Rabuka: I Will Lead Party After General Election
He clarifies the leadership position in response to questions
SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka has made it clear that he will be the Prime Minister if the party wins the 2018 general election.
In response to questions at a Vatuwaqa pocket meeting in Suva on Tuesday, Mr Rabuka added that if the party lost, he would be the Opposition leader.
He said even if another candidate polled more than him, he would still lead the party by virtue of his position as party leader.
If the party loses, it’s a convention that the party’s parliamentary caucus will nominate the Opposition leader. There was suggestion by some in the party that post election developments should be based on the votes scored by candidates.
If Ro Teimumu Kepa polled more than Mr Rabuka then she should hold the mantle of power, they suggest. Mr Rabuka said: “If something does happen, though it won’t happen to us but, if the Party leader gets less votes, like the leader comes in third, our decision of PM is the Party Leader.
“Never mind the number of votes.” The leader of the 1987 military coups said he had faced the law in the past and was not afraid because he knew that God was with him.
However, this could be a turning point not only for him but for Fiji. He said he had been reiterating that as party leader he now stood for inclusiveness. He said the party was not a race-based party as viewed by others.
He called on the people to not look back but move forward.
He once again spoke out and said that he was now here to complete all the projects that had been planned by his government during his rule as Prime Minister.
He said he was here to represent the people.
He urged those present at the meeting to remember the word of God, accept and love one another.