"BACK TO DEMOCRACY FOR FIJI"

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 6:29pm

Fiji: Now is not the time to improve relations

This week, the government announced proudly that it was improving relations with Fiji. Unfortunately, this improvement comes at a time when the illegal military regime is increasing its crackdown on its critics. In the past week, the Fijian regime has:

Extended emergency rule and media censorship for another 30 days;
Initiated a baseless prosecution of a prominent human rights lawyer for opposing the regime;
Sacked magistrates who ruled against the regime's prosecution;
Started a purge at the Suva City Council, targeting those suspected of opposing the regime;
Banned all religious conferences by the Fiji Methodist Church until 2014, on the basis that they are "spies" working against the military;
Deported Dr Padma Lal, solely because she is married to a critic of the regime;
Used food as a weapon to silence dissent, by cutting the pensions of regime critics
In this context, improving relations simply looks like rewarding bad behaviour.

Posted by Idiot/Savant at 1/13/2010 02:07:00 PM

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 6:59pm

Posted at 03:22 on 13 January, 2010 UTC

Fiji’s interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has told Auckland-based Radio Tarana that the thaw in relations with New Zealand should lead to Wellington lifting travel bans.

He made the comment after the two countries’ foreign ministers agreed to dispatch councillors to their respective capitals following last year’s expulsions of top diplomats.

Commodore Bainimarama says the sanctions, imposed on him and his regime in response to his military coup, should be lifted.

New Zealand has had travel bans on Fiji coup makers and their associates since 2000 when George Speight fronted the overthrow of the Mahendra Chaudhry-led government.

News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 7:01pm

So now we know why Bainimrama wants to reconnect with NZ. The problem for Bainimarama is the fact that NZ has stated that unless there is an election, the travel ban will stay so Bainimarama will not be able to go to NZ and watch rugby there.

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 7:07pm

Fiji's military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama has labelled New Zealand's decision to improve relations while maintaining sanctions against the island state as "very confusing".

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully yesterday announced that New Zealand and Fiji would begin to rebuild diplomatic ties following the expulsions of three diplomats since Bainimarama's 2006 coup.

Sanctions against regime leaders, the military and their families entering New Zealand would continue.

Speaking to Auckland's Indian station Radio Tarana, Bainimarama said the sanctions should be lifted.

"That is very confusing because that goes against all the gist of all the press statements that [have] come from New Zealand foreign affairs," he told Tarana.

"The whole idea behind it is to move toward understanding of what we want to do and needs to be done and that means lifting the sanctions."

He thanked New Zealand for its willingness to work with Fiji.

"This is very significant for the government and the people of Fiji.

"For us, the people of Fiji, it is about recognition."

The decision meant Fiji was seen as a sovereign nation charting its own path.

"We welcome New Zealand's efforts to resume diplomatic relations with us," he told Tarana.

He said he had a message for new New Zealand diplomats arriving in Fiji.

"My message to the officers concerned is to take the time to fully understand and appreciate Fiji."

The diplomats need to come with an open mind and a genuine desire to recognise what the regime was doing, he said.

Bainimarama was moving Fiji from being a "racially polarized nation that prompted racialist (sic) views that is determined to treat all its citizens equally."

Having good ties with New Zealand was "absolutely critical", the commodore said.

Bainimarama overthrew a democratic government in 2006.

Relations with Wellington were hit when Bainimarama declared, over an 18 month period, three New Zealand diplomats persona non grata.

McCully went to Fiji last weekend on an unannounced visit to meet the military-appointed Fiji foreign minister Inoke Kubuabola.

Kubuabola has long been a controversial figure in Fiji and played a high level role in Sitiveni Rabuka's 1987 military coup.

He claimed to have created the Taukei movement for indigenous supremacy.

Now with Bainimarama he is opposed to indigenous nationalism.

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 7:15pm

'Informants in the church'
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

THE Methodist Church says it is unaware of some inisters being paid by the police force to act as informers for the military and the police.

Army commander Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama told local radio station, Radio Fiji, that some ministers were on the police payroll.

