‘Deeper motive’

OUTSPOKEN Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) member Lynda Tabuya has accused party leaders of rigging numbers on its management board.

Speaking to The Fiji Times yesterday, she claimed there was “a deeper motive in the rejection of three constituencies – Kadavu, Bua and Lomaiviti – from being part of the management board meeting”.

Ms Tabuya claimed SODELPA leaders excluded the three constituencies because they had supported former party member and opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka.

“So what have they done to ensure they keep the majority, they are stacking up the votes in the management board by removing these three,” she claimed.

“This continues to guarantee them majority vote in the management board, so they continue to pass the motions and have their way without proper representative democracy, and to me that’s not free and that’s not fair.”

Ms Tabuya said SODELPA needed to practise what they preached.

“I mean you can try to claim all you want and call for free and fair elections in 2022 but if you’re not practising it within the party then you’re not ensuring that there are free and fair elections.

“We have been raising this in the management board meetings, it’s come up in the working committee but nothing has been done about it.”

Party leader Viliame Gavoka said work was being done to rectify the issues facing the constituencies in question.

“We have done our bit to get Kadavu to form its constituency council but they are still yet to complete it and our people are working on it right now,” he said.

Mr Gavoka said the constituencies could not sit on the management board if they did not comply.

“The onus is on the constituencies to set up their branches and their constituency council, we continue to follow up with them.

“Non-compliance led to our suspension last year, you can understand why we are very apprehensive about allowing in a constituency unless they have done that.”