"BACK TO DEMOCRACY FOR FIJI"

You are invited to share and pen your ideas, views or opinions that will facilitate/assist our country back to democracy. All positive and/or negative ideas and comments to steer us back to the road of democracy are welcome.

Whichever way one looks at our current situation back home, democracy has been completely raped. The rape of democracy in Fiji is a virtual degradation of the populus of Fiji. Their human rights are being deprived:

1. the right to decide their government;
2. who they want to represent them;
3. their right to free assembly;
4. free protest;
5. free to organise into groups so that they can talk about what is pertinent to their daily lives;
6. protest on issues they do not agree with....with no fear of intimidation from anybody.

With this military regime in place, the concept of freedom per the Constitution is a total myth!

And, we, the people of Fiji need to come together and be vehement about our total disagreement with the military regime. So give us liberty or death! The reality of the issue is that democracy in Fiji has been raped...from top to bottom...left to right....inside and out and vice versa!

Here we have a military regime that talks about freedom to the people and yet the very same military regime randomly arrest people, torture them, inflict unnecessary harrassment and emotional stress to those that seem a threat to them. The military regime talks about racial unity.......the communal concept of togetherness and yet Fiji is far more racially divided today than it ever was.

The so-called advisors, viz-a-viz, John Samy, these are rejects from their adopted countries and yet they are being rewarded with exuberant amount(s) of money by these rogue military regime who have no idea what they are doing. Lying to the international community does not augur well with this interim government and yet the interim Prime Minister continuously talks with a forked tongue when addressing international issues. The ministers talk about internal securities as if Fiji is going to be invaded.

All around it is clearly seen that the economy is in tatters and the Constitution is just a useless piece of paper. The rule of law is as what the military regime wants it to be.

The above are just some of my views (from a pro-democracy viewpoint). But, do not let that deter you from penning your comments if you share otherwise.

So, let us come together and voice our views/comments, whether they be for or against the military regime and have a very healthy discussion here so that in the end we can factually understand what our role is, what we need to do and how we can come up with ideas to help restore democracy back in our beloved Fiji!

Please feel free to write what you like or dislike about the military regime. Be sincere and honest about your thoughts, without getting personal or spiteful.

Kindly note, this "topic" will expire as soon as we have an election.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tevita Korodrau on January 11, 2010 at 8:38pm: Wax,
Hi, Sir. Yes been a while since we last spoke.I did look into that posting and also learned that these are well educate people and holding,pretty high post with the suva city council.I imagine how easy to order one out but realistically how difficult to substitute the drained experience and kowledge because one stands out to make an accerdermic comment to the Goverment they are paying tax to.Secondly 36 months ago this was not an issue.
The illegal PM in wanting to right the wrong he is making it wrong for anyone to voice opinion against the running of the goverment which he pays tax to.I am sure that is enlighting to you WAX but it is a sad state to rightful thinking individual. Judiciary is beng tempered wth, and we are all heading towards a sad state. While on this subject I am led to believe that this judiciary personnel were the ones that ruled against Vilisi going to prison and issued a fine. As one critically look at this wisdom demands, us to voice our opinion and demand freedom for everybody and also the judiciary. Wax lets grow up for the welfare our generation to come. God bless you.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike on January 11, 2010 at 8:40pm: Bula WAX,

Vacava sa baci mai nomu i ulubale ni kena tauri vakaukauwa na matanitu qori? Vinaka me ra tobo kece o ira na butakoci ira tiko na lewe ni vanua, ia me kua ni cegu ga vei ira qori, me yaco talega vei ratou mai Delainabua...se vakacava?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 11, 2010 at 8:46pm: Mike,

Baci lai vaqara ammo mai o WAX, e raica o koya na ka e vola o Peter Foster e rauti ira ga na sotia, e sega ni kila o koya ni da sa wilika sara na gauna ga e tabaki kina, ka biu sara i vale ni po, qai drau lai ceuta tu mai me mai nona vakasama. Sota ga na malumalumu.

