"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 Justin on February 4, 2010 at 11:01am: Sovea na nomu qai mai totaki Voreqe tiko vaqori sa keimami understand taka tu...o mai vosa vacacataki ira nai talatala keimami sa understand taka tu..Baleta o iko o se cakava vinaka sara tuga na ka e cakava tiko o Voreqe,,gunugunu beer wavoki tula,,tabutabu lotu...koya na gunu homebrew koya tukuna o voreqe me caka i rukuni vuni maqo o iko se qacoya vinaka sara tiko la..
Sa dua naka me dua na tamata gunugunu beer tu la wavoki me qai mai via vamacala ike me keimami vabauta,,sa rauta mo totaki Frank tiko baleta ni Corruption saraga vakai iko..
Sa dri yaniTaki sara vasinai vei iko mo mateni ...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Eddie C.Koroitunalagi on February 4, 2010 at 11:24am: Sovea....kua ni vakalusia nomu gauna vei Justin,qori na gone leqa qai se yalowai vakalevu.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 10:40am: I do not for one minute believe that the Talatalas want political Power in Fiji Sorby. If you look at it from a social point of view it is the welfare of the lewe ni lotu that the Talatalas are worried about. It is their spiritual well being.If anytrhing it is the Kingdom of God that the Talatalas are always talking about during their discussions with the flock.
Because the Talatalas of the Lotu Wesele are so successful in their Teaching, Bainimarama himself who has politicised the issue here and he is trying to stamp out the Lotu Wesele because nearly all members do not agree with what Bainimarama is doing.
Promising and doing selective Reforms with borrowed money is not a good way to lead the country especially when the borrower is becoming the lender too. No one is becoming a bad politician like Bainimarama Sovea because Bainimarama does not allow any opposition to his illegal regime and thus his dictatorship if anything Sovea is the worst thing to have happened in Fiji.
Just look at what he is doing now Sorby,he is issueing decree to save himself from the inevitable after Fiji will have a general election this year. I yeild the floor back to you OB.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 12:03pm: If and when the Reformative and Mordnization is in place Sorby surely you know that Bainimarama's agenda call for only a certain few to participate. This selective approach by the illegal regime Sorby say a lot about the agenda of Bainimarama. He is not worried about people of Fiji, he is more worried about himself.He has not lifted the Statute of limitations on Treason and sedition rather has imposed a 2 year limitation to it so that he will walk scott free after his time in power is done which will be never.I will re iterate what I said about the Talatalas Sorby, they are doing their job properly and it is Bainimarama who is politicising their spiritual work by trying very hard to make it secular.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suliasi Daunitutu on February 4, 2010 at 5:17pm: sorry, that should have read vertical, not horizontal; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kuna Osea Malamalanitabua on February 4, 2010 at 6:49am: VB you are a hippocrete everything you say is b..s..and how many Indo-Fijians are member of the Forces.Are you keeping the balance of the various 13 PR0VINCES in the Officers Ranks and the ordinary soldiers.What you did in 2006 was wrong and expelling members of the Diplomatic Corps is a Racist Act and I hope you will personally reap the consequences of all your unjust acts.Those who live in Glass House don't throw stones and you are guilty of Treason and it is punishable by death with the use of rope or even better a Bullet.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 10:29am: Fiji and New Zealand are in the process of restoring diplomatic relations which started to break down after the military coup in 2006. Photo / Alan GibsonAfter New Zealand offered an olive branch to Fiji to ease diplomatic tension between the two countries, Fiji responded in two unexpected ways.

Firstly, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, while welcoming the move, was also quoted by Fiji media as saying that he was "confused" with New Zealand's stance in maintaining travel sanctions.

Secondly, Fiji appointed a military officer, Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni, to fill in the counsellor's position at the Fiji High Commission in Wellington, at a time when there was a ban on visit to New Zealand by Fiji military officers.

This was the latest development in the diplomatic "cold war" between the two countries since the Fiji military coup in 2006 after which New Zealand imposed "smart sanctions," which included prohibition of visits to New Zealand by Fijian military personnel. Fiji expelled three New Zealand high commissioners within three years and New Zealand retaliated in similar manner.

Lieutenant Colonel Leweni's appointment has put New Zealand in a very difficult situation.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 10:46am: If Bainimarama was thinking about the welfare of Fiji Leweni would have been the last person on earth to be considered as Fiji's diplomat to NZ. With this tentative appointment of Leweni we now see that Bainimarama was only trying to force NZ to lift the travel Bans imposed on the militasry and the illegal Regime./ This is very childish on te dictators part but NZ and even Australia can see right through this idiotic move by Bainimarama.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joe Tukana on February 4, 2010 at 11:16am: Ni bula na wekaqu..latest on the Fiji High Commission to NZ...
Sa vakadeitaki ga na ka o ni sa tukuna se vakaraitaka toka qori e cake Tawili. Sa dua tani ga na agenda e tiko mai noda ka da kila ni sa veitosoyaki tu ga na nodratou duru ni matamata me ratou levea kina na vale ni veivesu. Ia e sega ni da na da lasutaki tu ga. Dua na siga na basika na dina!!.

