VERBAL FRACAS: This week SODELPA's Anare Jale and Jale Baba indulged in unsavoury spectacle, exchanging bitter war of wards during a meeting of opposition political parties on ATS strike, with Baba storming out of the meeting in anger. Its the latest humiliating bitter feud gripping SODELPA in recent months
"I'd like to leave you with our Party Leader's favourite words:
"Just Do the Right Things, with Malice Towards None"
"Kitaka ga na Ka Dodonu, kakua ni lomacataka e dua na tamata"
Hindhi (Bimal is working on this>"
Adi Litia Qionibaravi's e-mail, Friday 29 December 2017
Ni sa bula vinaka.
We send you our warm greetings from the Secretariat Office at 66 McGregor Road in Suva.
We trust that you have all enjoyed the blessings of Christmas and the special time you have spent with your family members and friends.
We are just two days away from the New Year and whilst we do not want to dampen your preparations for the New Year, we thought it proper to advise you all of the recent decisions of the Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Mohammed Saneem.
Some of you would have heard the Fiji News yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party was suspended from yesterday afternoon. That is correct. The reason for their suspension is purportedly for not registering with the Elections Office the name of their Registered Officer after Lynda Tabuya's resignation which was received at the Elections Office on 21st December, 2017.
REQUIREMENT TO SIGHT THE MOU THAT WAS SIGNED ON 9/12/17
Apart from the above the SOE also wishes to sight a certificate of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between SODELPA and PDP on 9th December, 2017.
It appears that the SOE is amongst others who have misunderstood the issue surrounding the PDP's decision:
1. not to contest the GE of 2018 as a Party, but
2. to allow its members to join any other Political Party for purpose of contesting the GE and
3. the MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP.
Aman Singh resigned from PDP and joined Labour Party, Lynda and Vijay Singh resigned from PDP to join SODELPA.
The two individuals, Lynda Tabuya and Vijay Singh had formally advised the party that they had resigned from PDP during their Management Board meeting on the 7th of December, 2017.
Reading through the SOE's Press Statement, he appears to think that the MOU is a merger between SODELPA and PDP. According to the Political Parties Decree, 2013, section 13(4), the signed merger agreement should be made available to the Registrar of Political Parties within 21 days of the signing of the agreement.
The MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP is not a "merger" as defined under section 2 (Interpretation) of the Political Parties Decree, 2013, which states and I quote below:
"Merger means where 2 or more political parties consolidate their operations and combine all officers, structure and other functions of the political parties".
The signed MOU clearly states that " it shall not be construed to create a relationship between the Parties of agency, legal partnership, joint venture or any other similar arrangement or to render either Party liable for any debts or obligations incurred by the other."
Our Party Constitution stipulates at section 23.0 that "the Party may establish working relationships with other Parties for mutual benefits."
The MOU is premised exactly on section 23.0 of the Party Constitution, i.e that "the MOU is based on the spirit of unity, cooperation, reciprocity, and of mutual benefit to both parties.
THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FROM SODELPA REQUESTED BY THE SOE
At about 4.00pm on Thursday 28th December, a letter was delivered from the Supervisor Of Elections to the Party Registered Officer and the letter requested:
1. certified copies of the MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP on 9th December, 2017, as he wishes to determine whether the MOU was a merger between the two parties, and if so, it warrants the registration of a new party altogether, and
2. the minutes of the 9th December, SGA, wherein Mr. Vijay Singh was elected as one of three Vice Presidents of the Party.
We have also received questions from the Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times on the news item and our response is pasted at the end of this email.
Please be assured that the Party remains firm in its resolve to contest the General Election of 2018.
SODELPA has nothing to hide, this was no sinister move to circumvent the rules set out in the Political Parties Registration etc Decree of 2013, and the party is looking at the request from the Supervisor of Elections who is Registrar for Political Parties under the 2013 Decree, with a view to complying with the information requested by Mr. Saneem.
We shall keep you informed of the progress on these matters.
In the meanwhile, we would again like to take the opportunity to thank you all, our local and overseas supporters for your continuing support for the Party. We thank you for your sacrifice and commitment to the Party. Let us continue to hold hands and together move forward to fight the General Election and be victorious.
