Not quite such an important question as Hamlet’s question “to be or not to be?” but a very important question that we need to answer by the end of this year. I have voted in every election I have had the opportunity, two in the UK before I came to Fiji and every election in Fiji since then. Voting is a privilege and we should all respect the opportunity to choose those people we want to make the important decisions that affect our livelihoods and the state of our beloved Fiji.
The Fiji Law Reform Commission has set before us a list of over thirty questions to think about within the next four weeks, and they would like answers so that they know what we want. We are very quick and loud in our complaints about our parliamentarians. But who chose them? We did, the voters. So it is up to us to vote in the people we want who we think will do a good job. Part of the problem has been our electoral laws, so it is good that the laws be reformed and improved. Let us make an effort, go through the questions, think about them, and give our answers.
Apart from the laws and the questions, I hear there are a lot of new parties getting registered. Oh what fun! Let’s take a good look at them.
We might think one of them will be worth voting for. So many parties, I could form one myself. But you need 5000 supporters. Oh, I will easily do that. I am, after all, the famous Flag Lady who designed our Fiji flag! But you are 90 years old! Yes, well, perhaps better not.
The Law Reform Commission’s
questions.
IT looks a very big list of questions. Worse than an exam! Shall we bother? They have divided them into eight groups which makes it a lot easier. And with many of them we can explain our complaints. To begin with, they ask if we understand the present system. I can say that I know enough about voting and elections to say that it was specifically designed to keep one party in power as long as possible. I have a long list of improvements that will come out as we go through the list.
I cannot remember the number of the person I voted for, but I do remember her name because she is a long term friend, and because she is someone I hold in great respect. I watch every time I see her in Parliament and out in public performing her ministerial duties. But it annoys me that in recent years, every time a member drops out, he or she is replaced by someone with about 300 votes, when there are many other people who were voted for and got numbers in the thousands who are left out. This makes no sense at all and is grossly unfair to people who put themselves forward and to those who voted for them.
I remember when we had a lot of different constituencies, like the provinces, so it was easy to know who represented you in Parliament. You could approach them and tell them the problems we faced. I even remember when we were much more divided by race when we had more than one vote, you voted for a member of you own racial group and for a member of another. As a European I was given a special category. At one time I was called a General Voter. I rather liked that. It gave me a sort of sense of power. Then we became Other. I didn’t like that much. I felt designed for the rubbish heap! At least now we are all labelled Fijian, can carry our light blue passports with pride, and all vote on the same platform. But please give us our own group of people living in some degree of proximity with our own candidates to vote for.
Yes, we need voter education between now and the end of the year. Make it fun and simple, so that we really understand. When I was young, we had mock elections in high school, supposed to make us understand. But we were teenagers. We didn’t listen to the big guys telling us how they would improve our school lives or to their policies. We chose the one we had a crush on or one who was a leading sportsman!
Counting the votes. Qualifications for voters and candidates and numbers required
When all the votes are brought in to Suva and counted together, it is a very unwieldy system and takes ages. I remember after one recent election when there were credible stories of lorries carrying the boxes of ballot papers, precious votes from the villages of Vanua Levu, being hi-jacked in the dark of night and the boxes replaced with others! Whether the stories were true or not, it didn’t make one confident of a fair election. Should we expect a few people in Suva who have to work long hours on very tiring work be made to count all the votes. If we can trust them, surely we can trust the trained officials in the districts. And a few local people to watch over them without disturbance will help our confidence that all is correct.
I personally think everyone should be allowed to vote. Prisoners are released over time. Mental patients recover. You may feel differently. Say so. To be a candidate for election is more complicated. Think about that one extra carefully. Do we need thresholds for entry? Isn’t the number of votes enough?
Women
Oh dear! Why does this question always raise its head? I have never been an active feminist because I like to respect everyone regardless of gender. And the ugly head of homosexuality comes up too. No one seems to fully understand this. I have done a study of this issue as it occurs in, and is treated in, The Bible. (Available elsewhere) People may look at me because I wear trousers all the time. The reason is simple. In June/July 2000, our parliamentarians spent weeks in captivity in Veiuto. Every day we sat in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a large crowd of us, silently praying for them all, while our Dean went down to pray with them and offer them the Holy Communion, whether they were Christian or of another faith, it was very cold that year and a cold breeze would blow in as we sat for two hours through the lunch hour. In the end I resorted to my one pair of slacks to keep my legs warm. I got used to the pockets! Very handy. I decided to buy more, and smarter, long pants and gave up my short dresses!
If we were sensible in our treatment of women and others we would not need the questions raised by the commission. We should all naturally be on a level footing. Think about the issues the commission raises and give your answers.
Ballot papers
Not just numbers, please! I hate numbers. There is only one number I can always recall, beside my birth date, and that is DYDC 276:3. It is the number of my ration book during World War II. One’s Ration Book was one’s access to most food. Only vegetables that could be grown and sold in markets or in one’s garden were unrationed. The Ration Book served as one’s identity number and from the age of five I was made to memorise DYDC 276:3 in case I should get lost in bombing or such like. We lived in the country and only once was anything exciting like a bomb dropped near us. The enemy planes flew over us to bomb the manufacturing cities north of our area. One day all the children, especially the boys got very excited. There were bombs dropped in the forest at the bottom of the hill. Of course none of us were allowed anywhere near.
Now of course I have to live with numbers. I get asked for my identity and the only one I have is my voter card, and my passport. I seem to have now lost my voter card, Oh dear! I don’t want to carry my passport around. I got given some new numbers recently. The bank is no longer going to mail my account statement to me every quarter. I can go to the internet. The girl was very helpful and I have all the information, but to tell the truth, I am scared of the internet. I am very glad to have it for emails and I use skype to keep in touch with my family. And now I am told skype is finishing. The young members of the family will have to help me.
Please give us names for our candidates and party symbols on the ballot paper. Pictures for the stupid ones like me. Surely that makes it easier for everyone.
Size of Parliament
We have a great Parliament Complex and a beautiful Parliament Chamber fit for a good number of Parliamentarians, built at great expense. We certainly could do with many more parliamentarians. I know Veiuto holds bad memories for some, but please can we bring it back into the use for which it was built. The Chamber now in use dates from colonial days, before iTaukei were given the vote. It is much too small. That is probably why so many people want to set up more parties to try to increase the number, that cannot possibly fit in!
A Senate was a good idea, If we reopen Veiuto for its proper use, we can honour our elder citizens who are worthy of a voice, that a Senate will give them. And by-elections were great fun for parliamentarians who drop out through sickness or other cause. By-elections are the only fair way to replace them.
A final word
Please don’t force us to vote. It should be free and fair in every way.
Of course we must change the Constitution. I leave it to all of you good people to make your opinion heard. Read my ideas, but they may not be the best. I felt they were worth sharing with you. But you are undoubtedly younger than me and will have your own opinions. Make them heard. The commission will respect them. And more than the Electoral Laws need to be changed, but that is for another day.
Let’s have especially good general elections this coming time. Please take time to go through The Law Reform Commission’s questions and respond to them. The sooner the better. They have a lot to get through in the next few months.
(TESSA MACKENZIE, known as the woman who designed the Fiji national flag, is a regular contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.)
