While last week’s Fiji general election has been heralded as an overall success by observers, the real test is likely to come with the 2018 election. Asia-Pacific Journalism's Thomas Carnegie looks at the positives of the new electoral system and what needs to be improved.
With Fiji successfully holding its first general election in eight years last week, the nation can now reflect on what it has learnt and what needs to be done in the future.
Being Fiji’s first election with a proportional voting system, this marked a historic transition to democracy for the nation.
Overall the election process was success, a total of 83.9 percent of Fiji’s 591,101 registered voters voted. The multinational observer group which monitored the electoral process said the voting largely reflected the will of the people.
However, Romitesh Kant of the University of the South Pacific’s School of Government said in a panel discussion recently the real test would come in four years.
“I see this is as just part of the transition to democracy, I think the real test will come in 2018 when people will have actually tested the system and seen its loopholes,” he said.
This means the nation now has the opportunity to identify and improve flaws in the electoral system. By doing so, future elections would run more smoothly, efficiently and contribute to the nation’s return to democracy.
Media blackout
The first major issue with the electoral system was the 48-hour media blackout that was established under the Electoral Decree.
The blackout prohibited the media, political parties and the public from publishing, commenting or campaigning for any party 48 hours before election day.
International and national media outlets said the blackout was draconian in length, with exuberant penalties of a $50,000 fine or 10 years imprisonment or both.
Colin Peacock from Radio New Zealand’s Mediawatch said the blackout threatened Fijian voter’s right to be informed.
“The period seems so long that you think it could be restrictive on people’s freedom of speech.
“It does seem like a long time not to have any political activity by media,” he said.
Internet impact
The second major issue with the media blackout came when the elections office confirmed the rule applied to the internet, including social media, as well as mainstream media.
In spite of this warning, several blogs, the state broadcaster and many political parties all apparently broke the rules.
What these potential breaches highlight is the difficulty for a government to regulate the online world. The electoral office is still yet to take any action against these breaches and it remains to be seen whether they ever will.
Reporters Without Borders and the Pacific Media Centre have presented a joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for Fiji to repeal the Fiji Media Industry Development Decree with its “punitive measures”.
With the media blackout having significant flaws, the Fijian government should seriously consider removing the rule from the electoral decree. The international community would see this as another positive step towards democracy.
Gender success
Eight women made it into Parliament, representing 16 percent of the 50 member legislature. The Fiji Women’s Forum considers this a success, as it is a 45 percent increase from the 2006 election.
“Comparatively the latest effort by the successful women candidates means we have surpassed the regional average of 13.4 per cent.
“This is a big win for women in politics but since Fiji and the region still lags behind the Arab States, there is still a long way to go, “ said Fiji Women’s Rights Movement director Virisila Buadromo.
While the result was a step in the right direction, Fiji can now become a regional leader in gender equality in Parliament. The Female Women’s Forum said this would rely on education and further support to female candidates in future elections.
The Fiji First Party of Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama won the election taking 59.2 percent of the total vote, giving them 32 seats in Parliament.
The major opposition party, the Social Democratic Liberal Party, only managed to garner 28.2 percent of the overall vote – 15 seats in Parliament.
University of the South Pacific emeritus professor Crosbie Walsh said in the future Fiji would need a strong opposition to contest for government.
He said whether this is SODELPA or another party, the important thing is that an opposition can act as an appropriate check and balance for the government.
“I think the quality of the opposition is almost as important for democracy in Fiji as the quality of the government.
“A new sort of opposition is needed. Not like those of most Westminster oppositions,” Peacock said.
Economic growth
Following the election, the international community has congratulated and welcomed Fiji back to democracy.
The nations which have done this include the US, France, Australia and New Zealand. The European Union has also congratulated Fiji.
These gestures are more than just token acts however. They indicate an increase in future engagement and cooperation between the international community and Fiji.
This will lead to economic growth through trade and venture opportunities.
For instance, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop reportedly told SkyNews Australia that following the elections her government would work closely with Fiji to continue to normalise relations.
The Memorandum of Understanding Australia’s government signed recently with Westpac shows this. Among other things, the agreement provides financial services to the Fijian people. This includes life insurance, loans and other forms of support.
However, Bishop has said while the election had been positive, the process of rebuilding trust would take a long time.
With these potential trade options Fiji now has important economic decisions to make for their future.
Since the 2006 coup, Fiji’s major financial donor has been China. About 29 percent of Fiji’s foreign debt is expected to be the Chinese yuan currency.
ODI researcher Dr Maya Schmaljohann told Pacific Scoop that Chinese loans tended to be more expensive than those from countries such as Australian and New Zealand.
Projects financed by China were also mostly carried out by Chinese workers rather than locals, said Schmaljohann.
Technology and the election
Lastly, technology played an integral role in the election and will continue to do so in following elections.
Cellphone users could text 545 to find out where their polling station was located. While the election office website provided an abundance of information, including educational YouTube videos on topics such as how votes are counted, and how those with disabilities can vote.
Social media also played a major role, sites like Facebook and Twitter provided platforms for healthy political debate between both parties and voters.
The Fiji Sun introduced the new technology of QR codes in their printed articles on the elections. This technology looks similar to a barcode and links newsreaders directly from the newspaper page to video and audio coverage through scanning with their smartphone.
The Fiji Sun’s editorial manager, Soko Vakacegu, said adopting new technology is important for the future growth of the Pacific.
“The good thing in Fiji is we have the biggest and most diversified news media in the Pacific Islands. And it’s growing all the time. So is our internet use. Even remote rural schools now have media centres with multimedia access,” she said.
This integration of technology is likely to grow with each election, allowing voters to become more informed and involved in future elections.
Thomas Carnegie is a Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies student journalist at AUT University. He is reporting on the Asia-Pacific Journalism course and is Fiji elections coverage editor.
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