"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 Loruama Tawawili on January 20, 2010 at 6:36pm: Eddie I am not accusing anybody of anything. What I am saying is what actually happened when the elections were held.After the coup then all this voter riggings and fraud came to the forefront. If you look at it carefully Eddie you have no idea of what you are talking about. Thats the trouble of reading too much into the Fiji military forces no. one voice who is Peter Fioster.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by LOne rAnger aka StRYka on January 21, 2010 at 11:58pm: JT there were commonwealth and EU observers as well....all were satisfied with the way that election was carried out.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on January 20, 2010 at 6:40pm: Sorby you just contradicted you point of Vote rigging when the coalition that you put up clearly had the majority in the house and not the labour party. Labour 36 and the Coaliton 37 does not make the Labour Party the majority in the house.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Evander on January 20, 2010 at 11:45am: Bula Tau Kasa, a few pages further back you had asked, for the sake credibility, to reveal my identity. This may sound trite, but true of our democratic rights. You mentioned your Naita Eddie and Tau Sorby as examples of bloggers who have come out and put their photo ids and personal details in this public domain. Tau, for reasons they know best, they have decided to exercise their democratic rights to do so, plain and simple. As for me, for personal and familial reasons, I decided to exercise those same rights also, and not to publish my photo id or personal details on this blog.

As for my personal credibility and veracity of issues or articles I post, you my readers will have to decide for yourselves.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anna Wilson on January 21, 2010 at 11:28pm: To Mr. Evander,

You're doing okay Bro and so are the rest of us that need to withhold our pictures etc from this blogsite. Not only have I been reading you but I have also been cross-checking your write-ups and yes, you're as authentic as they can get Bro!!!!

Your rights Evander....!!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 20, 2010 at 2:35pm: simi,

I think everybody has a right to go anywhere at anytime, the very same right that allows you to be in the Bay area. If you are curious of his presence over there in America, the most logical and Fijian thing to do is walk up to him say "bula" and invite him to your house.

Once you are there, ask all the question that are troubling you and let him give you his version of events as to what and why things happened. Asking us will not be the same as asking him. I hope that answers your questions and I hope that I have directed you towards a better way of learning things - from the source, and not from a third party.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 21, 2010 at 7:36pm: simi,

If he did not have soldiers behind him and guns to back him up, I don't have a problem with going up to him and asking him, but you are asking us why ministers are runnung away. I did not know that they were running away, but you seemed to have an assumption that they are....so why don't you approach them and ask, instead of asking us here on the blog.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 20, 2010 at 2:39pm: Fiji PM awaits NZ response on nominee
Thursday, January 21, 2010

Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says Fiji is awaiting a response from New Zealand on their nominee to the post of Diplomatic Counsellor to Wellington.

Bainimarama would not confirm the name of the nominee but says they are looking to see sanctions against his government removed.

“We are keenly awaiting the New Zealand government’s response. As I mentioned last week – we are pleased the New Zealand government has taken a step forward in rebuilding our diplomatic relations. We are looking forward to progressing our discussions especially to see the removal of all sanctions on Fiji. We have submitted our nominee for the position of counselor as agreed to in the initial meeting of our two Foreign Ministers, New Zealand is yet to respond to us on that.”

Meanwhile the New Zealand government has not confirmed whether they have received a nominee from Fiji to serve at its diplomatic mission in Wellington.

This follows media reports in Fiji that Permanent Secretary for Information Lt Colonel Neumi Leweni was to be appointed Fiji’ Counselor to the NZ capital.

A spokeswoman for NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully told NZ media that there was a convention against commenting on diplomatic appointments while discussions were ongoing.

The Fiji government has not officially confirmed Neumi Leweni’s name, only saying that a top government official has been nominated.

The Fiji government is sensitive to releasing the names of diplomatic appointees after some of their nominees to High Commissions and Embassies were rejected by the host countries.

New Zealand and Fiji agreed to improve diplomatic relations earlier this year but NZ sanctions against Fiji remain.

Top government officials and military officers are banned from traveling to NZ. Fiji’s proposed nomination of Lt Colonel Leweni is seen by some as a test by the Fiji government to see how strongly NZ wants to reengage diplomatic relations.

Bainimarama says the lifting of sanctions against his government will be one of the first issues they will raise with the NZ Government.

“We are going to talk to the New Zealand Government about the lifting of sanctions. This is one of the first issues we will raise with the New Zealand Government as soon as the diplomatic appointments are made. Importantly - we will invest on New Zealand and Australia to hear Fiji out. They are not doing this well right now.”

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 20, 2010 at 2:41pm: Mill to cease crushing today
Thursday, January 21, 2010

Crushing at the Lautoka Sugar Mill will officially cease today but the Fiji Sugar Corporation has confirmed - they will continue crushing as long as supply is steady.

The January 21st end date for the Lautoka Mill was set by the Sugar Industry Tribunal a month ago.

FSC is yet to finalize the closing date for crushing at its Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba and hopes the Tribunal will fix a date soon.

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Samuela Tawakilai on January 20, 2010 at 6:03pm: The present Sugar Mills will now be retooled for the Ethanol Industry to kick off.

Most of the land owners are still sleeping while their lands are leased out for another 99 years, denying them and their children the opportunity to develop their land and make a prosperous living.

The leaase money they will recieve is laughable when compared to the amount of money that will be made from their land.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 20, 2010 at 2:43pm: Agriculture Ministries Economic Development plan
Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Ministry of Agriculture is working on strategies to help Economic development in the Western and Northern divisions.

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Colonel Mason Smith, said meetings will be held with the Divisional commissioners and heads of government departments to ensure the priorities of each division are taken into account.

“We will be having our first meeting in the western division on Thursday and Friday this week and we intend to move up on to the Northern division on the second week of February and there after come down to the central and Eastern division,” said Col Smith.

“This is part of governments overall integrated economic development strategies, where we go out to the divisions and to the village levels and hear from the people on development priorities that they want, for government to implement.”

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on January 20, 2010 at 2:47pm: Leweni nominated for counsellors post in NZ

Permanent Secretary for Information and Military Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni has been nominated by the Fiji government to take up a Counsellors post at the Fiji High Commission in New Zealand.

Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Lt. Colonel Pio Tikoduadua confirmed that they are now awaiting word from the New Zealand Government on their nomination.

Following the meeting between New Zealand Foreign Minister Murry McCully and Fiji's Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in Nadi earlier this month, the two governments agreed to an additional Counsellor position being established for Fiji in Wellington and for New Zealand in Suva, with approval in principle for Deputy Head of Mission appointments in each capital to follow soon.; ▶ Reply to This