Radio Fiji reported "Commodore Bainimarama says 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.

In another major announcement Commodore Bainimarama says Government has decided not to approve a permit for the Methodist Conference until 2014."

Methodist Church acting general secretary Reverend Tevita Nawadra said this was a surprise to them.

"First of all we need to substantiate the report on the radio station and secondly we are not aware if such a thing is going on. Even if the claims are right, this office (the Methodist Church) does not have any records of such practices" he said.

Mr Nawadra said church ministers had taken an oath to the church and God and such actions, if the claims were real, would be a direct violation of that oath.

"If we do find any church ministers of being involved in such activities then we will definitely take them out of the church."

The Methodist Church last year was not allowed to hold their annual conference as the government saidd it was more political than religious.

This led to the cancellation of not only the conference but also the choir competition.

"We are also not aware of the government's intent to cancel our permits until 2014. After the cancellation of the conference, the police have allowed us to have our standing committee meetings" said Rev Nawadra.

He added that not being able to hold conferences would affect the church in more ways than one as that was one time when members were able to mingle and sing praises to God.

"We are still trying to digest the news as this is quite a difficult bit of information to swallow."

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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 12, 2010 at 7:16pm

It is very hard to believe this news especially when the person making the claim is a known lier.

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Permalink Reply by Tevita Korodrau on January 12, 2010 at 6:15pm

Wolf circles resources within:
As guns were now turned towards Fiji from the hands of this illegal Regime, as time goes by they now begin to feel the depleting resources they have.The guns against Fiji now understands that people may be quite and it is far away from agreeing,secondly productivity is a product of good management only,not of forceful orders,thirdly experience yields over time and it is a very important to development in terms of decision making. Soldiers are trained to execute orders regardless but officers are trained not to agree to all orders but should disagree on moral issue. As a point of interest for the FIRCA to engage on a $11.00 license issue a bull crap for it clearly revealing that everybody are running all over not knowing their job description. This a matter for the city council to handle.
Well what I am saying that all this duplication of role and unnecessary usage of resources leads only to one thing, the grass root to pay for it. FNPF coming up of million excuses and hurdles to avoid releasing funds to members and the decree to deny pension entitlement is nothing but an indicator your illegal PM is running low on fuel with alot of miles ahead to cover.Wax has been labelling this as a gossip is clear of brainless and heartless individual he is. Pension is earned and it is a personal entitlement regardless. by the way what has this to do with clean up... The longer the boys of delainabua allow the cunning illegal regime loot everybody in Fiji the worse it will be for Fiji.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on January 12, 2010 at 7:38pm

Fiji regime bans church conference until 2014

By The Associated Press

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

Fiji's military-led government banned the country's powerful Methodist Church on Wednesday from holding their annual conference until 2014, accusing church ministers of spying on the nation's military for the government ousted in a 2006 coup.

Wednesday's move follows a ban last May on the 2009 conference and the arrest of eight senior Methodist leaders after the regime accused them of pursuing a political agenda to destabilize the government.

The government also accused the church of being in breach of the regime's Public Emergency Regulation that bans meetings and protests not approved by authorities.

The military regime, led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, took power in this Pacific island nation in a bloodless coup in December 2006, ousting a democratically elected government. It tightened its grip on power last April, imposing a state of emergency, overturning the constitution, firing the judiciary and placing censors in newsrooms.

Dozens of opponents have been arrested, questioned and eventually released with warnings to stop their criticism of the regime, which plans to hold democratic elections only in 2014 despite international calls for a swift return to civilian rule.

Bainimarama said Wednesday that Methodist Church officials had spied on the military before the 2006 coup.

"Police have found that they were being paid as informers by the past government which indicated that politics was alive in the church," he told reporters. "There will be no Methodist Church conference until 2014."

There was no immediate response from the Methodist Church of Fiji, whose more than 200,000 members account for a quarter of the volatile South Pacific country's population, and which strongly opposes Bainimarama's regime.

The latest action comes just a day after Fiji and New Zealand agreed to begin a thaw of frosty relations by appointing senior diplomats to some of the posts in their capitals left empty by expulsions over the past 18 months.

