should be reviewed to see whether it could be reconvened to look
after Taukei succession and tradition, but with absolutely no
political powers. Bainimarama may be right in saying Fiji has done
well without it for eight years, but that is not the image, the
perception, that he should be heeding.
The
2013 Constitution
Three
possible amendments to the 2013 constitution need to be carefully
considered.
First,
and most importantly, those parts of the 2013 Constitution based
on decrees that overly limit free speech, and
restrict trade union and political party activities such as the
Public Order Act and Political Parties Decree need to be amended.
Secondly,
the 5% threshold seems to be too high for Fiji. Proportional
representation is intended to strengthen minor parties which often
leads to coalitions.
In Fiji, the combined vote of the three unsuccessful parties did not even come close to 5%, and there would appear to no chance of an independent candidate ever being elected. Dropping the threshold should ensure wider representation, the possible emergence of a "middle" party such as Unity Fiji or HOPE, and a possibly much needed coalition party in 2022. The move would also be popular and seen to be conciliatory.
Thirdly,
the open list system did not work in their favour because it
resulted in proportionally more Indo-Fijian MPs and proportionately
fewer Taukei. Taking FijiFirst policies to Taukei is easier with
Taukei Ministers.
A
similar comment could be made for SODELPA whose Indo-Fijian
candidates did not even look close to wining a seat. The closed
list system which allows parties to rank their
candidates could be a better system for Fiji. This would give parties
the right mix of skills they require and suitable representation of
other ethnicities. If a constitutional change is not considered
possible, a law change which results in candidates more closely
reflecting national ethnic populations might be, and if not this, an
agreement between the parties.
Dialogue,
reconciliation and consensus
The
image FijiFirst sometimes projects is one of an unbending autocracy.
It is only the Opposition parties that talk of dialogue,
reconciliation and consensus building. This is not the image of a
Government which claims to represent all the people of Fiji.
Once-FijiFirst
functionary Jone Dakuvalu has been speaking about dialogue and
listening to the people for several years, SODELPA MP Ratu
Antonio Lalabalavu listed ways he would like to work with Government
in his maiden speech to Parliament (see next posting) and
Opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka extended an olive branch in his
speech at the opening of Parliament.
Whatever
their feelings, FijiFirst MPs should encourage biparty dialogue
and standing committee participation, work towards consensus
building, do more about reconciliation. and show something of the
"compassion" about which Rabuka speaks. For example,
visas could be granted to Professor Brij Lal and his wife Dr Padma
Lal who, incidentally, could do much more to help Fiji universities
if they visited Fiji. This is a relatively minor "concession"
that would be well received.
They
could even ask the judiciary to review George Speight's prison
sentence, perhaps releasing him from prison to house arrest with some
restrictions on his movement. Many believe that Speight was
just the hastily recruited spokesman for the 2000 coup and
others, who were not arrested, were the real movers. Reconciliation
does not necessarily mean to forgive or forget; it can simply mean
putting the past behind you so that it does not interfere with your
present and future work.
Unfortunately,
I cannot see Bainimarama accepting —of even listening to—these or
other similar suggestions. I think his mind is made up which is a
serious weakness. Even military leaders change their tactics to
match changing battle situations.
But
one has to ask FijiFirst, what after Bainimarama? The party needs to
start grooming new leaders now, and be seen to exercise more
influence over Bainimarama and Sayed-Khaiyum.
Getting
their ideas across
It is
not enough for Quovis to help write the PM's speeches. He needs to
say somethings differently, use the media and social media to promote
discussion on his policies. He could even set up a mock Youth
Parliament.
Some 45,500 more people were registered to vote in 2018 compared with 2014, and over 37,000 fewer people voted. No further evidence is needed of FijiFirst's failure to capture more votes.
In
addition, FijiFirst should, of course, continue with its development
and social welfare work which many agree have helped Fiji, and
with day-to-day issues such as the cost of living and
wages. And, though it may seem trivial, the PM really should work
on a new image when confronted. He has a beautiful smile.
To
conclude, the arguments raised in this posting suggest some of the
other —and perhaps more important— ways in which many
people think Fiji First should act during its second term in
Parliament if it has any chance of winning for a third time in 2022.
In
future postings we shall consider what the Opposition,
the unsuccessful minor parties and what the public
can do to help make "Fiji the way the world should be."
* His
novel "1984" first published in 1940
describes a future world where the people are subject to perpetual
government surveillance and propaganda, a police state.
---
ACW
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