An Auckland-based Fiji voter has complained that the Fijian Elections Office voter registration drive in New Zealand has been ineffective.
Thakur Ranjit Singh said that the FEO had failed to ensure that New Zealand-based voters had been made aware of voter registration there.
Mr Singh said that voter registration had taken place in the office of Lords Jewellers from last Thursday but that many people remained “in the dark” about it.
“I got registered today (Sunday, May 22), on the fourth day and I found out about this only through public requests on Facebook.
“At registration, one person informed me, his NFP contact in Fiji told him about registration in Auckland. Another said he, with others, followed it on Instagram and Facebook of a little-known organisation, Whanau Community Trust meant for Rotumans in Auckland.
“There was no voter registration in West Auckland.
“Why wasn’t the medium of radio used, when the community was made to depend on medium of technology foreign to most such voters?
“Radio is the best for informing people. There are three 24-hour Hindi radio stations in Auckland, but none were used.
Mr Singh claimed his enquiries revealed that registration had been poor.
“Proper announcement to be made over radio and voter registration in Auckland needs to be repeated after the announcement, otherwise democracy will remain short, and the right to vote would be denied to most Fiji passport holders in New Zealand,” he said.
Questions sent to the Supervisor of Elections and to his communications team remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