Also Wednesday, the regime said pension payments to former Fiji civil servants who do not support the government will be stopped from this week.

"We will stop pension payments to all those who speak against the government or all citizens seen to halt government's work on moving the country forward," said the permanent secretary for information, Lt. Col. Neumi Leweni.

A decree stopping such pension payments was passed by Cabinet last week "to change the mindset of people who were against the government," he said.

Bainimarama said he knew of a few people who were working with "some of our development partners, our international friends and some sections of the media to undermine the efforts of government."

Those people were spreading wrong information about Fiji and what was happening in Fiji, he said.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on January 12, 2010 at 7:42pm

Fiji regime deports expelled outspoken academic’s wife

9:46 January 13, 2010 - Pacific Press Release

FIJI DEPORTS EXPELLED ACADEMIC’S WIFE

By Bruce Hill

MELBOURNE: 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 she was given no reason for her expulsion on Tuesday morning.

But she says she believes it is due to her marriage to Professor Brij Lal, a Fiji-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.

‘Totally apolitical’

Dr Padma 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 that I’m doing in Fiji or in the Pacific is really for the Pacific and Fiji,” she said in a telephone interview 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’re no reasons for it,” she said.

“Pressing further on that, they basically said we don’t need to give any reasons, and then later on 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”.

Direct orders

Dr Lal says according to paperwork shown her by immigration officers, her deportation was ordered directly by 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,” she said.

“Where it’s going and the fact that we really do not have freedom of movement, freedom of speech, basic human rights”.

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Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 12, 2010 at 8:08pm

Mike,

Sa laurai ga i keri na nodra vakamumuri tu ga vakamataboko, era sega mada ga ni kila na cava era deport taka kina na marama qori. Sa oti sa qai lai kau lesu tu mai na "no return ticket" me kenai i ulubale, ia na categorie ni visa e tiko vua e sega ni yaga me dua na return ticket.

Ke dua na tamata e cakava tu na mataqali cakacaka vaqo, kevaka e tiko vinaka tiko na nona vakasama, e dodonu me sa taroga na nona i liuliu se tovolea me kila na dina ni nona cakacaka, baleta e sega ni rawa ni da vakasava tu ga vakatawa dodonu e dua e lako mai Viti. Sa raura, o ira na sotia qo kei ndra boso era sega ni tu ni kila na levu ni ka rau sa cakava na veiwatini qo ena vukudra na noda gone vuli.

Erau dau veivakatavulici vei ira na gone (private tutuoring) e rau dau soli sikolasivi, ka rau dau veivuke sara vakalevu vei ira na noda gone vuli ka ra mai vuli ena Australian National University.

Vinaka me ra veimurimuri tu ga vakamataqali vakasama vata, e rairai vakaloloma tu kina na nona veiliutaki o Bainimarama.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on January 12, 2010 at 8:03pm

Fiji commentator criticises media ‘abuse of influence’

9:31 January 6, 2010

Opinion:

ON ABUSE OF POWER AND INFLUENCE IN A DEMOCRACY – NZ’S DOMINION POST

By Crosbie Walsh

TOKOMARU (CW’s Fiji blog/Pacific Media Watch): I’ve always thought there’s something more than a little undemocratic and cowardly that those writing editorials do not reveal their identity, especially in a
proudly democratic country like New Zealand.
All we know is that an editorial contains opinions (not always backed by facts or fully researched thoughts) that are usually written by the publisher, the editor or one of the editorial team. I see no good reason why these people, and journalists in general, who so often demand access to private information, hide behind anonymity. Why are
so many media sources “usually reliable” or “our correspondent in X.”

Why does the law permit them to publish anonymous “leaked reports,” even of personal emails? Why do we allow them these powers when we, their readers, do not even know who they are?

I’m also unsure why they think we should be interested in their anonymous opinions when we know nothing about their knowledge of the topics they discuss? We would not accept this from a doctor, a lawyer or accountant, so why should it be acceptable from journalists who play with our minds, mould our opinions, and set the boundaries of our democracy?

