The Law Council of Australia has expressed it's reservations on this same Bill, joining the chorus of other legal experts in decrying the framework of amnesty in this Bill.
The S.D.L party spokesman is crying for support in the wilderness.
The Parliamentry committee formed to hear public submission on the R.T.U(Reconciliation, Tolerance & Unity) Bill, is creating more
stumbling blocks against the Fiji Military's 4 page submission.
A humble plee by Fiji Law Society's President to the members of the Justice Law and Order Commitee.
He lay out the fundamentals of deception entailed in the wording of this R.T.U Bill.
At least the controversial chairman (Tugia) of the Justice, Law & Order Commitee has said the Fiji Police Force and the Director of Public Prosecutions-Fiji are extremely wary of the Bill.
Another court case for the Simione Kaitani, the Cabinet Minister of Information for who took an illegal oath, contravening the Public Order Act.
Poverty Alleviation Minister Asenaca Caucau, is defending the drop out rates, as a result of poverty. It is also an good indication that her proud and billigerent SDL/CAMV coalition's policies don't even come close to working. All the P.R of prosperity was in fact, sensationalism.
When the Government has annouced it's lack of liquidity, the idea to establish another C.E.O position within the Fijian Affairs Board (one of these ancient institutions sapping the Public resources.)joins the litany of other acts of incompetance in Fiji Government by these same closed circle of 'old farts'.
The decay in all faucets of Fiji civil service is slowly beginning to show the indirect consequences of their decision making and lack of enforcement in Fiji laws.
Fiji Economist Dr.Wadan Narsey has pointed fingers at Fiji's cadre of Accountants for negligence in their profession and breach of fiduciary duites. Pointing out the lack of scrunity in their affairs in Fiji when numerous financial scandals have plagued Fiji. I agree whole heartedly with his concerns. It it time to evaluate their roles of every institution in Fiji claiming to be an authority in a certain profession. Fiji's organization of Accountant's main concern is organizing theoratical sympossiums like this in Fiji resorts and conveniently glossing over their own deficiencies in the trade.
It's scams like this, that fail to appear on the radar screens of Accountants and Auditors which is a cause for concern. A thorough inward review of the Accounting charter and other trade organizations is sorely needed.
Native Lands Trust Board continue it's trend of falsehood in dealing with Fiji landowner's matters.
More Letters to The Editor, appearing in Fri June 17th issue.
Public holiday.
WHEN one looks at some of the countries in the Pacific region, one understands what the phrase "time warp" means.
Having become a republic in its own right and even ejected unceremoniously from Common-wealth membership thereafter, it is bizarre to see Fiji celebrate the Queen's Birthday and even declare a public holiday at that.
Even England doesn't. Fiji must wake up and get out of this servile attitude if it wants to get anywhere. But if the nation is happy with an unambitious existence, making no impact in the the commercial world, go ahead and party.
Camilla Parker Bowles' birthday comes next on July 17 and Prince Charles' on November 14. And in between if Fiji finds some time, don't forget to make a noise about the garment factories closing down and the unviability of your sugar industry.
Dave Angsell
Jalan Semangat
Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Agriculture projects.
THE Government should take note of the recent comment by the Agriculture Ministry CEO Luke Ratuvuki (FT 15/6) as to where the ministry has gone wrong in numerous failed projects such as ginger, cocoa, maize, coconut, pineapple, rice, sorghum, kava, yams, potato, sunflower and dairy.
Add to the list the Siga-toka Valley Project, Commodity Development Framework, Yalavou Pro-ject, Uluisavou Project, Navua Development Project, Batiri Citrus Project, Lomaivuna Banana Project, Yaqara Project and Vitcorp.
Is there a record of any successful agriculture project? And where have all the millions of dollars of foreign aid and taxpayers' money gone to? It was extremely interesting to note the statement from the Reserve Bank of Fiji chief manager (Economics) Filimoni Waqabaca (FT 30/5) that agriculture was one sector which was performing well below potential. Why?
It will be good to know from Ratuvuki what the ministry has achieved, with him being a very senior official for more than 30 years. The minister, Iliatia Tuisese, will need strict policies to revitalise the whole agriculture sector with efficient administration of the programs.
