Riya Mala 
Director of MaiTV Fiji, Stanley Simpson.
The current electoral system faces numerous challenges, particularly the tendency to over-legislate every aspect of the voting process.
This was highlighted by the Director of MaiTV Fiji, Stanley Simpson, during the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Electoral Reform this morning.
He adds that many people arriving at the polling stations feeling anxious or afraid of breaking the rules, rather than celebrating their democratic right to vote.
Simpson also points out some sections of the Electoral Act criminalise actions that perceived to bring the Supervisor of Elections into disrepute, essentially giving more power to one individual.
“We must do better because, too often, people still turn up at polling stations not knowing what to do. That’s a failure, and they are left asking questions. So we need to make a better effort. Rather than more legislation, I say we build stronger democratic structures and institutions.”
Simpson describes the current system as outdated, particularly criticising the 48-hour media blackout.
He says it is a tool of a past media era that is incoherent, discriminatory, and no longer relevant in today’s digital age.
He further argues that the system only undermines the credibility of elections and the law itself, contributing to the reasons of young people feeling disconnected and question what kind of system we are trying to run.
Simpson says that we need laws that empower people, not intimidate them.
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