Qo, sa da baci vakarau raica e dua na yasa vou ni veiba ena kauta mai, ena sega ga ni vakadodonutaka rawa na cala.....oya na ka era sega tiko ni ciqoma rawa.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike on January 11, 2010 at 9:05pm: Bula Suli,

Re: FNPF, I was talking to a close family member today who has been offered an employment opportunity abroad. When he went to FNPF last week to withdraw his money he was told that he could not withdraw the lot. He can only be given some but the woman who can authorise it is away till this Friday and if he wants it straight away he will have to settle for an even less amount. He was also told that he can only withdraw the balance once he is granted permanent resident in his adopted country. In a similar situation two and half years ago a close friend withdrew all his money after being offered employment abroad which was allowed at the time. Despite ratu suguraki's claim about the economy there is no denying that they are desperately hanging on to what they can irrespective whether it belongs to them or not.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 11, 2010 at 9:29pm: Mike and Bill,

Sa warai makawa na makala, koya ya ko wavoki tu kina i vuravura me vaqara loan kei na kere veivuke. Ena sega ni dua e soli loan vua baleta e sega ni donu tu vakalawa na nona veiliutaki.

Oya kemudrau na wekaqu, nai lutua ni ka kece qo.

Everything they are doing is geared towards legitamising the illegal government. E sa na sega ga ni rawa, baleta na cala ena cala ga ka na vakadodonutaki rawa ga ena kena muri na lawa.

As, for FNPF Mike, sa ra vakaloloma ena vakarau ni tekivu ni vuli, kei na kena mai lako oti qo na cyclone, vanua e gadrevi sara ga kina na nodra i lavo qo.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tevita Korodrau on January 11, 2010 at 11:22pm: Coup wolves circling FNPF

FIJI National Provident Fund contributors and pensioners should be concerned. Perhaps worried. Perhaps frightened. Because our FNPF life savings are under threat, opines economist PROFESSOR WADAN NARSEY.

Fijian Holdings Limited, a company now controlled by the military Government, tried to borrow more than a $100 million from FNPF, when private banks had refused. Thankfully, FNPF refused.

More ominously, the military Government wants to borrow hundreds of millions, basically to sustain their increased recurrent expenditure and military over-spending.

The private banks, local or overseas, will not oblige. Should FNPF oblige? Will FNPF oblige?

If FNPF continuously gives in to such lending pressures from Government, without economic growth, it will only encourage inflation to rise in the long term, thereby slashing the real value of everyone's savings and pensions.

And if ever pensioners totally lose confidence in FNPF, it may become insolvent, with future pension rates slashed, and even existing pensions reduced in dollar terms.

The key issue is that the FNPF board is now controlled by an unelected military Government's appointees.

We the FNPF contributors who own the savings do not have a single direct representative on the FNPF board who can be accountable to us. Why don't we?

We remain quiet at our peril.

Fiji's life savings

Annually, by law, some 16 per cent of our wages and salaries is deposited into the FNPF.

The FNPF is, therefore, the depository of the bulk of the life savings of most people who work in Fiji's formal sector, amounting to more than $2.5 billion.

The assets are supposed to be worth more than $3 billion. Bigger than the assets of all the commercial banks put together. From the outset, with successive governments controlling the board, the bulk of FNPF funds have been lent to Government, at interest rates much lower than those demanded by commercial banks.

Since 2000, to shore up Fiji's foreign exchange reserves, successive governments and the Reserve Bank of Fiji have forced FNPF to bring back its foreign investments, thereby losing FNPF revenue.

Worse still, with idle funds in Fiji, FNPF is also forced, in the absence of bankable private sector demand, to lend even more to Government, as currently. Some FNPF savings are invested in property. But significant amounts have now also been lent to investment projects such as at Natadola, Momi and GPH, the returns on all of which have been delayed, largely because of the 2006 coup. The FNPF rate of return has been going down for a decade. It will go down further if the FNPF board makes more mistakes.

The FHL wolf

For decades the borrowing wolves have been circling the easy money at the FNPF.

Recently, the FHL board and management, which have been taken over by the military Government, tried to borrow more than $100 million from FNPF, to finance the purchase of British Petroleum South Pacific at the massive price of $190 million.

An Indian company would first take out its own management fees from the revenue, with the remainder then being available for loan repayments, other costs and dividends.

Not surprisingly, the commercial banks won't touch this loan. And thank goodness that the FNPF board has also apparently refused.

