Labor sweeps Suva poll

The Fiji Labor Party, formed only four months ago, delivered a stinging blow to the leader of the National Federation Party, Mr Siddiq Koya, and his faction by taking eight seats in the Suva City Council election in November. No official NFP candidates won seats. Adding to the ignominy was the elec tion of five former NFP members who stood as independents, unoffi cially, but obviously, supporters of Mrs Irene whom Mr Koya had earlier sacked as NFP deputy leader. The remaining seven seats were won by candidates fielded by the Alliance, the party ruling the na tional government of prime minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. While the Labor Party was ex pected to make some inroads into the NFP’s traditional support, no one forecast the extent of its victory, nor that it would also find support, as it did, in the traditio nal Alliance seats of Maunikau and Tama vua. The NFP had con trolled the City Council for several years and

had never been without major representation.

The Alliance and the Labor Party had fielded a full slate of 20 mem bers, while the NFP had only 15 candidates.

Political commenta tors in Fiji suggest that the electorate is show ing signs of disaffection from both the NFP and the Alliance, leading to theories that the traditio nal, racial, alignment of the country’s politics may be subtly changing.

However, Suva is not Fiji, and the city council is not the parliament and no revolution is ex pected, even in the two by-elections due to be held in December.

These are for the Ba- Tavua Indian National seat and the Lau-Rotu ma Fijian Communal seat in the House of Representatives. The Fijian seat is blue-ribbon Alliance, but great in terest is being taken in the Ba-Tavua contest for among the candi dates is Mahendra Chaudary, leader of the Labor Party. From Our Suva Correspon dent.