People’s Alliance Party (PAP) general secretary Sila Balawa has challenged SODELPA general secretary Levi Vere to produce evidence that the Presidency of Fiji was included as a binding commitment in the final Coalition Agreement signed in December 2022.
Mr Balawa said the document currently being circulated, dated December 17, 2022, was merely a proposal made during coalition negotiations and not the final agreement signed by the three coalition partners on December 30, 2022.
“SODELPA General Secretary Levi Vere needs to explain why he is accusing the People’s Alliance of breaking a promise concerning the Presidency of Fiji when the final Coalition Agreement contains no such commitment,” Mr Balawa said.
He questioned whether Mr Vere had reviewed the final agreement before making his allegations.
“Didn’t the former SODELPA General Secretary hand over the Coalition Agreement to you when he resigned, giving you the opportunity to read and understand what the three parties actually agreed to before issuing your statement?”
Mr Balawa said PAP’s original proposal contained two linked arrangements involving senior SODELPA member Ro Teimumu Kepa.
The first was her proposed appointment as Fiji’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, while the second outlined a possible pathway for her to eventually become President of Fiji.
He claimed SODELPA accepted the diplomatic posting arrangement but rejected the proposed pathway to the Presidency.
“That is why the diplomatic posting arrangement was reflected in the final Coalition Agreement, while the proposed pathway to the Presidency was not,” he said.
Mr Balawa acknowledged that another person was subsequently appointed to the diplomatic position.
“The People’s Alliance made its proposal in good faith, but SODELPA made its own decision on what it was prepared to accept. We cannot be accused of breaking a promise on a proposal that SODELPA rejected.”
He also recalled the difficult coalition negotiations following the 2022 General Election, during which SODELPA was considering forming a government with FijiFirst.
Mr Balawa claimed that SODELPA’s demands had become increasingly difficult to resolve, prompting its then vice-president and chief negotiator Anare Jale to intervene and refocus discussions on the national interest.
He maintained that PAP had made compromises to ensure the formation of the Coalition Government.
“If Mr Vere maintains that the Presidency was a binding commitment, he should produce the evidence showing where that commitment was accepted and incorporated into the final agreement.”
Mr Balawa directly challenged Mr Vere over his interpretation of the coalition documents.
“So, Mr Vere, did you mislead the people of Fiji by presenting a proposal that did not become part of the final Coalition Agreement as a broken promise?”
He said the public deserved an accurate account of what transpired during the negotiations.
“The people of Fiji deserve the full story, not a selective presentation of documents without the context of the negotiations.”
“There is a fundamental difference between a proposal made during negotiations and a commitment accepted by all parties.”
Mr Balawa’s comments follow Mr Vere’s allegations that PAP failed to honour promises made to SODELPA during negotiations to form the Coalition Government, including an alleged agreement concerning Fiji’s Presidency.