But the FNPF board may not be able to withstand the military Government's pressure to lend hundreds of millions more, to finance Government's budget deficit and spending plans.

And that could be as damaging as the FHL loan.

Government deficits and killer inflation

There is nothing wrong per se with FNPF financing the Fiji government's budget deficit.

As long as the borrowed funds are spent on productive capital expenditure, which leads to increased economic growth, incomes and tax revenues for government.

But with an unelected military Government in place, we are unlikely to see the required economic growth, income and increased tax revenues, which could repay the loans.

All that is likely to happen is an increase in the money supply, increased imports, reduced foreign reserves, bigger public debt, and an upward pressure on inflation.

Since December 2006, Fiji has suffered total inflation of 10%, by which most people's real incomes have declined in real terms.

Worse, everyone's savings and pensions have lost 10% of their value since December 2006.

The bad news is that every bit of future inflation, very quietly and secretly working through higher prices in the market, will continue to steal away our savings and pensions.

And it will be a horror story, if inflation is accelerated by a devaluation.

If our economy does not grow enough with new jobs, FNPF will not see the required growth in employee contributions and neither will government see increased tax revenues.

If the economy deteriorates enough, Government may not be able to repay their FNPF loans on time.

The rate of return to FNPF shareholders will keep dropping. FNPF may have to further reduce the pension rate to future retirees.

And in the worst case scenario, if retiring people lose their confidence in the FNPF, and simply withdraw their savings in lump sums rather than take the pension, then FNPF may face a liquidity crisis and could even become insolvent, i.e. bankrupt.

Current pensioners may then not be paid on time or, horror of all horrors, may have their pensions illegally reduced.

Imagine the suffering. Let us hope it never comes to that.

But it may, if this military Government continues to hold on to power and continues its fiscal irresponsibility.

Question: who should be held responsible for any future destruction of our FNPF life savings?

FNPF and unelected governments

If mistakes are made by an FNPF board appointed by an elected government, the voters must ultimately take responsibility.

But if mistakes are made by an FNPF board appointed by an unelected military Government, then the military themselves (Bainimarama and the Military Council including most of the former military commanders) and the board members appointed by the military Government, must be personally held responsible.

Also responsible will be all those who volunteered, after the 2006 coup to help run the military Government and boards: the Fiji Labour Party and their stalwarts Chaudhry, Vayeshnoi, Tom Ricketts, Jokapeci Koroi and others.

Also responsible will be those who supported the NCBBF/ Charter/ Electoral Reform excuses for the 2006 coup: Archbishop Mataca, Kamlesh Arya, Jo Serulagilagi, Finau Tabakaucoro, Lorini Tevi, John Samy, Kevin Barr, David Arms, Francis Narayan, Robin Nair and others.

While some claimed to be serving the President's mandate, they disappeared without any reference to the President when they were booted out by Bainimarama.

FNPF board and us

FNPF decisions are now being made by an FNPF board controlled by the military Government.

We, the FNPF contributors and pensioners, have no representation whatsoever on the board.

If thieves came into our house and stole $1000 from the drawers, and took the family jewellery, we would be outraged and screaming for the police.

But people with guns have taken over the government and control of tax revenues and public expenditure, reduced our incomes by more than a billion dollars in the past two years, and now, are mounting attacks on our FNPF which could erode our life savings.

Why are the FNPF contributors, including FMF soldiers, police, civil servants, and blind coup supporters, all staying silent?

This article serves notice: if our Fiji National Provident Fund suffers because of forced irresponsible lending to government and other carpet-bagger companies, this military Government and the coup supporters must be held primarily responsible.

But also jointly responsible with be every FNPF contributor who chooses to stay silent in the face of this impending disaster.

We will not be able to wash our hands, like Pontius Pilate, if our FNPF cow ever ends up in the slaughterhouse. As a minimum we must demand direct representation on the FNPF board to protect our interests. And FNPF must also be allowed to invest overseas to maximise return to shareholders, and diversify its portfolio.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tevita Korodrau on January 11, 2010 at 11:36pm: FICAC axe falls on DPP. Rayawa was formerly a lawyer for the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption.
January 5, 2010 at 1:01 pm

Five Fiji prosecutors terminated
Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Fiji’s Acting Director of Public Prosecutions has terminated five prosecutors into his second day in office.

