Former People’s Democratic Party Leader Lynda Tabuya has confirmed that Fiji Trades Union Congress National Secretary, Felix Anthony attends the PDP management board meetings but she says that he does not hold any official positions.
Following the Supervisor of Elections findings that the PDP had a meeting which was also attended by Felix Anthony on 7th December 2017, Tabuya said that Anthony is not a member of PDP although he attends the management board meetings.
Under the Political Parties Act, a public officer shall not be eligible to be an applicant or a member of a political party, shall not be an office holder of the party, may not engage in political activity that may compromise or be seen to compromise the political neutrality of that person’s office or may not publicly indicate support for or opposition to any political party
Trade unionists are also public officers under the Political Parties Act and they cannot be members and officials of a political party.
Meanwhile Lynda Tabuya has also called on PDP to file a complaint with FICAC that the Supervisor of Elections be investigated for serious breach of confidentiality.
Tabuya says this was after PDP submitted confidential minutes in good faith to Saneem as part of an ongoing investigation into PDP, and that he has chosen to reveal it to the media.
She says that this is an abuse of office.
The Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem maintains that the Fijian Election Office’s actions on the People’s Democratic Party are purely on former PDP Leader, Lynda Tabuya’s own failures to follow the law and the PDP constitution.
Saneem says Lynda Tabuya completely fails in her understanding of the law and is surely misguided when she says that the Supervisor of Elections released minutes of the meeting on 7th December 2017. He says the press release only reveals the Supervisor’s findings.
Saneem says the Supervisor of Elections clearly has the powers to make his findings publicly known when exercising public function such as the current case of requiring the PDP to comply with the law.
He says Tabuya has in fact revealed more about the 7th December 2017 meeting and the role of Felix Anthony in PDP than was found by the Supervisor of Elections.
Saneem says following the receipt of information, it is found that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by PDP with SODELPA did not have proper constitutional authorization of the PDP Management Board.
He says the Fijian Elections Office operates within the laws that created it and at all times ensures that public law action it undertakes has proper legal and factual basis.
Saneem had announced on Monday that the suspension of PDP was lifted to allow them to comply with the Political Parties Act and it was also revealed that FTUC National Secretary, Felix Anthony also attended a PDP management board meeting.
