Wrong Strategy Contributes to a Botched Attempt to Change Leader
Team Lynda Tabuya botched an attempt to take over SODELPA’s party leader role when it used the wrong strategy on Tuesday.
The group marched into the Management Board meeting in Suva and moved a vote of no confidence in the incumbent Viliame Gavoka and general secretary Lenaitasi Duru using an allegation of perjury relating to a court case.
But that matter was sorted out in court . Despite that a complaint was lodged with the Police and the party.
The grounds for removing Mr Gavoka and Mr Duru did not appeal to several members of the Management Board who were thought to be backing Ms Tabuya for new party leader.
Consequently the meeting decided to appoint a three-member committee to look at the issue and report back to the Management Board.
This process will take time and it will also consider the decision of the Police.
The Lynda team would have stood a better chance of pushing the leadership question through if it had kept it simple.
Leave aside the perjury claim because it looks like it’s doomed to fail and use the Fiji Sun-Western Force public opinion. survey to support its campaign against Mr Gavoka and Mr Duru.
Under Mr Gavoka SODELPA has dropped to its worst rating this year. That would have been good ground to call for a change in leadership.
Secondly, even his supporters from his home constituency in Nadroga have resigned.
For Ms Tabuya, The events on Tuesday would complicate her campaign to be party leader.
She would have to wait for the General Assembly (annual general meeting) where any change in leadership would happen.
There is nothing in the party constitution that spells out the process to remove the incumbent mid term before an election.
No General Assembly was held last month as it should. It’s now likely to happen early in the New Year, by which time the election campaign would be in full swing and SODELPA would be disadvantaged because it would still be sorting out its internal problems.
Ms Tabuya’s quest for SODELPA party leader suggests that the planned move to Sitiveni Rabuka’s The People’s Alliance may be going cold.
It is public knowledge that there are people in Mr Rabuka’s camp who are hostile towards Ms Tabuya.
This could influence her decision to stick with SODELPA.