MCCULLY: NO NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER IN FIJI YET
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/mccully-no-new-high-commissioner-in...

WELLINGTON (TVNZ/Pacific Media Watch): New Zealand and Australia do not intend to replace their high commissioners in Fiji until they get some reassurance they will not be turfed out any time there is a disagreement between the countries, Television New Zealand reports.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully had talks on Thursday in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith and Fiji's Foreign Minister Inoke Kubuabola.

Those talks lasted about 1-1/2 hours and McCully and the Fiji minister then met for the same period again in the evening.

Relations between New Zealand and Fiji have been fraught since the 2006 coup in Fiji and further deteriorated last year with the tit-for-tat expulsion of senior diplomats, which followed interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama's repeated rejection of international deadlines for elections.

Efforts to re-staff high commissions hit another hurdle when Fiji provocatively put up Permanent Secretary for Information and military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Neumi Leweni for the position of counsellor in Wellington.

New Zealand has a travel ban on members of the military-led regime and Lt Col Leweni played a central role in the coup, was responsible for censoring local media, deporting journalists and curbing free speech, all moves that have met with criticism from the Australian and New Zealand governments.

McCully told NZPA that he had got Australia involved in the talks after an initial meeting in Nadi in January where he and Kubuabola discussed lower level appointments to commissions.

High Commissioner appointments were not discussed.

"In that respect New Zealand and Australia were in identical positions and we were not going to get involved in topics that affected Australia or set precedents for Australia without Australia being in the room," McCully told NZPA.

"So the trilateral meeting yesterday was in order start a conversation involving the three parties over matters that were different from or an extension of those we talked about bilaterally."

At New Zealand's High Commission in Suva, staff from New Zealand were down to seven: one policy officer, two support staff, two NZAID staff, and two immigration officials.

Since the coup three senior diplomats have been expelled, while the trade representative, who was married to one of the expelled diplomats, was also expelled, and the defence and police liaison positions were unfilled because Fiji would not agree on roll-overs for the positions.

Fiji was down to a single non-local staff.

McCully said one goal of the talks had been achieved.

"The first objective is to be able to conduct a good civilised diplomatic conversation because it's fair to say that New Zealand and Fiji, and Australia and Fiji, have not had a good track record on being able to agree to disagree."

The ministers were working on establishing a base for diplomatic conversation.

"Hopefully that leads into upgrading the machinery by which we have diplomatic dialogue which means lifting the capacity of our missions. But in terms of... high commission appointments both Steven Smith and I have made the point that there's no point in us appointing high commissioners who are going to be sent home the first time there's a disagreement between New Zealand and Fiji and we are not yet at that point."

McCully said while no solid understanding had been reached, a framework for future discussions was in place.

"So it's just a question of moving this thing forward deliberately and slowly."

McCully said the mood had been "constructive and professional".

He had talks later in the evening with his Fijian counterpart to continue discussing the issue.

Kubuabola was "someone who is trying to do his best in difficult circumstances".

McCully said removing the travel ban was not on New Zealand's immediate agenda.

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

* Comment on this item www.pacific.scoop.co.nz; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Usaia Pita Waqatairewa on February 5, 2010 at 4:54pm: A Sydney-based Fiji democracy group says the parties elected to power by the people should be included in future talks with Australia and New Zealand.
The foreign ministers of Australia and New Zealand met with their Fiji counterpart, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola yesterday to discuss ways to improve relations.
Usaia Waqatairewa from the Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement says he supports engagement with the military-led regime if it moves the country towards elections.
But he is urging Australia and New Zealand to include the political parties that were ousted from power in the 2006 coup.
“Its good enough that they are sitting round the table talking because that is a first step towards something positive but at the same time the Australian and New Zealand governments should not compromise on asking these people, if they want to talk about constitutional changes, they have to include people who represent the voters of Fiji. Its not going to be a sort of top-down decision that’s shoved down our throats so to speak.”
Usaia Waqatairewa says there should also be no compromise on the issue of human rights abuses, or on easing the travel ban on regime members and their families.
News Content © Radio New Zealand International
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Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 11:52am: Sorby the blow is Leweni's job description, he only blows Bainimarama. Duatani sara na "There she blows" by Jublee and J Toroki. Qarauna dena toki yani vei iko na blow nei Leweni Sorby.Ever wonder why it took him only 3 years to be a Colnel?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Loruama Tawawili on February 4, 2010 at 12:06pm: Hey Sorby that is like the Kiss me here Flower that you and LR drew for Mrs Kerr in your English class.I know you still remember that.; ▶ Reply to This