EXPLAINER: PM BAINIMARAMA COMMANDS HEALTHY

LEAD IN PREFERRED PM STAKES

Amajority of Fijians want Voreqe Bainimarama to continue as Prime Minister after the 2022 General Election, an opinion poll has revealed.

Sixty-one per cent of the 500 people contacted nationally in a telephone interview by Western Force, an independent research group based in Nadi, prefer Mr Bainimarama to lead the country again. He is in a similar position to what he was in when Western Force came out with a poll result 11 days before the 2018 General Election. SODELPA caretaker leader and Opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka polls 16 per cent, four per cent lower than he received in the September 2018 opinion survey.

This is the first in a series of regular opinion poll to gauge the public mood in the build-up to the 2022 election.

PM’s early lead

Mr Bainimarama’s early lead in the race comes as no surprise despite attempts to discredit his leadership as the country reels from the adverse economic and social impact of COVID-19.

He has shown consistency and an unwavering commitment to fulfil his Government policy that no one is left behind during these difficult times.

His recent tour of the rural and maritime areas to commission development projects and listen to the people about their grievances, request for help, hopes and aspirations, in talanoa sessions, underlines his people-oriented philosophy. No other Prime Minister has reached the same level of engagement with the people as he has done.

Many leaders around the world are under pressure because of COVID-19 and its health, social, economic and political impact. From day one of our battle against the killer virus, Mr Bainimarama has reinforced his leadership trademark.

He led from the front with Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete. Through his decisive leadership we have successfully contained the virus. And it happened through a measured approach and a deliberate set of initiatives including lockdowns, curfews and quarantine. Some, who belong to the sceptics, defied the measures and carried on as normal. They have faced the full brunt of the law. In this exercise Mr Bainimarama has instilled confidence in the majority of Fijians who took safety seriously and believed that they could save lives if they respected the rules. And they did save lives. No one has died from COVID-19. Mr Bainimarama empowered them that together we can overcome the challenges.

This is the sort of strong leadership we need in times like this to counter attempts by critics to cause unnecessary alarm, hysteria and fear.

The challenges are not over yet. Perhaps, the biggest one facing our nation

is rebuilding our economy.

2020-2021 National Budget

Mr Bainimarama has again scored positively because of the 2020-2021 National Budget. While criticism has predictably come from the Opposition and other anti-Government groups, at least some recognition must go towards the intention of this budget. The measures announced including unprecedented tax cuts and other initiatives are designed to help rejuvenate the economy through an emphasis on local investment, spending and consumption. This Budget may not solve all our economic ills, but it provides a base from where we can rebuild so that we can return where we were.

The appointment of Brigadier-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai as DirectorGeneral for the National Security Council is a master stroke. Mr Bainimarama

could not have approved a better person than the highly trained and experienced senior military officer to ensure Fijians are kept safe and our national assets and interests are protected.

For Fijians who are worried about security, they can be assured that they are in good hands. Safety and security have been Mr Bainimarama’s strong points in an election because of his rapport with the disciplined forces.

Mr Rabuka, who scores 16 per cent behind Mr Bainimarama, may not agree entirely with this account, but that is his prerogative and he is expected to come out firing next week in the budget debate in Parliament as the SODELPA Opposition spokesperson on the economy.

But foremost on his mind right now is the party leader role and how he can bring the two warring factions, the moderates and the conservative right wingers, together and unify the party. He believes he is the only leader who can take SODELPA to victory in 2022. He failed in 2018 and what makes him think he can do it this time when SODELPA is badly split? It is not even certain when he will be reappointed because others will be vying for the position come November when the process of confirming the new leader will be completed. National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad is at six per cent, Ro Teimumu at two per cent, Unity Fiji Party leader, Savenaca Narube, at one per cent while Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry holds the woodenspoon with zero. The remaining 14 per cent are spread out among other politicians not named on the list.

The same standings are mirrored in the results of the poll on which party the people want to form the next Government.

Sixty-nine per cent picked FijiFirst while 21 per cent voted for SODELPA.

The internal bickering which has split SODELPA may have had an impact on the poll. It is a fact that many members are disillusioned by the in-fighting and some may strongly feel that SODELPA may not be ready to form a new Government. If they cannot put their house in order first, how can they effectively run the Government, is the logical question.

Mr Narube, despite all the hard work he has been putting in to raise his party’s profile, has not been able to attract enough support to register a noticeable impact on the electorate. The NFP is also facing the same challenge.

With two years away from the election, Mr Bainimarama and FijiFirst are the team to beat.