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Learning from the 2014 Fiji Elections

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Learning from the 2014 Fiji Elections LEARNING FROM THE 2014 FIJI ELECTIONS Professor Wadan Narsey 2018 USP Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Narsey, Wadan. The 2014 Elections and the Aftermath/ Wadan Narsey. -- Suva, Fiji : Wadan Narsey, 2018. ii Other works by Wadan Narsey ALSO BY WADAN NARSEY Fiji Developing. Vol. 1: Growing the Fiji economy. 2018 pp. (forthcoming) Fiji Developing. Vol. 2: A fair go for all in Fiji. 2018. pp. 410. (forthcoming) Fiji Developing. Vol. 3: A decent Fiji. 2018. pp. 280. (forthcoming) Fiji Developing. Vol. 4: Fiji’s political meanderings. 2018. pp. 476. (forthcoming) Studies in Household Surveys. 2018. pp. 350 (forthcoming) British Imperialism and the Making of Colonial Currency Systems, Palgrave Macmillan. London. 2016. The Impact of PICTA on alcohol and tobacco industries in Forum Island Countries. School of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of the South Pacific. Suva. 2010. The Quantitative Analysis of Poverty in Fiji. School of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of the South Pacific and Vanuavou Publications. 2008. Gender Issues in Employment, Under-Employment and Incomes in Fiji. Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, AusAID and Vanuavou Publications (November 2007). (Funded by AusAID). Just Wages for Fiji: lifting workers out of poverty. ECREA and Vanuavou Publications. 2006. Electing your parliamentarian: a hands on training kit. English, Fijian and Hindi. 2005 Academic outcomes and resources for Basic Education. Institute of Education, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. 2004. Pacific Regional Post Secondary Education Study: Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. World Bank Reports, Country Department III, East Asia and the Pacific Region. Volume 1 with A. Aime, D. Hamilton, Jin He and Ian P. Morris). Volume 2: Tracer Studies (with Ian P. Morris) Volumes 3 to 8: Country Studies Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. (with Ian P. Morris) Editor A Voice of Reason: the writings of Savenaca Siwatibau. The School of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of the South Pacific. 2009. (co-editor) Population and Development in the Pacific Islands: Accelerating the ICPD Plan of Action @ 15, FBE Regional Symposium at USP, 23 to 25 November 2009. (Edited by Wadan Narsey, Annette Sachs Robertson, Biman Prasad, Eduard Jongstra, and Kesaia Seniloli). 2010. Reprints Monopoly Capital, White Racism and Super-profits in Fiji: a Case Study of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, Journal of Pacific Studies, Vol.5, 1979. Pp. 66-146. (reprinted 2017) Pacific Islands Fiscal Reform for Economic Integration. Original Report for Forum Secretariat. 2003. (forthcoming, 2018) Fiji's Colonial Monetary System and Export of Colonial Capital: the Currency Board System and colonial underdevelopment, Journal of Pacific Studies, Vol.12, 1986. pp 87-161. (forthcoming 2018). iii Contents Contents Governments/political parties ......................................................................................................... vi Preface ............................................................................................................................................... vii PART 1 ISSUES IN THE 2014 ELECTIONS.................................................................. 1 1a CONSTITUTION AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS......................................................... 2 1. No Electoral fraud in 2006 Elections ............................................................................... 3 2. Constitution and contentious decrees (5/3/2014) ....................................................... 10 3. 2014 Election Demographics (13/3/2014) ................................................................... 14 4. How many voters do you really need for a national election? (14/6/2014) ............ 16 5. Fiji’s electoral nightmare (30/3/2014)............................................................................ 19 6. The 2013 Open List System (31/3/2014) ..................................................................... 23 7. Who gets elected from the Party?.................................................................................... 29 8. Is there internal party democracy? (26/4/2014) ........................................................... 32 9. Making sense of opinion polls (The Fiji Times, 6 June 2014) .................................... 35 1b ECONOMY, JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ....................................................... 43 10. Jobs, incomes, GDP and Public Debt ........................................................................... 44 11. The truth about government claims on economic growth ......................................... 52 12. Who is going to pay for dinner? (2014) .......................................................................... 57 13. The Facts on Poverty and Social Justice ........................................................................ 59 14. Gender (19 March 2014) ................................................................................................... 63 15. Affirmative Action for Indigenous Fijians in business ................................................ 66 16. SMEs: the rhetoric and the reality ................................................................................... 67 17. Monopolies and the Commerce Commission............................................................... 71 18. Fiji National Provident Fund (21 February 2014) ....................................................... 74 19. Why destroy mangroves for development? ................................................................... 76 20. International relations ........................................................................................................ 79 1c EDUCATION, HEALTH and SPORTS ............................................................................... 83 21. Will voters pay for better health system? ....................................................................... 84 22. Voter issues in Education (27 February 2014) ............................................................. 87 23. Sports funding and voters’ preferences .......................................................................... 90 24. Sports and gender ............................................................................................................... 93 25. Can music mania translate into votes? ............................................................................ 94 26. National Identity and Inclusiveness ................................................................................ 98 27. The politics and myths of secular and Christian states ................................................ 99 28. Choosing between the Military and the Rule of Law ................................................. 103 PART 2 MEDIA CENSORSHIP BLINDING VOTERS ................................................. 117 29. A shameful police state (22/7/2009) (Cens) ............................................................... 119 30. Maligning the old politicians (Nov. 2013) (Cens) ....................................................... 120 31. Media Censorship undermining Charter (23/3/2010) (cens) .................................. 124 32. Deeper darkness during Diwali (Cens) ......................................................................... 130 33. Questions for Tebbutt Poll (9/9/2011) (Cens) .......................................................... 134 34. Media moguls squashing media independence (7/2/2013) (Cens). ........................ 144 35. USP Censors: what should good journalists do? (2013) ............................................ 154 iv Contents 36. Transparency International Censors (Jan 2013) ......................................................... 155 37. Fiji media improving, slightly (7/2/2014) .................................................................. 157 38. MIDA Chairman questioned and replies (13/4/2014) ............................................. 158 39. USP’s self-censorship continues (7/5/2014) ............................................................. 160 40. The PIDF censorship of journalists [8/7/2014] ....................................................... 163 41. LTE censored (3/7/2014)(Cens) ................................................................................. 168 42. MIDA refuses to reply (6/7/2014) (Cens) .................................................................. 169 43. MIDA Chairman demands transparency (16/7/ 2014) ........................................... 170 44. Media and MIDA press on regardless (LTE 27/7/2014) ......................................... 171 45. MIDA, Akauola and Bhatnagar (LTE 20/8/2014) (Cens) ....................................... 173 46. Khaiyum’s manual for Journalists (24/8/2014) (Cens) ............................................. 174 PART 3: THE AFTERMATH .................................................................................................. 179 47. The Results of the Fiji 2014 Elections (23/9/2014) .................................................. 180 48. The Voting Behavior in the Fiji 2014 Elections ......................................................... 182 49. Far from “free and fair” .................................................................................................. 185 50. Fiji Electoral Commission Reluctant to Audit Polling .............................................. 194 51. Allegations of Vote
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