Amand Chand
Brisbane
Australia
Broken budgets.
IT was extremely disturbing to read how the Government has systematically, since 2001, broken its national budgets.
I can only hope that the figures highlighted by Dr. Bain were, as claimed by the Finance Deputy Secretary, "a political statement far from the truth". I anticipated the Ministry of Women to be the constant culprit responsible for the Government's annual over expenditure since there would not be enough money in its annual budget allocations to effectively address the various socio-economic problems of women.
Surprisingly it wasn't.
The Government chose to overspend in other areas despite facts and figures that continue to highlight the increasing feminisation of poverty in this country.
Of approximately 16,000 recipients of the social welfare monthly payments of $15 to $80, most are women - widows, deserted wives, single mothers and women with disabilities.
Only 16,000 people receive these social welfare payments despite the fact that more than 25 per cent of our national population lives below the poverty line. Most are women and children. So when the Govern-ment decides to allocate $1.2million to salvage the FRU, what message is it sending to our poor women and children?
I'll leave that for you to decide.
Laisa Lagilevu
Lami
Amnesty Bill.
IF what the Prime Minister is stating (FT 15/6) is really the way that the amnesty provision of the Bill will function, then what really are we talking about here?
Are the issues related to CRW soldiers who entered Parliament? These soldiers have forever maintained their innocence and have always maintained that while in Parliament they had the full support of the army.
If such is the case, we can fully understand the childish rhetoric by the army commander. Who is scared of who?
Why doesn't the commander "open his mouth" instead of hurling threats?
What does the Government and the commander got to hide?
This is a scary scenario when tyranny slowly rears its ugly head.
Tevita Waqaliva
Navosa
Equality and democracy.
FIJI is a democratic country. We all know that democracy can be interpreted in different ways, but the basis of democracy is equality.
Equality under the law is the recognition that all individuals are equal, regardless of their material, social or other status. Most of Fiji's citizens agree that the overthrow of two democratically-elected governments was illegal and morally wrong and the SDL government has done nothing perceptible to alleviate the consequent problems.
Those problems include an escalation of displaced persons, job losses and an ever-increasing brain drain. The costs of goods and services increase and the quality of our living standards, education and health services decreases daily, leading to increased unemployment and poverty.
Meanwhile, the administration continues to ignore its inability to collect taxes and VAT. And our infrastructure is disintegrating - the potholed and crumbling roads, blocked drains, water and power cuts and filthy streets.
Land issues, housing for squatters and rural development desperately need to be addressed. We need more professional people - teachers and professors, doctors, specialists and nurses, magistrates and judges. Only our police force seems to be winning against all odds.
We, the ordinary citizens of Fiji know all this. We see it, read about it, hear about it, talk about it and are affected by it every day of our lives. But what does the SDL government do about it?
The best it can come up with is this deceptive, iniquitous and dangerous Unity Bill.
A Bill by which the SDL thumbs its collective nose at Fiji's most respected bodies - the Law Society, the NGOs, the military, the police force and an increasing number of angry citizens of all races.
The SDL government is undermining Fiji's democracy. We have an elected democratic government which is turning on itself by invalidating our democratic rules and principles - the very means by which it was elected.
Fiji's democracy is being eaten away by a 'cancer from within'.
Sue Cauty
Deuba
Little doubt.
There is little doubt that the "face" of the now highly controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill is PM Laisenia Qarase.
Given this fact, it becomes imperative that the public keeps him under close scrutiny as the RTU Bill saga unfolds. He had said when the Bill was first revealed that he had the unanimous support of the chairmen of the 14 provincial councils.
But the Macuata Provincial Council is yet to discuss the Bill. It is scheduled to meet on June 22. One wonders where the PM got his "unanimous" support from one month ago.
When asked who had been consulted in the drafting of the Bill, he had said he did not need to consult anyone. On the same day the chairman of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga revealed that the body was in the dark about the whole issue.
What it did show was that the PM and some in his government feel that provincial councils and the BLV could be overlooked whenever it suited the government's convenience.
It shows an un-Fijian attitude. And it was this same attitude that led to the political madness of 2000. The PM and his high command might want to reconsider this side of their public profile as it does little to strengthen public confidence.
Viliame Rovabokola
Suva
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