A NAVUA resident has called for a return to the old vote counting system, saying people have lost faith in the current method.
Tomasi Delana, from Daku Village in Tailevu, made the submission last week during a Justice Law Reform Commission consultation on the Electoral Act 2014.
He said vote counting should be done by civil servants, not temporary workers hired through public advertisements.
“There were a lot of complaints in my area about the last election,” Mr Delana said. “We don’t trust the current system. We want the old one back – we trust civil servants to do the job.”
Another local, Atunaisa Lacabua, said he struggled to understand how the last election was run.
“There was no release of vote count details,” he said.
“We don’t clearly understand the system, and many of us weren’t even aware the consultation was happening.”
Only three people attended the consultation in Navua.
Commission chairperson and former chief justice Daniel Fatiaki admitted public engagement remained a challenge.
“We had fewer numbers than we’d hoped for at Rampur, but those who came made interesting submissions,” he said.
“It was a lighter session – three elderly men came with their experiences and, perhaps, their traumas.
“We gave them a listening ear and did our best to guide them through the questions.”
