By Staff Writer
Signing up as a candidate under the 2021 election banner of the Human Rights Protection Party, HRPP, is not as straight forward as filling in a form and signing names along the dotted line.
Constituencies are sometimes split on their choices of candidates and in many cases appear to prefer the ruling party decides for them.
The indecision showed up at the HRPP first day of registration at party headquarters yesterday, Tuesday 7 July 2020, at Mulinu’u.
This may also account for some serious, unsmiling faces of people sitting around in groups, mostly keeping to themselves.
Most were predominantly grown men in lavalava and slightly oversized shirts, gathered in pockets inside and outside the rectangular building, waiting for their turn to appear before the party leaders.
A former MP in one of the groups was reluctant to comment when asked for a reaction to his nomination. Later it was revealed that he had a rival candidate sitting with his own group of supporters just a few meters away.
“ Our constituency is divided on which one of us should run so we’re putting that to the party to hear what they have to say,” said the former MP who did not want to be named.
A little while later a quiet murmur went up in another group when they were told they will have to go back home and try to reach a consensus before returning for registration.
“They say that we should call another meeting of the constituency to decide who should run,” a representative from the group announced when he rejoined them after meeting with the party leaders.
The HRPP has a standard rule that sitting MPs are automatically endorsed by the party.
Officially there are only three legitimate opposition MPs out of the 50 members in the House. The ruling party, however, has in the past general elections accepted unofficial candidates on the understanding that they will still run under the HRPP.
Yesterday’s registrations had to be postponed to a time to be announced with still more candidates and their supporters left to meet with the leaders.
Meetings were held in closed doors at the back of the headquarters’ building to allow for private discussions with candidates.
Three other political parties are set to challenge the HRPP in the general elections but it is unclear when or if they have already started with their registration of candidates.
