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In the just concluded elections the SDL of the interim Prime minister Laisenia Qarase won 31 seats while the Fiji Labour Party led by former Prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry won 27. Surprisingly the hardline Nationalist Fijian conservative Alliance which included George Speight won six seats. Three minor parties managed four seats and two independents won making the total to 70. One seat that of Ra open is vacant due to the death of a candidate and it will be held on September 19. The results can be tabulated as follows: 2001 Election Result Summary by Open Seats and type of Communal Seats
The following points emerge on an analysis of the conduct of elections and the election results.
The Commonwealth Mission Chairman Sir Henry Forde while endorsing the elections as credible said "we are strongly of the view that the conditions did exist for a free expression of will by the electors and that generally the results reflected the wishes of the people." On the problems encountered during the elections he continued that "problems and shortcomings were not of such significance as to have compromised the integrity of the process." The Commonwealth had said on September 9 that it would lift suspension against Fiji after the elections restored the democratic rule. The announcement came too soon, as subsequent actions of the newly elected Prime minister and his unconstitutional move of having only ethnic Fijians in the cabinet would make them reconsider their decision. In the light of this endorsement, Chaudhry�s complaint that there was a massive electoral fraud perpetrated on the Fijian voters and that this had led to loss of at least five seats due to vote rigging by rival parties rings hollow. Chaudhry did not complain of electoral rigging at the time of voting before or after counting. To talk of electoral fraud later when the votes have all been counted and the results being not in his favour could only be termed as the complaint of a loser. Under the Constitutional power sharing arrangements, any party winning more than ten percent of the seats is entitled to be in the cabinet. With 47 percent of the seats Mahendra Chaudhry�s Fiji Labour party is entitled to 8 seats in the cabinet. In a strangely worded letter, Qarase while offering the proportional seats in the cabinet to Chaudhry almost pleaded with him not to accept the offer. Chaudhry on the other hand promptly accepted the offer. An embarrassed Qarase had only two options- have the labour representatives in the cabinet but give them no portfolio or leave them altogether. He did the latter. Earlier he declared openly that his government cannot work if the Labour party�s representatives are included in the cabinet as the "two parties hold diametrically opposed views on quite a few important issues for the country." There would have been embarrassment for Chaudhry also as he would have to be in a cabinet along with George Speight or his party. The Fijians of Indian origin are in further trouble as the most important portfolio relating to land affairs has been given to Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu of the New Conservative Alliance. Land is the key issue for the Indian cane farmers who are being forced out of the leased lands. Ironically, the provision for including the representatives of the opposition was inserted at the time of framing the constitution to ensure that indigenous Fijians were never shut out of office by an ethnic Indian government. Now it is the other way around and the ethnic Indians have been left out of the cabinet with Qarase�s party taking over 18 of the seats, leaving two seats for the conservative alliance. This move of Qarase is totally unconstitutional and Chaudhry has already indicated that he would be going to the court for redressal. Fiji�s Chief Justice Sir Timoci Tuivaga has already warned that the government has been formed ignoring the constitution and added that the letter and spirit of the constitution may have been overlooked. As one commentator had said in Southlands times editorial that it is a "shabby irony that Speight�s party is titled Conservative Alliance Matanitu Vanua. Governmental overthrow at gunpoint, kidnap, beatings and arson are seldom the defining characteristics of conservatism." The parliament is expected to reopen on October 1. The Fiji Labour party is considering boycotting parliament over the way the government had denied it seats in the cabinet. Chaudhry has himself to blame for not winning enough seats to form the government. Weeks before the elections, the labour party declared that Chaudhry would be the prime minister if the Labour party wins the elections. This put off many ethnic Fijians who would have otherwise have voted for Labour party. Too late in the day, during the elections Chaudhry left open the option of transferring power to a respectable indigenous Fijian leader. It is certain that one of the first moves of Qarase�s regime would be to overthrow the 1997 constitution. In our earlier paper on the eve of the elections we had said " The most important development . . . is that the elections are still being held under the 1997 Constitution which while giving due place to indigenous Fijians has all the ingredients for reconciliation and racial amity." Sadly the person who had declared his intention to change the constitution to restore the primacy of the ethnic Fijians has been elected as the Prime minister. A report commissioned by the Qarase�s government earlier on constitutional reforms had recommended that all key posts in the government, the police, military and civil service should be held by ethnic Fijians. The Reviews commission had painted Fijians as oppressed in their home land with a constitution that fails to safeguard their rights. All we could say at the present juncture is that Fiji and Fijians of Indian origin are in deep trouble. The most important objective of all the moderate political leaders should be to ensure that the multi racial constitution of 1997 continues. For this they need considerable help and sympathy of countries like New Zealand, Australia and the Commonwealth who have some leverage in the coup ridden country. |
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