Gavoka: Party will not be swayed
SOCIAL Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) leader Viliame Gavoka says the party will not be swayed by comments made by those who had opted out of contesting the 2022 polls under the SODELPA banner.
He was responding to comments made by Ro Filipe Tuisawau of instability within SODELPA as the reason he decided not to stand for the party in the upcoming general election.
Mr Gavoka said issues within the party was no secret and known to everyone.
“We came through some difficult times it’s no secret, almost every day I was in the papers trying to revive a sinking ship,” he said.
“It depended on how people handled the situation of the party and we as loyalists stayed and stabilised the ship (SODELPA).
“But that is behind us now and we have emerged stronger as we have announced 12 more candidates and we are ready for the elections now.”
Ro Filipe said SODELPA needed to urgently address their instability issues.
“In the long term, it’s a situation that we need to sit down and really discuss and work on,” he said.
“There is a need to resolve these issues moving into the future in terms of national politics.
“We will have to work very hard to formulate our opposition, where we are heading into the future and as leaders, what is our responsibility to the people.”
Ro Filipe said it was sad that the responsibility was ignored by some members who caused chaos within the party.
He said his next step would be known in a few weeks’ time.
On April 12, Ro Filipe had told The Fiji Times that he withdrew his expression of interest because he had not been informed the SODELPA Rewa constituency council had appointed Ilisoni Vuidreketi and Jovilisi Suveinakama as their candidates.