A commissioner tasked with the review of Fiji’s electoral laws has acknowledged that while there are positive aspects of the current system, there are also areas in need of reform.
“We are not saying that there is nothing good about the current electoral system. There are aspects we are very happy with,” said Prof Wadan Narsey.
“One is that we have moved away from ethnic constituencies — we no longer need to divide our people based on race and ethnicity. We firmly believe in the principle enunciated by the previous government that we are all equal, regardless of ethnicity. We are all Fijians or whatever we choose to call ourselves.”
However, he also highlighted concerns about the five per cent threshold, arguing that it effectively shuts out smaller parties with legitimate voter support.
“We also agree with the principle of a proportional representation system, which ensures that all political parties with voter support have a voice in Parliament. However, we are seriously considering concerns raised by political parties regarding the five per cent threshold,” he said.
Prof Narsey said there were flaws in the current system’s vote distribution, where high-profile candidates could secure seats for others with minimal votes, while those with thousands of votes remained excluded.
“If a member of parliament doesn’t perform, the voters should be in a position to take them out at the next election. However, under the current system, one person — one Superman — brings in all the votes for a particular party, and under that umbrella, there are others who might have 200, 300, or 400 votes. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be in Parliament, but when you leave out politicians who have 5000, 6000, or 7000 votes, clearly something is wrong.”
“As Justice Fatiaki says, we must listen to the people. They want local accountability,” he said.
