The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) leader Viliame Gavoka agrees that there are very less intellectual people within the political party’s line up for the upcoming general election.

However, Mr Gavoka said it was good to have more practical people in the party’s line up for the 2022 election. In a talanoa session with party supporters at the United Methodist Church in San Rafael, Mr Gavoka said the 49 announced provisional candidates knew what was happening on the ground.

“We have announced 49 provisional candidates for the upcoming election. I have been told that there are not many intellectual people within the lineup, there’s a lot practical,” he said.

“This is true, in politics there is a need for more people to be practical on the ground. People that we have are those that know what people on the ground know.

“Politics is connectivity, the way we connect to the people is very important. You can be very brilliant but if you do not know how to connect, politics is not for you.”

“Announced provisional candidates were good in holding talanoa sessions with communities. I try to use marketing languages while speaking to members of the communities but these candidates would tell me to converse with them in a normal way,” he said.

He said the provisional candidates were passionate about the Social Democratic Liberal Party. Interest and wellbeing Meanwhile, Mr Gavoka believes most iTaukei were voting for political parties that do not look after their interest and well-being.

He said Indo-Fijians vote for a political party they know can look after their interest and wellbeing. Mr Gavoka said most iTaukei tend to miss this point.

“Indo-Fijians vote for a political party they know can look after their interest and wellbeing. Due to this, many of them have switched from the National Federation Party to FijiFirst,” he said.

“They do not encourage any other political party to be registered. The iTaukeis are missing this point that political power is economic power.”

“If Ratu Josefa Sukuna was alive today, he would tell you the three things that matter to us are the land, church and your political party.

“Political parties that you vote for are the ones that you know that will look after your wellbeing and bring up issues concerning you in Parliament, not the ones that will disregard it,” he said.

He said the longest serving iTaukei political party is the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua.

“The political party, Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei, did not last. Only the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua is the longest surviving iTaukei political party,” he said.

“We have been up and running for over 20 years. We cannot call ourselves the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua due to the changes made in the law.”

“Those who drafted the constitution believe that having political parties named in English will bring some sort of unity within the country.

“Also in Parliament today we cannot speak using our mother tongue, we only speak in English but before parliamentarians used to speak in their own dialect,” he said.

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