It is important for voters to understand the process of governance, and why and how voting fits into the control over state power. They need to understand why their rights are important. Once people understand their civil and political rights, they can then understand how and why they should demand resources and development for their communities. More education on governance, citizenship, human rights and democratic processes are necessary for these results to occur.

If the true spirit of democracy is to be respected, political parties’ manifestos and policies should be geared for the development of the whole nation. In Fiji’s case, the fact that political parties only cater for particular ethnic groups means that, when they come into power, they do not have a national focus and thus propagate racial divisiveness and prejudice.

If racial elements were removed from the electoral system, all parties would be obliged to cater for the needs, aspirations and well-being of all members of the country. A party promoting policies that can be described as racially discriminatory should be disqualified from contesting the election. This would be in line with Fiji’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The election system has been unkind to those reformed politicians who have publicly acknowledged wrongs. Those who once supported ethnic nationalist policies but came to embrace multiracialism have been treated poorly at the polls by their people. For example, Sitiveni Rabuka, Ratu Meli Vesikula and Ratu Epeli Ganilau have all suffered electoral defeat after such shifts in policy orientation. Fijian society is not providing space for Fijians to hold different views, as should be the case in a democracy. There needs to be more education about the true spirit of democracy, which provides for everyone’s rights, needs, and identities to be respected.

After the workshop in 2006, CCF recommended that Fiji adopt an electoral system geared towards proportional representation. This could be the only way forward for Fiji if the country wants to break out of the post-independence pattern of non-representation for certain ethnic groups in cabinet. The elected leaders of Fiji have shown a general unwillingness to give an appropriate number of seats in cabinet to members of the different ethnic communities. The only way that this problem may be rectified is a proportional representation system – a shift that is particularly important in light of the diminishing population of non-Fijian ethnic groups since the 1987, 2000 and 2006 coups.

Fiji needs to find a middle way to resolve the problems that have resulted in the four coups. Clearly, there has been no review of the constitution or the electoral system that might make this possible. In the aftermath of the 2000 and now the 2006 coup, dialogue has not been held to find a middle ground to take the country forward. CCF believes that the current People’s Charter process will enable us to find this middle ground. South Africa was able to avoid bloodshed and is moving towards better times after adopting the middle way through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Northern Ireland took the middle way by means of dialogue between the two extremes sides, the Protestants and Catholics, who formed two opposing blocks in the population. A Community Relations Commission was formed by civil society representatives that presented a framework outlining what Northern Ireland could look like. Participants explored their differences from a strength-based position and realized that segregation was paralyzing every sector of the country. The Commission created the first integrated school and started inter-community projects. Closer to home, Bougainville, after losses of thousands of lives, has now a peace settlement, involving cooperation between participants. Fiji needs to go the middle way. This middle way can found through the charter process.