The Big Winners, Losers and no Surprises
The 2018 General Election is almost over and there have been some big winners and a number of big losers as the country awaits final results to be released.
The losers:
Archbishop Peter Loy Chong is one of the biggest losers in this general election. He did himself and the Church a lot of damage by spreading false information about Fiji’s economy. He came under fire from his own flock and people are not quick to forget the role Catholic Church and the Archbishop played in spreading lies at a time when country needed facts.
Fake accounts on social media. Fake accounts operated by cowards who perpetuated hate on Facebook are the losers in this Elections. Fijians saw through their deception and thankfully, a lot of them did not fall for it.
Every Fijian who did not turn up to vote. It is a shame when shopping malls and cinemas were full on November 14, while nearby polling stations recorded poor turnout.
Ro Teimumu Kepa lost out the largest number of votes from SODELPA. In doing so, she also went from being the person who received the highest number of SODELPA votes to her current standing at third place.
Seni Nabou who? The NFP vice-president has failed to make to Parliament in the last two elections. She needs to rethink her political future.
Winners:
Lynda Tabuya most certainly played her cards right and this showed in the poll. She took a gamble when she switched sides from the now defunct Peoples Democratic Party to SODELPA. She took another gamble when she became SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka’s closest ally within the Party. Now she has cemented her position as the number two after getting second highest number of votes. Interesting times are ahead for SODELPA.
Every Fijian who came out to vote is worthy of a mention. Braving rain, hundreds of thousands of Fijians went to vote and had their say.
Alipate Nagata, FijiFirst candidate whose number 668 garnered in a lot of votes.
Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem did a marvellous job in bringing about a truly modern election night in Fiji. People the world over could get results of the count as it happened on their smart phones.
The polling agents and each party volunteer who spent days and nights campaigning and scrutinising votes.
No surprises:
Attorney-General and FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum got more votes compared to the 2014 polls. This is no surprise given his popularity among the youths. He is well regarded by voters.
FijiFirst candidate Premila Kumar making the top 10 within the party is no surprise either. She was articulate in her talkback show where she took on NFP’s Seni Nabou and SODELPA’s Lynda Tabuya and schooled them on Government initiatives.
Parveen Bala’s continued support is no surprise. He worked the crowds in the Western Division and the Ba FijiFirst rally was a clear indication of his support.
Vijay Nath made sure he was a familiar face in Nausori over the past four years. He was welcomed at every religious function, at every funeral and at every household function with open arms. The increase in his votes has been a result of this.