Tuiteci too hot to handle?

Parties have removed candidates from their list in the past before an election on eligibility grounds. The candidates failed to meet the eligibility rules.

For the first time a candidate has been removed from a party’s election lineup on different grounds.

SODELPA has taken Seremaia Tuiteci off its lineup on disciplinary grounds. It claimed that Tuiteci violated compliance issues.

He has been accused of breaching the:

2013 Constitution of Fiji, Section 17 (2) and Section 23 (3);

Online Safety Act 2018, Section 24 (1); SODELPA Media & Social Media Policy and Guidelines;

SODELPA Constitution;

Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013 – Code of Conduct for Po- litical Parties Section 4 (c) and Section 6 (e).

Whether one is for or against Mr Tuiteci there is definitely going to be some political fallout for SODELPA.

The issues must be serious to warrant the termination of Mr Tuiteci’s candidacy.

Whether one is for or against Mr Tuiteci there is definitely going to be some political fallout for SODELPA. Like other provisional candidates he must have gone through the party’s screening process before his name was announced.

Mr Tuiteci is well known. He was a trainee journalist once, served in the military and worked in the civil service including in the highest office of the land, the Prime Minister’s Office.

If what SODELPA is saying is true then the selection panel that interviewed him failed. At the time the panel members met, allegations against Mr Tuiteci, were already circulating. Why weren’t the allegations dealt with then?

Some were personal and others were political. His criticisms of The People’s Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka were scathing. He was seen as one of the few provisional candidates who was not afraid to take on Mr Rabuka head-on.

He must have stepped on a few toes in SODELPA too. Ultimately, he became a liability instead of an asset.

His ejection demonstrates the fickle nature of this election campaign. Parties are making sure that they do not do anything to undermine their preparations with respect to compliance and governance.

This is a good sign and it augers well for the election and beyond.

NEMANI DELAIBATIKI

Feedback: nemani.delaibatiki@fijisun.com.fj