Statement by the Supervisor of Elections

Mr Mohammed Saneem

Launch of Training of Trainers Workshop for Field Trainers

Venue: FEO Conference Room

Date: 06/12/21

Time: 9am

Bula Vinaka and a very good morning ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to thank you all for attending the training this morning. As Supervisor of Elections, I am very keen to undersee the completion of this training of trainers’ workshop so that the first set of trainers for the 2022 General Election are graduated.

Ladies and Gentleman, it is a proud moment for Fiji to also say that the training materials, the manuals for presiding officers and all the staff that will work in the 2022 General Elections, have been compiled by our own staff, a team led by Ana Mataiciwa and our Director Operations, Ana Senimoli.

A few years ago, we had to source this expertise from outside of Fiji.  Nonetheless, we have come a long way and the people I am addressing today, all of you Ladies and Gentlemen, are going to become the backbone of the 2022 General Election.

A general election can not only be conducted by the administration. A general election cannot only be conducted by the Electoral Commission or the Supervisor of Elections. A general election is conducted by people who work on the day of the Election, people who work in counting, who work in the results centers, who work in the pre-poll areas, who work in the logistics’ and so forth.

You might hear that there are several groups of people who work for the general election. Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, you will start a training in which you are going to train all these people who will work in the next general election as Election Officials.

For the first time, we will be using the FEO’s online learning platform E-Vuli to supplement your trainings. Our team will be progressively developing new resources which you will able to access on the E-Vuli platform for continuous learning.

You will note, there are strict requirements when it comes to working in the Fijian Elections Office. Honesty, integrity and being apolitical form the cornerstone of any independent election management body.

We command the trust of thousands and thousands of Fijians and it is upon you to ensure that this trust is maintained at the highest level.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2018 General Election was one of the most successful elections in Fiji’s history. I’m confident that we will achieve better in the next general election.

And it is our job, yours and mine, to ensure that Fijians get the best service and the best processes involved in conducting elections. Give it your 100 per cent.

Remember, when it comes to training a person, a trainer needs to train themselves first. Are you trained to be a person with an open mind? Are you a trainer who has left behind all the baggage? Are you a trainer who is going to learn all these things afresh? Are you a trainer who is going to display the utmost professionalism in finding us the most suitable individuals who are going to lead our polling stations?

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say that today is a very important day.

However, we are concerned that there are still some elements that continue to spread misinformation about elections.

It is very important to take ownership. Take strong ownership of this process and ensure that the people you train are well trained to deliver as we expect.

We expect nothing less from you because you have been recruited through a merit process. We anticipate you are the best of the lot that applied. Some 100 plus applications were received and I am informed that 83 of you are being trained from this week during the different sessions that are being held in Suva as well as in the western and northern divisions.

The top performers from this training will be finally selected. Those who can do the job, those who are prepared to take ownership of the election and lastly, those who will train the best staff to deliver a good, credible, fair and free General Election in 2022.

Having said that, I now officially open the Training of Trainers Workshop.

Thank you, Vinaka Vakalevu and all the best.