Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights Member Jone Usamate has expressed concern about the potential influence of money and private corporate interests in Fiji’s electoral process.
Speaking during the committee’s public hearing on the 2022 General Elections Joint Report by the Electoral Commission and the Supervisor of Elections on Monday, Mr Usamate said Fiji must ensure that its democratic systems remain fair, transparent, and free from financial manipulation.
“You know, we never want to have in this country what happens in the United States of America,” he said.
“In the United States, people put so much campaign money into private corporates, and that influences the way things go.”
He warned that Fiji should never reach a point where wealth determines political power.
“We want to be sure that we can maintain things in this country, that we don’t go down that route—where whoever has the most money begins to determine what happens in the election,” he said. “It makes me very nervous.”
He referred to a U.S. case where one donor contributed US$270 million to a single candidate.
“He was basically given control of government for a few months,” he said.
The Fijian Elections Office has proposed to remove the $10,000 donation ceiling to political parties.
