Mayoral elections provide

political fun and games

From a Suva correspondent

Less than a month after in

dependence, Fiji’s political caul

dron was again simmering

merrily, with mayoral elections

at Suva and Lautoka stoking the fires of controversy.

The smooth course of the elec tions was upset by the intervention of big party politics, when the National Federation Party bosses directed NFP councillors not to offer themselves as candidates.

Opposition leader Mr. S. M. Koya said the boycott was in protest at the “undue delay in implementing the recommendations of the London Constitutional Conference for the introduction of common roll elec tions to Suva and Lautoka councils.”

Ironically, so far as the Lautoka elections were concerned, Alliance councillors had been planning to support an NFP councillor for the mayoralty! He was Cr. H. Punja, whom Alliance members considered the best, most experienced man for the job, but he couldn’t accept nomination because of party pressure.

But the new Lautoka mayor—the first woman in Fiji to hold the posi tion—is Mrs. Maureen Wright, who was born in Suva and later educated in Australia and New Zealand.

After the elections Mrs. Wright explained that she and her colleagues had been intending to support “a cer tain NFP member” in the interests of Lautoka as a whole, and was per turbed that the NFP had “submerged the interests and welfare of the people of Lautoka beneath the wild waves of internal party politics”.

Mrs. Wright, the mother of five children, was nominated by the retir ing mayor, Cr. P. F. Bioletti.

Suva’s new mayor is the Assistant Director of Medical Services (Health), Dr. Macu Salato, who was elected un opposed after the retiring mayor, Mr.

L. G. Usher, announced that he did not wish to be nominated for re election, because of the growing bur den of work. Mr. Usher is editor and publisher of The Fiji Times.

Mr. Usher has been on the coun cil for nine years, and has a further year to go as a councillor.

Cr. David Whippy, a European member for Suva, was elected un opposed as Deputy Mayor. The re tiring deputy mayor was Cr. Ratu Livai Volavola.

Cr. Volavola nominated Cr.

Whippy for the position after an nouncing that he had intended to nominate a National Federation Party councillor, Cr. C. P. Bidesi. However, added Cr. Volavola, he had been told outside the council chamber that the NFP had instructed Cr. Bidesi not to stand and instructed the other NFP members not to vote or take part in the elections.

In an editorial, The Fiji Times de scribed the National Federation Party directive as not only “childish and politically inept”—but as evidence of “party puppetry”.

The editorial questioned why the NFP should be prepared to take full advantage of the communal system of voting to get their candidates re turned at the Suva and Lautoka elec tions—and yet boycott the mayoral elections in protest at the delay in introducing common roll.

“There is neither logic nor con sistency in the dictatorial instructions issued to municipal councillors,” it said.

The Alliance-backed Fiji Nation newsmagazine mentioned rumours of a National Federation Party split, suggesting that Mrs. Lila Patel (widow

Suva's first Fijian mayor, Dr. MacuSalato.

Photo: Bindar Pal.

if former Opposition leader A. D. 3 atel) might be about to form a new imposition party.

However, this suggestion seemed ;o be blown out in late November vhen Mrs. Patel announced she would contest the Nadi Township Board Sections in December as official NFP :andidate.

Election for the Rewa-Suva Fijian seat in the House of Representatives —an event with great political un ifications—was due to be held on December 12, with the “angry Fijian” as he’s becoming known) Ratu Vlosese Varesekete seeming to have i strong chance of success.

F iji's Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, a keen golfer himself, watches Samoan Frank Malloy in action during the 54-hole Air New Zealand Open at the Fiji Golf Club in Suva in November.

The winner was 22-year-old New Zealander Bruce Rafferty, who won by four strokes from professional, Malloy, on 219. -Photo: Mike Hohensee.