The DPP office told FBC News that Acting DPP Aca Rayawa will be releasing a statement on the terminations later this afternoon.FBC News understands that two DPP prosecutors were sacked yesterday and three more were sacked this morning.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tevita Korodrau on January 11, 2010 at 11:55pm: Second rate won’t do, Frank demands third and fourth rate
By Fiji Democracy Now
The puppet Public Service Commissioner, Jo Serulagilagi, has announced that the tin-pot dictatorship is hunting around for new permanent secretaries to replace those whose contracts end on 18 March 2010. Serulagilagi seems to have forgotten that the regime sacked everyone they didn’t like when they took over in 2006. Any failures by the civil service since then are the responsibility of the regime that seized power in 2006. It looks like Frank is not happy with the second raters he appointed so he’s looking for third and fourth rate people to replace them.

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation January 11, 201; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike on January 11, 2010 at 11:57pm: Fiji stops pension payments for dissenters

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

All Government pensioners who have been speaking out against the current Fiji Government will have their pension payments stopped from this week.

In an exclusive interview with FBC News today Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said a decree was passed last week stopping pension payments for pensioners who oppose the government.

Bainimarama said it has been his hope since he took over Government in 2006 that all citizens of this country work together to take the country to a new Fiji, unfortunately many, including some pensioners were still speaking against the Government. Bainimarama said payments to dissenting pensioners were stopped as soon as the decree was promulgated.

He said perhaps this would change their mind to support the Government in its endeavour to take Fiji forward.

And in another explosive revelation today, Commodore Bainimarama told FBC News that some Methodist church Ministers are currently being paid by the Fiji Police Force Special Branch to act as informers for the Police and the Military.

Commodore Bainimarama said Commissioner of Police Commodore Esala Teleni has confirmed to him that some Methodist Ministers were on government’s payroll and have been actively providing the Police and Military with information.

Bainimarama also told FBC News that Government has decided not to approve a permit for the Methodist Conference until 2014.

He told FBC NEWS that politics was still very much alive within the Methodist Church.

The Military commander says he does not see any reason why the conference should be revived considering the great amount of money that was collected last year without the conference.

Methodist Church of Fiji Acting General Secretary Reverend Tevita Nawadra was in a meeting and told FBC News he will comment on the matter tomorrow.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on January 12, 2010 at 2:25am: Fiji deports expelled academic's wife

By Bruce Hill for Radio Australia

Fiji has deported the wife of a prominent academic who was expelled from the country two months ago.

Dr Padma Lal, who was born in Fiji but is an Australian citizen, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program that she was given no reason for her expulsion on Tuesday morning.

But Dr Lal says she believes it is due to her marriage to Professor Brij Lal, a Fijian-born academic who helped write the country's 1997 constitution.

Professor Lal, also an Australian citizen, has spoken critically of Fiji's interim military government.

He was expelled in November after making comments to Australian media about Fiji's diplomatic row with Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Lal had been working for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, based in Suva, on issues of mangrove management, disaster risk management and climate change.

"The work I'm doing in Fiji or in the Pacific is really for the Pacific and Fiji," she said from her home in Canberra.

"That's totally apolitical. So as far as I can see, I cannot see any reason why they would detain me other than perhaps (because) I'm married to Professor Brij Lal."

Dr Lal says she was taken aside on Monday at Nadi Airport as she returned from an overseas trip.

"I asked as to why I was not allowed entry and they said, well there are no reasons for it," she said.

"Pressing further on that, they basically said we don't need to give any reasons, and then later they said that you don't have a return ticket.

"I mentioned that I have a valid visa, and in that valid visa category I don't need a return ticket."

Dr Lal says according to paperwork shown to her by immigration officers, her deportation was ordered directly by the country's leader, Commodore Bainimarama.

After more than three hours, Dr Lal says she was taken to a hotel room without a telephone. Her mobile phone and computer were also confiscated.

"There was an immigration officer sitting outside, together with this hotel security person by the looks of it, and the person stayed there all night," she said.

