Transcript
PETER WAQAVONOVONO: The main aim is to actually unite all the opposition voices or bring them all under one banner and we've received quite a lot of support on that. In particular, this is an effort to actually streamline the issues that people find important and you're going to see over the next few months all of these issues will become more prominent when we name the party and when the constitution of the party's named and when we take the party to the people. So far we've received a lot of support. I'll be very honest, a lot of it is actually coming from youth leaders and young people and I'm very glad that young people are embracing this because I belive the 2018 general election will actually depend a lot on young people. Young people will be voting on the economy, the standard of relief efforts after Cyclone Winston. Young people will be also voting on the state of jobs in Fiji. Not really to do with whether we were the chair of a particular committee on the UN or anything of that sort. I believe young people are going to be voting on real things. It's been in the pipeline for a few months. We've made it known that we're serious and we're going to do it and we've given some time for all our other supporters to resign from their different political parties or from their jobs to come and join us.
SALLY ROUND: Are you expecting a lot of support from the existing parties that are already in parliament? The existing opposition parties?
PW: There should be. There should be a lot of support from all the opposition parties. For those that will not support, I can only say that we are here to add more vibrancy to the democracy. We are also here to actually define our democracy better. But then most importantly we are here to take back government and we believe that Fiji deserves a better government. Fiji deserves a more democratic government. We believe that a unified, a multicultural (inaudible) that goes for a national vote instead of a communal vote is the way to go.
SR: Are you hoping to join forces with the National Federation Party and Sodelpa, the two other opposition parties in parliament or are you wanting to take their members away from them?
PW: I really don't want to hold ourselves out as a political party as yet because we haven't been registered but then one thing that I've seen so far is there is a likelihood that we can work together. I mean the reality is this and that is myself and Mick we left Sodelpa for a reason and a lot of people have also left Sodelpa for the same reason, so Sodelpa has a problem. I just feel that, you know, if they're not going to address that problem, the blame shouldn't really be on whether we are 'stealing' people . It's just people, they want a better option and we're providing that option, an actual alternative to the Fiji First government.
SR: Are you concerned at all that this may split the opposition vote?
PW: I think what this will actually do, it will unite the opposition vote. It will actually bring everybody to a singular vote and I think, over time, this will come to realisation. The people will actually see that more people will be more in support of what this particular party is going to be doing.