If the so-called Fourth Estate is entitled to a special, protected, place in our society, searching out hidden truths and using its “freedoms” to keep citizens and voters properly informed, then the media must be far more open, accountable and known.

The latest Dominion Post editorial, “Dictators must not hold sway in the Pacific” is a case in point. We know nothing of the writer who presumes to advise Prime Minister John Key what to do about our relationship with Fiji other than that he, she or it thinks it wrong for us to ease up on Bainimarama who “took power at the point of a gun and deposed a democratically elected government” and who since then has “tightened his grip on the country.” Et cetera. Et hackneyed cetera. Nothing was written on anything even remotely wrong with the old “democracy” and nothing about anything good on the de facto government.

“Whatever else he does [the editorial states] … Mr Key should not accept advice such as that from Auckland academic Dr Hugh Laracy” – or, presumably, anyone else who thinks the travel ban and other measures have failed. Yet these measures, imposed three years ago, have brought about no change in Bainimarama’s position; they are hurting many innocent Fiji citizens, and they’ve prevented many qualified people applying for civil service positions, even in positions not remotely political. The editorial thinks Mr Key is “right to try to make a new start with the commodore [but] that does not mean forgetting that he is a dictator. The aim must be that dictatorships do not become the ‘Pacific way.’”

With this sort of inane, patronising advice Key could well fall back on Laracy: afterall, he is not anonymous; he’s studied the Pacific for close to 40 years and, although not enamoured with coups, he does have a plausible alternative to our initially well intended but now obviously failed policy.

I’m sure Professor Laracy will join me in issuing a public challenge to the Dom Post editor (s).

• Come out from behind your masks.
• State your qualifications and Pacific experience.
• Publish balanced statements on Fiji’s past and present.
• Provide your readers with sufficient background for them to form
their own independent judgments.
• Comment on at least some of the positive actions taken by the
Bainimarama government.
• Take the trouble to find out what is really happening in Fiji.

And if you can’t — or won’t — do any of these, at least make an intelligent and realistic suggestion to help John Key formulate a workable policy towards Fiji.

Hugh and I may lose the debate, of course, but we would at least know who you are — and your readers and John Key may learn something they did not know before.

* Dr Crosbie Walsh is emeritus professor of the University of the South Pacific and retired founding director of USP’s Development Studies programme.


8 comments:
Vee, 6. January 2010, 10:56

Oh puhlease Crosbie … you are very painful with your full-on support for the regime in Fiji. What part of the equation do you not understand ?

A coup is a coup is a coup – it is wrong, it is illegal and any immoral, and any amount of posturing and frothing at the mouth won’t change that.

You seem to think you have more qualifications that most about Fiji, and that qualifies you to be the one that is ‘right;’ about Fiji and the Fijians ? How dare you presume to speak for most of us Fijians about what is good for us or not good for us.

Your pathetic support for Bainimarama and his regime is well known. You are welcome to the brown-nosing – its your choice but don’t presume that the country of Fiji shares your views.

As for Keys and Rudd. They are on the right path – the sanctions ARE working despite what you say.

Liu Muri, 6. January 2010, 11:44

Vee, agreed, a coup is a coup. Where were you in 1987 and 2000? If you are an indigenous Fijian, then you would have danced and had orgies on effigy of democracy because it was a fight for indigenous supremacy over a greedy migrant race who have done better than the original people through their hard work. Bugger all to democracy then. Now, when the gun is turned, you are now crying for the foreign flower that Ravuvu and other ethno nationalist like Rabuka classed democracy as. So how come the scent of that foreign flower is so much wanted in Fiji?

What is best for Fiji? Democracy? So that ethno -nationalist like Qarase and the Lauan mafia could squander public money, line their pockets under guise of affirmative action and treat half the population like lepers.

Come real Vee, democracy is not always good and coups are not necessarily bad. Which people of Fiji are you speaking for? People are generally happy except those fat cats and ethno nationalist who has the democratic government and democracy in their pockets via divisive racist policies.

