Fiji’s newly appointed commissioners to the Electoral Law Reform Commission have launched two vital documents in preparation for an elections process already being met with both hope and concern for the Fijian public.
A call for the people to speak
One of the primary roles of the FLRC (Fiji Law Reform Commission) is to conduct public consultations across the country as part of the review of the Electoral Act of 2014, Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act of 2013, and the Electoral (Registration of Voters) Act of 2012.
In a bid to encourage constructive engagement, the Commission launched a document titled ‘Prompts for Public Consultations.’ This document includes questions designed to prompt people attending the consultations share their thoughts, ranging from whether ballot papers should list candidate names to whether special measures should be extended to ensure a more gender balanced parliament, and several other topics.
“Public consults, being what they are, are meant for the public to tell us their thoughts, not for us to tell anyone anything. But in order for them to help us get the most out of it, we have prepared the prompts,” Chair of the Commission Daniel Fatiaki told media yesterday.
The elephant in the room
Despite the 2013 Constitution looming heavy over the work of this commission, the team is hopeful that they will still be able to deliver positive change for the nation’s electoral system.
“It’s inevitable that we will have to, eventually, collide with what I call the elephant in the room,” Fatiaki said of the restraints the constitution places on any changes.
“But my easy answer to that question is to ask the politicians. There’s nothing I can do about that. If they decide to shelve [our report], they shelve it, that’s their business. But I’m still going to give this country, through my report, the best electoral system, which I believe it deserves,” he said.
“The important thing for my commission is that none of that will hamper our recommendations. We will not be making recommendations with an eye to its acceptability by politicians. We don’t answer to them. We’ll answer to the people. And I will give them the best electoral system I can imagine they should have.
“So, even though we may not address the elephant, we can sure as hell clear the grass around it,” Fatiaki said.
With a team of commissioners who appear passionate and dedicated to making positive change in whatever capacity they are able; the responsibility now rests with the people of Fiji to take an active role in making their own voices heard.
The other commissioners include Seini Nabou, Deidre Brooks, and Professor Wadan Narsey, all of whom are intimately familiar with the inner workings of the system.
“If I can leave my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren an electoral system that they can be proud of, that they can grasp, love, and understand, and that presents them with more opportunities, more democracy, more freedom, then yes,I believe I should,” Fatiaki said.
“I have lived experience with electoral laws,” former National Federation Party candidate, Seini Nabou added. “It wasn’t an even playing field. Larger than that is that when you step back and you have a chance to fix it, as the chair has rightly said, we all have a sense of legacy about making changes. Not to favour one, but to level the playing field for everybody.”
“I’ve been working with the Fiji electoral system since 2013 on the inside,” Diedre Brooks shared. “So I have spent all of these years chewing their ears off about how unfair the system is, how unbalanced it is. And then this came along, and it was like, well, Deirdre, put your money where your mouth is, so I took it on.”
“I have a very strong belief that if we go out there and ask the people and they actually tell us what they want, which is why we spent days preparing the prompts, and we design a system and recommend it, this is Fiji, are they not going to ask for it?” Ms Brooks said.
“If we’re recommending what they want, won’t they stand up and ask the government for it? And if they don’t, then I’m very sad for Fiji. But I believe Fijians are stronger than that, and I believe Fijians are passionate about their country; a beautiful country with beautiful people who love their country and want a democracy that they can love.”
Consultation schedule
According to the official schedule, the commission will be in the Central-Eastern division from April 7th to 11th, in the Western division from the 14th to 22nd (excluding public holidays), and the Northern division from the 23rd to the 25th, while a tentative schedule for maritime areas continues into early May.
Those who cannot attend in person are encouraged to share any thoughts they may have via post to P.O Box 2519, Government Buildings, Suva, or hand delivery to the FLRC Office at Level 5, Civic Tower in Suva. Submissions can also be made through the FLRC website at https://flrc.gov.fj/submission-form/ or emailed to fijilawreformc@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Electoral Law Reform – Prompt Questions’.
Submissions on the Electoral Law Reform Prompt Questions will close on the 9th of May 2025 at 4pm.