Dr Lal says she was not physically harmed, but was told that she would be detained if she refused to give up her computer.

She says she hopes one day to be allowed to return to Fiji.

As for being deported: "I'm angry and I'm disappointed."

"Angry for obvious reasons, disappointed to see what my beloved country that I was born and brought up in and I still feel quite strongly about where it's going and the fact we really do not have freedom of movement, freedom of speech, basic human rights."; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 3:30am: By Norah Mallaney of Global Integrity

In the South Pacific, I found a case study in modern censorship, as Fiji’s three-year-old military government collides with a once free local press, an emerging blogging culture and an ambivalent international community. Some basic facts are contested, but it is clear that free expression in Fiji is under intense pressure, in a sharp departure from Fijian cultural and political tradition. I talked over email with journalist and media academic Shailendra Singh, based in capital of Suva, about the future of free expression in Fiji.

Despite increasing government control over print media, Shailendra is determined. Journalists get heat from all sides, as even reporting the government’s arguments for media regulation has become controversial. But Shailendra argues for free exchange over partisanship. “It is absurd to fight censorship with censorship” Shailendra told me.

Shailendra worked with Global Integrity as a lead journalist in 2008, writing the Corruption Notebook: Fiji. As a senior lecturer in journalism, Shailendra encourages his fellow journalists and students to pursue stories to the greatest extent possible under the current restrictions. Bainimarama’s government, who seized power in a 2006 coup d’etat, has clamped down on the media. In a 2006 radio address, Bainimarama advised pro-democracy advocates to "shut their mouth," lest the military "shut it for them". The arrest or deportation of prominent journalists followed.

This has never before been seen in the island nation, with the brief exception of a period during the 1987 coup staged by then military strongman, Sitiveni Rabuka. After the 1987 takeover, the media eventually regained full reporting rights. The future does not seem as certain now and Fijians turn to regional “parachute journalists” or anonymous bloggers for independent yet at times questionably reliable news. “In many cases the blogs are vitriolic and abusive,” Shailendra said. “On the other hand, some credible commentators who can no longer publish their articles in the local dailies have set up blogsites.”

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 3:39am: N.Zealand, Fiji OK improving relations: minister
By David Brooks (AFP) – 13 hours ago

WELLINGTON — New Zealand and Fiji have agreed to improve relations which soured after a military coup in Fiji three years ago, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully said on Tuesday.

But McCully said the move would not mean any change to sanctions imposed by New Zealand against the regime after military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew Fiji's elected government in the December 2006 coup.

"None of this signals a change to New Zealand's substantive policy with regard to the regime in Fiji, nor does it signal any change in the sanctions regime currently in place," McCully told reporters.

"But it does signal a determination to improve the relationship, and in particular to be able to agree to disagree about some things."

The decision follows unpublicised talks between McCully and his Fijian counterpart Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in Fiji's tourist centre Nadi on Friday and Saturday.

New Zealand has been one of the most strident critics of the military regime and both countries expelled the heads of their diplomatic missions in each other's country in November.

McCully said the two governments have now agreed to appoint an additional counsellor in their respective missions and decided in principle that new deputy mission heads should be appointed.

McCully said there had been ongoing communications with Kubuabola in recent months and that the pair had agreed to keep in close contact and to meet "as necessary" in future.

Fiji expelled New Zealand's head of mission -- along with Australia's high commissioner (ambassador) -- last November, the third time since the coup that Wellington's top representative in Suva had been sent home.

It was angered by the impact of Australian and New Zealand sanctions banning people linked to the regime travelling to their countries.

Bainimarama has repeatedly accused both Wellington and Canberra of bullying his country since the 2006 coup.

McCully said Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith was aware of New Zealand's move and fully supported it.

"I've had nothing but encouragement," he said. "I don't want to get ahead of Australia, we couldn't be working more closely together."

Fiji was suspended from the 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum in May last year and from the Commonwealth in September over Bainimarama's broken promises to hold elections by March 2009.

International condemnation of Bainimarama increased in April after his government tore up the constitution, sacked the judiciary and tightened media censorship after a court ruled the regime was illegal.

The regime announced it planned to hold elections by September 2014 after rewriting the constitution and introducing a new voting system.

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