As for Australia and New Zealand, they would not give a damn to Fijians if they killed each other as long as they were under the banner of so-called democracy. Helen Clark threw away the Foreshore and Seabed law in the rubbish bin, claiming that sea, foreshore and beaches were gifts from God to all its people. Yet they remained criminally silent when Qarase introduced vote-buying Qoliqoli Bill to push common people, especially Indo Fijians, out of the sea and beaches. Do you really blame Bainimarama from rescuing Fiji from a sham of democracy?

Vee, 7. January 2010, 0:13

Vinaka Liu Muri … yr pseudonym is truly self-fulfilling and you do show yourself in your true vulagi colours.

Why do you also presume that I was doing the tauratale or vala a teke in 1987 and 2000 ? I reside in Fiji and am a full blooded Fijian . I have protested long and hard against all the coups in Fiji and am not about to change my tuiboto in this regard.

Whats yr beef against Qarase other than a sweeping statement accusing him of ethno-nationalism ? Give us proof of the pudding honey. Lord only knows, we have been waiting 3 long years for the regime to give us proof. Its all a great sham to stay in power and you have bought it all. Fool.

Also speaking of the great “Lauan mafia”, you obviously must be great friends with the great Lauan mafia aka as Rokoului, Koila, Ateca, Teletubby et al – who are all lining their pockets under the guise of protecting themselves from us, the leper population.

Also I really would urge you to read up on the Qoliqoli Bill – which in all honesty you have probably never read. It is absolutely nothing like you say it pertains to be. Come back when you have read it.

Liu Muri, 7. January 2010, 9:14

In the Senate sitting of 18 May, 1993 (pages 731 to 748), Senator Manu Korovulavula moved a motion for the Senate to call on Government to carry out an investigation into the method adopted by the Board of the Fijian Holdings Limited to allow limited liability companies to buy shares into the company (FHL) without the knowledge of 14 Provinces. Senator Korovulavula had stated that the motion was brought on a point of principle to reveal less than honest dealings of people in position of power, knowledge and trust.

Vee, before telling me to read the Qoliqoli Bill, you need to realise that the mere Bill had already prompted greedy sea-shore owners to demand tourism resorts and other beach users unreasonable monetary demands.

Also, I suggest you read the above Senate report and find out who are the REAL BENEFICIARIES of Fijian Holdings. Find out who own Sticks Investment (Weleilakeba), Q Ten (Qarase), KJY Investments ( K. Yabaki) K.B Investments ( Bakani) and 5X Investment and other companies named in the report who are big shareholder of preference A shares which were really meant to help poor Provincial councils and poor indigenous people. Qarase regime was perhaps the most corrupt in Fiji where the fat cats became rich and poor indigenous people remained poor and Indo Fijians were shown as the red-herring by the divisive racist politics and policies of SDL.

Ulli Weissbach, 7. January 2010, 9:33

As a journalist I can only applaud Crosbie’s criticism of the undemocratic practice of anonymous editorials in this country. They are nothing but a tool to manipulate readers and brainwash them into followers of a certain one-sided opinion. This undemocratic and unjournalistic practice was one of the reasons why I cancelled my subscriptions to the NZ Herald and the Sunday Star Times. If I lived in Wellington, it would have been the Dominion Post. Where does this habit come from and what justifies it? Opinion is an opinion is an opinion – and we are entitled to know who has that opinion. Anything else is as undemocratic as the dictatorship in Fiji. People who read and buy these opinions are like lambs, shepherded by mainstream sheepdogs, who claim to know better, what they should think. I appeal to all NZ readers, to boycott papers that publish anonymous editorials. That would be a truly democratic uprising. Because, after all, it’s the people who rule in a democratic country.

terry, 7. January 2010, 17:58

a newspaper’s editorial is the newspaper’s opinion. It doesn’t need to carry a name (or photo). The editor and publisher are answerable to its content. And this crosbie idiot is suppose to be a journalism professor? Lord knows what sort of standards he’s setting for USP journalism courses..
This fool is a disgrace..

