Saneem says it is common sense that voter registration at schools is meant for students only however Tabuya says the SOE should be clear and not give confusing information

Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem says the registration drive at secondary schools is meant for students only which is common sense and has been a past practice after People’s Alliance Party member, Lynda Tabuya raised serious concerns about people turning up to register at Ahmadiyya Muslim College in Narere, Navosai today only to be told that the venue is to register students.

Tabuya said on her facebook live video that there should be an allocated venue in Narere, Navosai for people in the area to get their voter registrations done, and the Supervisor should make things easier for people to get registered.

However Saneem says as we are all aware, schools are a private premises and they do not allow normal entry of any member of the public during school hours.

He says registrations are done in schools this year so that they can capture students before they move to tertiary schools and the work environment.

The Supervisor of Elections says he is not saying that Lynda Tabuya has kicked up a Hollywood drama just for attention on her Facebook page but the dots do not line up.

Saneem says according to FEO staff at the venue, only 3 or 4 people had come to register at the venue and most of them were brought by Tabuya herself in the bus that she purports to have arranged.

Saneem says during Tabuya’s live video, she is interviewing a person who is on crutches and is purporting to require registration services.

He says persons with disability are always given first priority at their centres.

Saneem also says that the man Tabuya is interviewing did not get his information from the Fijian Elections Office page but from another page called red deals. He claims this man got off the bus which Tabuya brought and then went back in the same bus.

He also says they have taken great initiatives to ensure that there are registration centres near the members of the public in highly accessible areas.

When questioned by fijivillage, Tabuya says neither gentlemen that she interviewed in the live video came on the bus with her. She says the person with a disability, Waqa was not brought to the venue by her and he had said he was there from 8am however she says she offered him transport back to his home because he could not walk far.

Tabuya also says he was not coached on what to say.

She says Saneem can call Waqa or Waqa can call him.

Tabuya then raised the question on why she is being attacked for raising concerns about providing easier access to people for voter registration.

She asks what is the intention here, and Saneem should be clear and not confusing, and tell the public on the clear information as people have the right to be informed.