The FEO has given her until 3pm today to provide a response.
Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) leader and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka says the law that requires their management board member, Ro Teimumu Kepa, to resign from the party to become a board member of statutory organisations is causing a lot of confusion.
Ro Teimumu is on the Fijian Elections Office radar for possible breach of section 14(1) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act 2013.
The Act states that a public officer shall not be eligible to be an applicant, member or hold office in a registered political party.
The Act further defined a public officer to include any person holding any office or membership of a statutory authority, a commission or a board established by, or continued in existence by any written law.
She has not resigned from her management board position in SODELPA and is now the chair of the Tertiary Scholarship Loan Scheme (TSLS) board and a member of the Airports Fiji Ltd Board.
Mr Gavoka said the provision in the Political Parties Act was causing a lot of confusion within parties.
“We have some very talented people who are serving, we need them in the party, we need them in public office, but the strategy here is when they take up public office, they have to resign from the party. That’s tragic,” Mr Gavoka said.
“The whole law needs to change and we are taking steps to change that. You can’t have your talented people leave your party just because they serve in public office,” he said.
“The way it’s going now, the ranks of the party can be depleted when we start losing out on talented people.”
Mr Gavoka said people needed to have the freedom to be involved in politics and at the same time serve the country.
The FEO, on Tuesday, confirmed that a complaint has been lodged against Ro Teimumu on this breach.
The FEO has written to Ro Teimumu requesting her response to the complaint allegation levelled against her.
The FEO has given her until 3pm today to provide a response.
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