SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS HIGHLIGHTS TRANSPARENCY

(Mar 21st, 2006 No. 028)

Supervisor of Elections, Semesa Karavaki today said he will do everything possible to ensure that the operation and conduct of this year's general election will be transparent.

Speaking at the 2006 Fiji Media and Elections Workshop held at the University of the South Pacific, Mr Karavaki said he is always an advocate for transparency and assured the media that the election process in Fiji would be like an open book.

The Elections Office he said, is open and transparent to the extent that he has even given his mobile number and email address to the media for the sole purpose of being accessible and in trying to accommodate the media.

However, he stressed that due to his heavy work schedule, especially with the lead up to the general election, he would sometimes be very busy to attend to journalists.

Hence, he said the setting up of the new Information/Media Unit within the Elections Office.

The Unit, he said is to try and answer or provide all the answers to questions that come by way of fax or email from media organizations.

"That is something that I should probably be improving on try to accommodate all the questions that come through by ways of fax or email. But actually the Unit we have set up in the Office is to answer or provide answers by way of fax or email," he added.

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