Vee, 8. January 2010, 13:18

Liu Muri … again you throw wild accusations out there to cloud the whole issue …. please don’t start on FH .. as a contributing tribal share holder from Naitasiri, I don’t need you to tell me that just because I am an entrepreneurial type of Fijian with more than a couple of thousand shares , I am corrupt !!! How stupid are you ?

In the same way you have not read the Qoliqoli Bill and in the same way you do not understand the nuances of our tribal shareholding in a progressive Fijian owned company, you are trying to cloud the issues involved in this sorry argument.

Lets start again shall we :

1) I am lamenting the fact that Crosbie Walsh is a coup apologist and presuming to talk on my behalf as a Fijian person. I object to this.
2) Any editorial in a newspaper is generally the view of the Editor and of the newspaper, whose names appear in the index of any paper, so Crosbie’s argument is irrelevant.

Fiji’s imperfect democracy is an evolving one. Neither Frank Bainimarama, nor Sitiveni Rabuka before him, had the right to destroy it, whatever the pretext.

That wise and sensible man Graham Leong once said the following, and it summarises what underpins every argument about the coup in Fiji and the naked grab for power by Bainimarama and his henchmen :

“The wonder and paradox of democracy is that the outcome cannot be guaranteed in advance. A fairer and more equitable electoral system will not necessarily deliver a result that Bainimarama, or some of us would prefer. Indeed Fiji’s coup leader is on record as saying that ousted prime minister Laisenia Qarase would return over his dead body.

What this sentiment suggests is that Fiji’s unelected ruler, who has no mandate from the people, would lend his support to a democratic model of governance so long as he was satisfied with and could guarantee the outcome. That is a dangerous proposition and reveals far more about the shallowness of Bainimarama’s understanding of the nature of democratic politics.

The charge of “racism” that is flung with abandon at Qarase’s government is cited to justify the December 5, 2006 coup. Suffice it to say, that in the context of Fiji the discourse about race and ethnicity is more complicated than is portrayed. It is not confined to one community. As a person of mixed-racial parentage, I can cite examples of being at the receiving end of racial slurs and discrimination. But I would not for one moment suggest that a coup d’etat would be the way to address racism and bad governance. The end does not justify the means.

Electoral reform, while important, is essentially a red herring. The real problem in Fiji is that feudal cliques refusing to relinquish privilege, an army that refuses to recognise its limitations in a democracy, and failed politicians of all persuasions and opportunistic businessmen who support them, see nothing wrong in undermining electoral verdicts.

The choice is not between good and evil as such, but rather between the legitimation of arbitrariness and whim in public life and the hesitant but gradual process of democratisation with all its checks and balances.

If the racial supremacists in Fiji are now converts, let it be the Damascus experience of Saint Paul and not the ambivalence of Hamlet. Fiji’s latest coup should be seen for what it is—a naked grab for power.

Croz Walsh, 8. January 2010, 19:30

We have two issues: my criticism of the DomPost, and my “right” to comment on Fiji. On the first, no apologies (thank you Uli; sorry Terry); on the second, I have never presumed to speak on behalf of anyone in Fiji. Vee and Liu Muri show they are both quite capable of speaking for Fiji. But I do feel I have an obligation to restore some balance to what our media say about Fiji and offer ideas, from my own experience, on how present realities can produce positive outcomes for Fiji.

Vee, Liu Muri and I may come from different backgrounds and hold different opinions on what produced the present Fiji situation, but we all want the best for Fiji. We should respect this commonality and concentrate on what we can do to “take Fiji forward.” Nothing is to be gained by insulting each other. I’d be happy to dissuss the way forward on my blog, and Terry is welcome too — if he stops calling me an idiot!

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Permalink Reply by Mere Tuisalalo Samisoni on January 13, 2010 at 2:32am

13/1/10
With all this "for and against", then the challenge is for VB to test the support for his policies and all those who agree with his illegal style of government, by holding elections in 2010.
Let the people of Fiji choose what matters and is of value to them, their families and their future that is NOT dictated by the illegal "elite few" from the imposed Peoples Charter.
Dr. Mere Tuisalalo Samisoni elected SDL Member for Lami Open Constituency (deposed 2006).

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