Saturday, June 18, 2005

Muddy rivers of Billigerant Nepotism in Fiji.

State Tax incentives fall on deaf ears.
Tentacles of nepotism is everywhere in Fiji civil service.

Qarase denies outrightly, yet actions speak louder than words when rumours are circulating of him appointing his cousin, former Newspaperman Mesake Koroi to take up the late Dr. Ahmed Ali's senate post. Wait there's more. P.M's errand boy CEO is defending the decision to interfere with Deputy Director Public Prosecutor, Mssr Peter Ridgeway's contract. Isn't that an admission of
interference and tampering of Fiji's judiciary system by the Executive branch of Government.

The Fiji Sun's Editorial article is putting more heat in the tone. It is sure about time these media organizations make a stronger statement in political issues.

Analysts continue to view the Bill with suspicious motives.

The is an alternative creative solutions to all this racial conflict in Fiji.
The Fiji's Senate Privileges Committtee is investigating new allegations of bias in Parliament proceedings.

Native Land Trust Board has undergone a organization review of its operations by a New Zealand firm. I wonder if that report will ever see the light of day.
The other dinasaur, Great Council of Chiefs is going deliberate on the Bill.
The call to lower the voting age by Senator Atu Emberson Bain is a breath of fresh air.

Its funny how the Sports organizaton ( Fiji Rugby Union) are also justifying their incompetance, just like the politicians in Fiji.

Fiji born academic and writer is coming back to his roots. Fiji needs more of this influx of skill, but the political conditions must be right.
This new CEO of Fijian Affairs Board is already acknowledging the perception of a "bottle neck" in the Fiji public's view of the organization.

More Fiji Times Letters to the Editor of Sunday June 19th, 2005.


Labour's position


I thank Jyotishma Rajan Naicker for her letter (FT 15/06). While I respect her views, allow me to share the Fiji Labour Party's position.

Jyotishma, it must interest you to know that FLP has done the right thing when something wrong has been done by the Government by pushing through the Amnesty Bill in the House. We are the principal victims of the Bill and will not sit as mere spectators to give the process legitimacy to something we believe is a fraud.

The FLP's dramatic action galvanised the entire opposition of this country to the Bill and instantly brought the international community into the debate.

No amount of discussion in the Sector Committee could have done this effectively.

Jyotishma, if you examine the Sector Committee reports in the past four years, you will note that this government has a tendency not to accept any recommendation made by the committee.

Our opposition in the Sector Committee will have been of no avail.

Parliament is not the only forum of opposition.

We have used the radio, television and the newspapers in different languages to continue to inform the public of the reasons for our boycott.

When the time is appropriate, we will voice our opposition even louder.

In the meantime, our members are holding pocket meetings throughout the country, explaining the Bill and why we oppose it.

We are actively helping many NGOs who are opposing the Bill as well.

People should rest assured that we are indeed making genuine attempts to represent the concerns of our people and let me assure everyone FLP will not rest until we have conveyed the concerns to the places where a difference will be made to the Bill.

Jyotishma, thank you for opposing the Bill.

Keep opposing it and we will do our job.

Lavinia Padarath
Suva

PM's belief

Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, on television, (June 12) dismissed as a vocal minority the Concerned Citizen's network of NGOs and Civil Society Organisations including the Fiji Military Forces, the Police, Professional Associations and the news media opposed to the Reconciliation Tolerance and Unity Bill.

This means by implication that the Qarase government claims to represent the majority view in support of the Bill. He provides no evidence to support his belief that the Bill is supported by the majority of citizens of Fiji.

The 2001 General Elections results show that his SDL Party won 169,227 of the first preference votes which is 26.57 per cent of the votes. The CAMV won 64,414 of first preference votes, which is 10.12 per cent. Together, the SDL and CAMV won only 36.67 per cent of the votes cast in 2001. The Fiji Labour Party on its own won almost as many first preference votes as the SDL and CAMV together, that is 218,728 or 34.35 per cent. In other words the majority of voters (63.33 per cent) voted for other political parties and independent candidates.

This majority did not support the SDL/CAMV as a minority government, which cannot claim the mandate of the majority, to govern this country or to introduce this divisive Bill.

The Bill should be withdrawn so that the nation can follow a more genuine consultative and concenses based reconciliation process.

National reconciliation can be achieved without legislation if Fiji's political leaders genuinely follow the reconciliation principles of Christianity and Fijian traditional customs together with upholding the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and the DPP's office.

Jone Dakuvula
CCF Suva

Born lucky

HOW can a once-barred lawyer who had a substantial amount of debt with the then NBF that eventually led to its demise, all of a sudden come up with a brilliant idea of introducing a discrepant Bill to create peace progress and prosperity in the nation?

This situation itself is highly controversial, leave aside the Bill.

It's natural to see law practitioners end up as magistrates and judges over the years through sheer hard work and dedication to their profession. As for others, some are just born lucky or so to speak have the right connections.

Ravind Naidu
Labasa

Army's stand

I commend the leader of the RFMF Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama and his team for their boldness in taking the bull by the horns.

The commander has been denounced by the Minister for Home Affairs as arrogant and the only leader in the South Pacific interfering in the politics of its country.

That be as it may, the commander's team went to the parliament to show their dissent from the Reconciliation and Unity Bill.

Looking at his actions from a genuine perspective, he did the right thing in opposing the Bill now and seeing it doesn't get through, than to be compelled to take much harsher action later.

The commander has the right to be concerned.

What happens if the Bill goes through and all the political prisoners are granted amnesty and set free?

Why shouldn't the commander be concerned when his institution deployed huge resources in getting the situation to normality in the last upheaval.

Apart from massive suffering, loss of lives and money, damage to properties and suffering by people, the military also lost some valuable people.

I am sure the wounds of those who lost their loved ones in the military hasn't healed and no one would like to see a repeat of May 2000.

How far down the gutters are we expected to go after the DPP's office, judiciary, RFMF, police and other institutions deployed enormous resources to solve the crisis of 2000?

Are all those in support of the Bill implying that the Government should set up a coup culture where political criminals are able to walk away with impunity until the country goes bankrupt?

Deo Raj
Nasinu

Power play

I am fascinated with the controversy surrounding Sila Kotobalavu as CEO of Fiji Inland Revenue.

Here is a man who became unpopular for doing the right thing by hunting down tax dodgers.

What intrigues me the most is the revelation by Meli Kalia from Lami explaining the politics at FIRCA and the connection between Nelson Delailomaloma, Ratu Jone Kubuabola, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and Ratu Epeli Ganilau against Ratu Naiqama and Laisenia Qarase.

The Fijian political power play displayed in this latest saga is nothing short of a professional puppet play.

We the audience, the taxpapers, should applaud Sila for his fine performance and demand more of his fine act.

But we should get rid of those puppeteeers to guarantee us a better show next time round and not the same old political plot.

For Sila's next show, I suggest Mr Qarase be the gatekeeper and ticket collector while Ratu Naiqama become the guest of honour to be seated at the royal box.

After all, Ratu Naiqama is a true chief who surrendered himself and served his time on behalf of his people.

The others are opportunists who have benefited from Ratu Naiqama's blood, sweat and tears.

Tom Fong
Tamavua

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