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THE INTERVIEW THAT LIFTED THE LID ON ELECTION COMMISSIONER: Fijileaks reproduces Professor Vijay Naidu's INTERVIEW with Bruce Hill of Pacific Beat, Radio Australia: "He did not give us adequate RESPECT"

19/10/2015

8 Comments

 
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"Yes, in the sense the Supervisor of Elections controlled the budget of EC [Electoral Commission]. This man worked under us but we had to seek permission from him to defray costs and meet our expenses. I don’t think that’s appropriate. And also during the course of the elections the SOE in my view did not give sufficient respect to the Commission and also I think he had other bosses … bosses other than the EC." Professor Vijay Naidu

"Well, I think the Solicitor General and the Minister for Elections had some direct role in how the Supervisor of Elections perceived his position and I had issues with regard to that. As can be seen in his decision not to accept the reports and recommendation of the Electoral Commission in relation to the list of candidates that he approved without the
support of the EC.
"


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Professor Vijay Naidu’s interview with Bruce Hill of Pacific Beat, Radio Australia ( more or less verbatim):

VN: “There was a lot of issues relating to the Electoral Decree and the constraints on the Electoral Commission (EC) and the relationship of the Electoral Commission with the Supervisor of Elections (SOE).

Hill: You mentioned conflict of interest.

VN: Yes, in the sense the Supervisor of Elections controlled the budget of EC. This man worked under us but we had to seek permission from him to defray costs and meet our expenses. I don’t think that’s appropriate.

And also during the course of the elections the SOE in my view did not give sufficient respect to the Commission and also I think he had other bosses … bosses other than the EC.

Hill: Can you elucidate on which bosses?

VN: Well, I think the Solicitor General and the Minister for Elections had some direct role in how the Supervisor of Elections perceived his position and I had issues with regard to that. As can be seen in his decision not to accept the reports and recommendation of the Electoral Commission in relation to the list of candidates that he approved without the support of the EC.

He did not give us adequate attention or respect.

Hill: You had some concerns with the Electoral Decree relating to Non Government Organisations and trade union officials.

VN: Absolutely. Provisions in the Electoral Decree forbade non-government organisations that had received foreign budgetary support, from engaging in discussions relating to the elections, convening panel discussions etc etc. And also in [distributing] voter educational material for voter education without approval from the Elections Office and from the Commission.

I was quite perturbed at the way NGOs were treated and in fact, the Supervisor got to FICAC to investigate a set of discussions that the Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF) had instituted in partnership with University of the South Pacific. These sort of things left a very bad taste in my mouth, you know.

Hill: You were on the EC. Anything you could do about it at the time?

VN: The chairman of the Electoral Commission was also investigated. He raised objections to it but was told that FICAC is an independent body and they could do their work independent of the Commission etc etc. It ran its course but nothing came out of it, so I regarded it as a [series] of harassment by State institutions on the directions of the powers that be.

Hill: Did you raise any of these concerns directly with Mohammed Saneem, Supervisor of Elections?

VN: Oh, we had our discussions. You see the elections were on the way and where possible some of the Commissioners raised specific issues and tried to resolve them and this was done but, you know, I can’t say that in every instance the Commission [ was able to do that].

Hill: Where there any positive aspects to working of the Electoral Commission with the Supervisor of Elections?

VN: Oh yeah, I think the most important thing is that we worked together and delivered the general elections. I think that was important and we had raised issues of time constraints that we had throughout elections, serious in terms of different logistical aspects of the elections which are all you know [prescribed in the recent constitution] but which we had recommended needs to be changed.

Despite all the constraints and challenges, I think we delivered overall a respectable election, voting process and outcome.

And I am happy with that.”

PUNCHING ABOVE HIS WEIGHT:  Saneem put FICAC onto Young

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"The chairman of the Electoral Commission was also investigated. He raised objections to it but was told that FICAC is an independent body and they could do their work independent of the Commission etc etc. It ran its course but nothing came out of it, so I regarded it as a [series] of harassment by State institutions on the directions of the powers that be."

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8 Comments
Dekho
19/10/2015 08:54:40 pm

Former election commissioner Professor Vijay Naidu's last statement that overall HE thinks they delivered a respectable election, voting process and outcome is his subjective opinion. Not a fact. The fact is the election was stage / State managed right from the outset with the election commission acting as a dummy. The outcome was a predictable one with the election system put in place by The Minister for Elections and Many Other Things Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum and not forgetting all the other things staked in favour of the Minister and the coupist Bainimarama's Fiji First Theft Party ( a party name they stole and was approved nevertheless by the SOE) and deliberate obstacles put in place to disadvantage the democratic opposition in the country.
No amount of whitewashing by ANYBODY can hide this fact!

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Saamjo
19/10/2015 09:11:01 pm

Respect. Ex- Election Commissioner Professor Vijay Naidu complains that the Election Commission and Commissioners did not get adequate respect . Now when have puppets got respect? Puppets are made cynical use of by the puppet masters to achieve their own game plan. All the election commissioners - good mates of the dictatorship's minister for election Khaiyum - fell for the minister's game plan.
The dictatorship showed no respect to all the people of Fiji during its eight year rule. It held the people and especially the democratic opposition in the country in contempt. Wasn't Vijay and his fellow commissioners aware of that?

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Socho
19/10/2015 10:36:21 pm

It was clearly naive of Professor Vijay Naidu and his fellow election commissioners to think " this man worked under us". No, that man did not work under them. He worked under the direct orders of Khaiyum. That's why Khaiyum installed him as Supervisor of Elections under a fictitious selection and appointment process. And isn't he a relative of some sort of Khaiyum, the Elections Minister? When intelligent people like Vijay Naidu can be taken for a ride by the likes of Khaiyum and Bainimarama what hope for the rest of Fiji?

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justice
20/10/2015 01:08:37 am

Just heartbreaking to see people sitting on fat salaries stooping so low.

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Welcome Home
20/10/2015 04:42:59 am

Unfortunately money always muddies the waters of clear vision. This is why the 'Who benefits and How' questions are so pertinent. An independence is requisite from taint. This is how respect may be most easily acquired together with integrity and a measure of self esteem.

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Kanas Preka
20/10/2015 04:44:26 am

Still shifting through the water under the bridge??? We have gone way past so get a life. Fiji is doing well. Good to put things for overstayers...lol

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Charlie Charlie
20/10/2015 06:12:54 am

We have known from the beginning that the hidden hand of Kaiyum was behind the running of EO and the appointment of his cousin as elections chief. Others are puppets and yes man of Kaiyum. Prof Vijay Naidu did the right thing to get out when he could but he shouldn't have accepted the position in the first place. The new Fiji is a corrupt one where nepotism and puppeteers strive.

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Bahuki
20/10/2015 06:34:27 am

A complete disappointment thats not surprising considering how its no wonder that many had doubts about the elections being "free and fair" under the guise of it actually rigged.

Well said Vijay Naidu, although one who disrespects you doesn't mean he works under you anyways.

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