Parties With Broad-based Policies Stand A Better Chance In 2022 Poll

Voters have two years to decide which party they feel should govern this country to 2026.

The 2018 General Election was a closer than earlier expected affair between FijiFirst and SODELPA.

The 2022 poll could be tighter if SODELPA somehow cleans up its mess and puts its act together.

One thing is certain. FijiFirst has learned from its weaknesses and is no doubt working to rectify them. So it will be tougher to beat the next time.

This COVID-19 crisis has forced a pause in the political trench warfare. There are little skirmishes occurring here and there. But the break has given voters time to think about their future.

Which party offers the best policies that will benefit them and the nation as a whole.

Voters belong to different categories.

Category one

Voters in this group are staunch in their support of a party because they subscribe to its political ideologies. They can be described as diehards and will not change even if circumstances do change as long as the policies remain. They do not care who leads the party. Their party loyalty never wavers.

Category two

These are the critical thinkers who will question the party from time to time on issues of governance particularly. They could be regarded as rebels and their motives, although designed to strengthen the party, are usually scoffed at.

But they press on regardless driven by the dictates of their conscience and their belief in democratic principles.

These principles give them the freedom to express their views freely within the confines of the party’s constitution.

They would fight for changes until they succeed using the internal party machinery and processes.

Category three

These are members who are prepared to leave the party instead of compromising their standards by staying.

They will join another party that shares their standards and aspirations or set up a new party altogether.

They have similar characteristics as those in Category Two but they cannot be part of a process that they believe contravenes governance structures and policies.

Category four

These are voters who do not necessarily belong to a party.

They sit on the fence and scan the political landscape for the best policies that match what they are looking for.

They will switch their votes to another party if they were not happy because the party they voted for failed to deliver on its promises. They are sometimes referred to as the undecided or swing voters. They are an important group that can decide the outcome of an election.

Young voters

More young voters are expected to vote in 2022.

That is expected to change the dynamics.

That is why it is important for political parties to focusing on issues that affect them.

The old style politics will not cut it with them.

Education, jobs, technology, health, security will be high on their “shopping list” between now and 2022.

But because elections are about numbers, parties cannot afford to focus only on certain areas and forget the rest. When elections are close every vote counts.

Parties with broad-based policies will have an advantage over the rest.