‘Will be a totally different ballgame’
UNITY Fiji leader Savenaca Narube says the 2022 General Election is in a completely different ballpark compared with the 2018 election.
Speaking to The Fiji Times on its show The Lens @177, Mr Narube said his party was confident of a win ahead.
“The 2018 election is gone, that’s the past,” he said. days following his dismissal, he was quite emotional and confessed to shedding a tear or two alongside his family.
“I was quite emotional about it. I don’t cry too often in my life but yeah, we shed a tear. If one era in
“This election is new and we must focus on this election. In 2018, Unity Fiji was just registered. We had about six months to campaign. Our awareness was not that high in the public but that has changed and this 2022 election will be a totally different ballgame.”
He said their confidence stemmed from the work the party had put in over the past few years to cement my life is gone, let’s look forward to the next one.”
He also maintained that he bears no ill will following his eviction from the post of Governor.
“No, I wasn’t vindictive at all. I was so, so sorry of the circumstances their position in the community by communicating the party’s policies to the people.
“The confidence is I guess, as a politician, as a leader of a political party, is in your message. Your message to the people and confidence comes from your experience, your track record and that’s where I believe the confidence is.
“We have covered over 1500 around it. I didn’t have to be treated that way but I took it upon myself that that’s the call of those in power.
“I was so thankful for the good Lord that they closed the door for me, another door opened.” meetings up to now, we have distributed over 50,000 flyers through the people. We have attended many interviews so that’s the difference. People are just aware of who we are because in this game, it’s not so much about popularity.
“It’s about your credibility to do what you promised to do and as you look at the political climate in Fiji, the confidence on past politicians is now very extremely low. People don’t have confidence on past politicians. Why, you may ask? Because they haven’t delivered, they haven’t looked after the people.”
He said these were some of the things the party would overhaul in this election.
“Enough of the past, enough of the old, they haven’t worked, go for the new.”
Host, West Bureau chief Anish Chand, asked Mr Narube whether questions about his credibility mattered or hurt him.
“No, that is his personal view,” he said.
“I have my personal view of Mr Vakatora. I choose to keep that to myself. My track record is for everybody to see. It’s out there. Everybody should put his track record on the line and I have put mine.”
Mr Narube was also asked about claims about him being a “weak” leader because of his inexperience in the field of politics.
“You don’t have to be experienced in the field of politics. You don’t have to be, otherwise you’ll stick with the old politicians forever.
“We need to bring in fresh leadership and we need to bring in the new kind of thinking to the nation and the term weak is not welldefined. What do you mean by weak? Just look at my track record because ultimately, track record stays whether you are weak or whether you are strong.”
According to Mr Narube, strength was not “a macho” as it was defined.
“No, the strength comes from performance. Where is that performance? I say I have performed, where have I not performed? We can talk about that.
“That means I am not a weak leader. Weak doesn’t mean you don’t listen. Listening is a strength. Consultation is the strength and being able to develop your policies inclusively, that is not a weak leader. That is a strong leader, let’s get that right.”