UniFiji and Dialogue Fiji support single national constituency

Dialogue Fiji and the University of Fiji have shown their support towards the single national constituency by giving their joint submission during the Electoral Law Reform Commission consultation at the Pasifika Communities University in Nasese.

Dialogue Fiji Executive Director, Nilesh Lal says the single national constituency ensures that each vote carries equal value regardless of where it is cast - a fundamental tenet of democratic equality.

Lal says a single national constituency also removes any opportunity for gerrymandering.

The Executive Director says any move away from a single national constituency would compromise the principle of "one person, one vote, one value" and reintroduce regional disparities.

He says in the political history of Fiji, we have had an ethnically divided society at various periods that has been a result of ethnic discontentment.

He further says a lot of ethnic politics is going on and nearly every contentious issue in Fiji assumes very quickly an ethnic dimension.

Lal adds that instead of concentrating resources and campaigning amongst their ethnic groups, candidates must appeal to diverse communities across the entire country, encouraging inclusive policy agendas and reducing the salience of race-based appeals.