Conservative Alliance (Fiji) - Merger With SDL

Merger With SDL

Party President Ratu Tanoa Cakobau announced on 9 February 2006 that the party would contest Fijian communal and open constituencies in the upcoming election. In another development, however, it was announced on 16 February 2006 that the party would be deregistering, in order to merge with the United Fiji Party (SDL) ahead of the elections.

Fiji Television reported on 20 February that a letter alleged to have been written by Ratu Tanoa Cakobau had requested that the six CAMV parliamentarians be endorsed, unopposed, as SDL candidates. The SDL confirmed having received letter, written in Fijian and addressed to Prime Minister Qarase and to the SDL President, but Cakobau said that some portions of it were not authentic; his name had been written differently from the way he uses it official correspondence, he said.

The Prime Minister responded that all candidacies for the SDL were open, and that there would be no automatic endorsement of candidates, ex-CAMV or otherwise. All would have to go through the required selection procedure.

The next day, Fiji Live revealed that in addition to the six parliamentarians, five other CAMV figures were seeking endorsement as SDL candidates.

Radio New Zealand quoted Party President Ratu Tanoa Cakobau as saying on 28 February that the party had sacrificed little in its merger with the SDL. The party had abandoned its goal of freeing all coup convicts as long ago as 2002, he claimed. "We had to reconsider everything, in the beginning we were all out for everything, but then we realised that there’s something called the law that we had to respect, we had to follow. And through that process most of my party members, except myself, went to jail," Cakobau said.

The merger was not quite finalized until 3 July 2006, when the party was officially deregistered. General Secretary Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure said on 28 February that the party was seeking legal advice after questions had been raised concerning the legality of the merger; his successor as General Secretary, Ropate Sivo, had said that CAMV parliamentarians could not legally remain in office if their political party was dissolved. Official deregistration, therefore, would likely have to await the end of the current parliamentary session, a stance he reiterated on 3 March. Sivo, for his part, told Fiji Live that he planned to meet Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry to discuss the matter. On 20 February, however, Prime Minister Qarase said that there was no question of the six CAMV parliamentarians being disqualified. Despite the dissolution of the party, they would continue to sit under the auspices of the CAMV, he said.

The Fiji Sun reported on 10 March that CAMV parliamentarian and lawyer Niko Nawaikula had inquired of the Supervisor of Elections about the procedures to follow for deregistering the party.