I'd like to leave you with our Party Leader's favourite words:
"Just Do the Right Things, with Malice Towards None"
"Kitaka ga na Ka Dodonu, kakua ni lomacataka e dua na tamata"
Hindhi (Bimal is working on this>
We wish you happy celebration for the New Year and may it bring prosperity for us all.
L.Q.Qionibaravi
General Secretary
We send you our warm greetings from the Secretariat Office at 66 McGregor Road in Suva.
We trust that you have all enjoyed the blessings of Christmas and the special time you have spent with your family members and friends.
We are just two days away from the New Year and whilst we do not want to dampen your preparations for the New Year, we thought it proper to advise you all of the recent decisions of the Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Mohammed Saneem.
Some of you would have heard the Fiji News yesterday that the Peoples Democratic Party was suspended from yesterday afternoon. That is correct. The reason for their suspension is purportedly for not registering with the Elections Office the name of their Registered Officer after Lynda Tabuya's resignation which was received at the Elections Office on 21st December, 2017.
REQUIREMENT TO SIGHT THE MOU THAT WAS SIGNED ON 9/12/17
Apart from the above the SOE also wishes to sight a certificate of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between SODELPA and PDP on 9th December, 2017.
It appears that the SOE is amongst others who have misunderstood the issue surrounding the PDP's decision:
1. not to contest the GE of 2018 as a Party, but
2. to allow its members to join any other Political Party for purpose of contesting the GE and
3. the MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP.
Aman Singh resigned from PDP and joined Labour Party, Lynda and Vijay Singh resigned from PDP to join SODELPA.
The two individuals, Lynda Tabuya and Vijay Singh had formally advised the party that they had resigned from PDP during their Management Board meeting on the 7th of December, 2017.
Reading through the SOE's Press Statement, he appears to think that the MOU is a merger between SODELPA and PDP. According to the Political Parties Decree, 2013, section 13(4), the signed merger agreement should be made available to the Registrar of Political Parties within 21 days of the signing of the agreement.
The MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP is not a "merger" as defined under section 2 (Interpretation) of the Political Parties Decree, 2013, which states and I quote below:
"Merger means where 2 or more political parties consolidate their operations and combine all officers, structure and other functions of the political parties".
The signed MOU clearly states that " it shall not be construed to create a relationship between the Parties of agency, legal partnership, joint venture or any other similar arrangement or to render either Party liable for any debts or obligations incurred by the other."
Our Party Constitution stipulates at section 23.0 that "the Party may establish working relationships with other Parties for mutual benefits."
The MOU is premised exactly on section 23.0 of the Party Constitution, i.e that "the MOU is based on the spirit of unity, cooperation, reciprocity, and of mutual benefit to both parties.
THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FROM SODELPA REQUESTED BY THE SOE
At about 4.00pm on Thursday 28th December, a letter was delivered from the Supervisor Of Elections to the Party Registered Officer and the letter requested:
1. certified copies of the MOU that was signed between SODELPA and PDP on 9th December, 2017, as he wishes to determine whether the MOU was a merger between the two parties, and if so, it warrants the registration of a new party altogether, and
2. the minutes of the 9th December, SGA, wherein Mr. Vijay Singh was elected as one of three Vice Presidents of the Party.
We have also received questions from the Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times on the news item and our response is pasted at the end of this email.
Please be assured that the Party remains firm in its resolve to contest the General Election of 2018.
SODELPA has nothing to hide, this was no sinister move to circumvent the rules set out in the Political Parties Registration etc Decree of 2013, and the party is looking at the request from the Supervisor of Elections who is Registrar for Political Parties under the 2013 Decree, with a view to complying with the information requested by Mr. Saneem.
We shall keep you informed of the progress on these matters.
In the meanwhile, we would again like to take the opportunity to thank you all, our local and overseas supporters for your continuing support for the Party. We thank you for your sacrifice and commitment to the Party. Let us continue to hold hands and together move forward to fight the General Election and be victorious.
I'd like to leave you with our Party Leader's favourite words:
"Just Do the Right Things, with Malice Towards None"
"Kitaka ga na Ka Dodonu, kakua ni lomacataka e dua na tamata"
Hindhi (Bimal is working on this>
We wish you happy celebration for the New Year and may it bring prosperity for us all.
L.Q.Qionibaravi
General Secretary
