Party Kicked Me Out: Mere Samisoni
Former Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) MP Mere Samisoni has claimed she was kicked out by her party during the 2018 General Election campaign.
The Hot Bread Kitchen owner and a founding member of SODELPA is the second person to speak out over the delay in holding a retreat to review the election outcome.
She supported a similar call by SODELPA Youth president Jope Koroisavou.
In doing so she clashed with MP Mosese Bulitavu, who told her in an email exchange not to reveal her concerns in this forum, but at the right forum in a post-election workshop.
MP Adi Litia Qionibaravi, the party’s general secretary, has called on disgruntled members to respect the internal party processes.
But Ms Samisoni claimed “as a founding member of SODELPA, I was kicked out by the party during the 2018 campaign when the party campaigned against me. These were the choice words used in the Lami Constituency Council, ‘If you don’t like the candidate, vote for the party’.
“I discovered this when researching why I failed to get my expected votes, of at least 5000. The party took just under 4500 votes of my votes.
“This ‘divide & rule tactic with waka (kava)’ confused our voters whose trust had been built up by Tavola, the late Ratu JYK and Adi Miriama Kubuabola with their networks of professional economists and Methodist Christian values.
“Mind you I wasn’t the only candidate feeling short changed. I know of eight others who expected the party to promote the locally-selected candidate. I and the Lami Constituency Council Presidents believe SODELPA would have won 31 seats not 21 to take over the Government in 2018.
“We are still waiting for the retreat, six months after elections. Strategic success is time bound for adding value after that risks increase exponentially.
“Now, as a result of Jope’s letter, the general secretary has decided to reply formally to inform us that the AGM will be held in the North. This decision was made without the main SODELPA voter base – Central, Western & Eastern divisions who live here and make up 85 per cent of voters who can’t choose the next President, Party Leader and General Secretary.”
Edited by Epineri Vula
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