an early hold

political currents

Election fever takes an early hold

Fiji’s general election is almost 18 months away assuming prime minister Ratu Mara de cides against a snap poll.

However, the campaign is already in full swing mainly because the two established parties, the ruling Alliance and the Opposition National Federation are threatened by the emergence and increasing strength of the Labour Party, launched only last July.

The Alliance Party has set the wheels in motion to counter Labour’s move into the rural areas, traditional Alliance stron gholds.

Similarly, the National Federation Party is desperately trying to win back its disillu sioned and disenchanted supporters.

All three parties have been holding rallies in the urban centres and smaller meetings in the rural districts.

For party organisation, Labour is the best placed and its leaders speak with one voice.

In contrast, the NFP has been running around in circles with its leaders issuing different out bursts on a common issue.

The NFP is seeking to pre sent the image of a cohesive group, united in its determina tion to be seen not only as an effective opposition but as an alternative government.

So far, however, the party’s best efforts have either failed or backfired.

Party leader Mr Siddiq Koya is increasingly seen as the root cause of the disarray, while some NFP parliamentarians have both publicly and private ly expressed a desire to see Mr Koya step down rather than be removed.

Mr Koya himself seems de termined to continue. Some sources indicate that he has “seen the writing on the wall”

Fiji’s political parties are already in the grip of election fever even though the scheduled polls are still a long way off. The arrival of the Labour Party, however, has altered the political landscape and all the parties are lobbying for support.

and at the party convention in Suva late last month would hand over the reins to party president Mr Harry Sharma.

Mr Koya, meanwhile has been at pains to appear at rallies and meetings much to the embarrassment of some MPs and organisers because of his outbursts against the Indian community.

At a rally near Suva Mr Koya said Indians would be crushed in next year’s elections as a result of disunity.

He said if the Labour Party managed to attract Indians in large numbers then the ruling Alliance Party would end up with a two thirds majority in Parliament. Indians would then be politically wiped out, he said.

Alliance leader Ratu Mara said such statements seemed to come every year from “certain quarters” when elections were around the comer. “As far as we are concerned, we do not want to change the constitution.

We are happy to remain as we are,” he said.

He said the Alliance was built on the foundation of multi racialism and “on that founda tion it will remain.”

“As it is, our party will not be able to maintain its majority if we talk racially,” he said. “Sim ple arithmetic will tell that it will be impossible for any party to have the support of 39 MPs which is required to change the constitution.”

Meanwhile a research report prepared by a lecturer at the

University of the South Pacific, Mr Vijay Naidu has predicted that the Alliance could win 36 of the 52 seats in parliament.

It sees the Indian vote split ting between the NFP and the Labour Party. In last year’s by-election for an Indian com munal seat previously re

garded as an NFP stronghold the Alliance candidate was elected by a narrow margin, the NFP contestant running third behind Labour.

In the previous election in 1977 before the arrival of the Labour Party the NFP candidate had romped home with a huge majority.

One suggestion being publicly touted is that Labour and the NFP might form a coalition in an effort to shut out the Alliance But the elections are still a long way off and any kind of horse trading is still possible.

From our Suva correspondent.