People’s Alliance, NFP on a rollercoaster ride into an uncertain future

The united front of The People’s Alliance and the National Federation Party has already hit some bumps that indicate that they are on a rollercoaster ride.

Their internal challenges are compounded by the different leadership style.

One issue that differentiates PA leader Sitiveni Rabuka and NFP leader Biman Prasad is their media policy.

Mr Rabuka has an open-door policy. But Mr Prasad has a selective attitude and is hostile to certain members of the mainstream media. If their seemingly solid united front is to stand up to the rigours of this election campaign, they must be on the same page.

While they are two different parties, the PA and the NFP must show that they have a genuine partnership through similar policies.

Mr Rabuka, with all his years of leadership experience as a former Prime Minister, knows how to deal with the media. He is showing it in this election and Mr Prasad should learn from him.

Mr Prasad’s intransigence is certain to make Mr Rabuka uncomfortable because if the PA leader is going to form a new Government, then Mr Prasad needs to toe the line. The process to reach that outcome starts now. If it fails to happen it will complicate matters later for Mr Rabuka and the PA.

The second issue that concerns some in the PANFP partnership is the controversy over Mr Prasad’s claim in Parliament that a FijiFirst member of Parliament had told him that the 2018 election was rigged. When he was challenged, he promised to reveal the name of the MP. But he hasn’t. This issue won’t go away and until he does it will continue to affect his credibility.

The third issue is about the controversy whipped up by expelled NFP provisional candidate, Hiroshi Taniguchi. His social media post on his vision for a better Fiji has upset many iTaukei landowners. Mr Taniguchi had proposed that iTaukei land should be sub-divided and either leased or sold.

He also suggested that civil service staff level should be reduced by 20 per cent and we should switch our currency to the American dollar.

It was not until the Fiji Sun published his outrageous remarks and people started reacting against them that the NFP began to act. If the Fiji Sun had not run the article and the public response, would the NFP have acted? The NFP has now terminated Mr Taniguchi’s provisional candidacy and denounced his remarks, saying his views were not NFP policies.

But the damage is done although the NFP had tried to minimise the negative impact. It will not only affect the NFP but the PA also because it touches a raw nerve with the iTaukei when it comes to their land and politics.

Realising the seriousness of the situation NFP had to take a harsh decision and expelled Mr Taniguchi to prove that it did not condone his statement. The political fallout from this row will play out in the weeks ahead before polling begins. Indications are that it is not looking good for the NFP.

The PA was also hit hard by the ‘vulagi’ (visitor) reference in a controversial opinion column by provisional candidate, Litiana Pareti-Warid. It has taken remedial measures to ensure that all future public statements by provisional candidates are a vetted and approved.

While the PA and NFP have their own issues to deal with, they need some form of synergy in their policies. They need to gain the confidence of the voters that they are one and they have what it takes to form an alternative Government.

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