FLP Unhappy With NCBBF’s New Electoral System Proposal

The Fiji Labour Party is not happy with the proposal of a new electoral system put forward by the National Council for Building a Better Fiji.

According to the official FLP website, the NCBBF has recommended that Fiji adopt a Proportional Representation arrangement of voting using an Open Party List as part of its electoral reforms.

In a statement posted on the 6th of this month, the Labour Party said it is unhappy with this recommendation as they believe it is unsuitable for Fiji's current conditions. The FLP said the proposed system will foster further political instability with the creation of small groupings in parliament, particularly if these are extremist elements.

Further, the FLP said the system will be cumbersome and confusing their voters who are not as sophisticated as voters in advanced Western societies.

It said the system would simply magnify our problem of high invalid votes. The Fiji Labour Party said it is currently carrying out constituency meetings on the issue prior to calling a National Council meeting which will take a final decision on FLP's stand regarding the electoral system.

However in a statement posted on the 4th of this month, the FLP said views expressed by FLP members to date show a clear preference for a decisive move away from the predominantly communal and undemocratic electoral system under the 1997 constitution to one that is truly democratic, simple to understand and one that provides for a vote of equal value to all citizens, irrespective of all other considerations.