With his i’Taukei mother and Indo-Fijian father, Ben Padarath ought to be a poster boy for the new multiracial Fiji. Yet instead of being a standard bearer for greatness, Ben has grown up the classic naughty boy – a 42-year old still behaving like a juvenile delinquent and every parent’s nightmare. Each opportunity he gets he seems to blow, whether it’s his forays into business, into politics and even nights out on the town. He killed a girl called Julia Stark in a drink driving accident that earned him a prison term for manslaughter. Later, he earned himself a severe beating and a stretch in hospital for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Government and selling access to the Prime Minister. And as the bizarre events of the past couple of days have shown, he’s even a failure as a stowaway, his alleged attempt to evade his latest brush with the law ending in ignominy on the Lautoka waterfront.
Benjamin Wainoqolo Padarath was wearing a Fiji Ports Authority uniform when he was caught allegedly trying to board a container vessel bound for New Caledonia and Australia. The Lautoka police say a “suspicious character” was spotted moving inside the vessel (sound like Ben?) and security personnel intercepted him. He was found to be carrying $3000 in cash, a chocolate bar, some biscuits and a bottle of water. Quite how long he thought that would sustain him at sea isn’t clear, let alone how far it would get him in Noumea or Sydney. But Ben is nothing if not optimistic and such a mundane consideration may not have entered his mind. He seems to have been following in the footsteps of that other famous fugitive from Fijian justice – the Australian conman Peter Foster – except that Foster arranged his own means of transport and got away. Poor Ben. Another failure.
He appears to have surrendered without a struggle and has since appeared in court in Lautoka on a charge of attempting to stow away on a ship. A much bigger problem awaits him in Suva because he failed to turn up for a court hearing there on a charge of giving false information to a public servant. The presiding magistrate issued a bench warrant for his arrest. For anyone else, the notion of slipping onto a ship in Lautoka when you’re supposed to have appeared before the bench in Suva would surely prompt a second thought. The authorities take this stuff pretty seriously so what happens next is unlikely to be pleasant. Yet for Ben, being declared a wanted man seems to come naturally. The roller coaster of rooster one day, feather duster the next has become the central narrative of his life.
Ben was born in 1970, the year of Fiji’s independence, and perhaps it’s no coincidence that his upbringing reflects much of the turbulent nature of the country’s development. His family life was different to most – a multiracial, multicultural household of an Indo-Fijian father and an indigenous mother. So Ben has always enjoyed the distinct advantage of speaking both Hindi and i’Taukei, as well as what he describes on his Facebook page as “American English”. He’ll doubtless be saying “Howdy Doody” to quite a few officers of the law in the coming days and weeks.
Politics is in Ben’s blood. His mother, Lavenia Padarath, is the well-known Labour Party politician and was Minister for Women in the Chaudhry government that George Speight removed at gunpoint in 2000. She was held hostage with her colleagues at the parliamentary complex but was released with three other woman five weeks into the 56-day siege. Her son’s antics over the years can only have added to the trauma of that terrible event. Certainly, Ben has hardly been the model son. God knows what Lavenia must have endured because of his many “exploits” over the years. Because with Ben, it’s been one crisis after another, a yo-yo back and forth between rooster and feather duster. In polite circles nowadays, the guy is regarded as trouble with a capital T.
One night in May 2003, Ben Padarath drove off from a Suva nightclub in the company of Charlotte Peters – the journalist who is now his wife – and two other women, Arieta Bulewa and Julia Stark. He got as far as the Prouds Triangle before he stopped the car and he and Peters got out and had a heated argument. When a passing police vehicle pulled up, they returned to the car and Ben resisted police attempts to get him back out. He suddenly took off at high speed, charging through two red lights. The police gave chase at up to 100 kilometres an hour along Victoria Parade but were unable to catch up. Soon afterwards, Ben crashed into a coconut tree opposite the Chinese Embassy on Queen Elizabeth Drive with such force that the car was torn in half. Arieta Bulewa and Julia Stark were found unconscious on the footpath. Stark died three days later while Bulewa spent more than a month in hospital. A feather duster moment if every there was one.
Yet three years later, in May 2006, it was rooster time when Ben stood for parliament in the election of that year as a candidate for Ratu Epeli Ganilau’s National Alliance Party (NAPF). He polled 681 votes in the Lami Open Constituency – just under 5 percent of the total. So we know that 681 people were prepared to turn a blind eye to Ben’s accident-prone ways and have their interests represented by this would-be politician. But there’d been a major hiccup during the campaign, a very public spat between mother and son. The long suffering Lavenia was appalled when Ben – her half Indo-Fijian son – made a speech calling for political power in Fiji to remain with the i’Taukei.
Mrs Padarath described her son’s comments as “racist, unnecessary, unwarranted, and contrary to the way he’d been brought up”. Ratu Epeli also disavowed the remarks, saying they were Ben’s personal opinion and not those of the party. But was Ben chastened? Not on your nelly. He went on the offensive, saying that with an Indian father and an indigenous Fijian mother, there was no way that he could be labeled racist. He just thought that for the sake of political and economic stability, it was best for political power to remain in indigenous hands. His mother – an i’Taukei herself but a committed supporter of multiracialism- was doubly appalled. But worse was to come.
Soon after the election, Ben Padarath went on trial for the manslaughter of Julia Stark three years before. And in August 2006, Justice Nazhat Shameem sentenced him to two years imprisonment for causing death by careless driving. He was also fined F$2000 and was disqualified from driving for three years. Ben’s lawyer asked the Judge to consider his client’s epilepsy, which he said required daily medication. But Justice Shameem ruled that he was a danger to the public and needed to be imprisoned. In the event, he spent ten months in Korovou Prison before being released to serve the remainder of his sentence extramurally while doing community work at a local church. It was June 2007.
By now, of course, Frank Bainimarama had staged his 2006 coup and Fiji had been placed on a radically different path. Anyone else who’d gone to jail in the circumstances that Ben had might have emerged after a period of reflection resolved to finally keep his nose clean. But reflection and self-awareness don’t seem to be his strongest points. Instead of turning his life around and putting the gruesome past behind him, things just seem to have got worse.
Last year, Ben was allegedly involved in a failed plot to overthrow Frank Bainimarama after certain papers were found at his Suva home. Then he was involved in a shadowy episode involving the Suva lawyer, Renee Lal, and an African immigrant businessman, Paul Freeman. There were allegations of money being extracted from Freeman for introductions to the Prime Minister and fabricated stories about contributions to the PM’s Christmas expenses. When the relationship between the three soured – it’s alleged – Ben Padarath tried to get Freeman placed on the Immigration Department Watch List by falsely accusing him of being HIV Positive. Ben and Renee Lal were taken into custody by a military enraged that they’d exposed the Prime Minister to the appearance of being corrupt. Both were allegedly beaten to the point of requiring medical treatment and Ben Padarath later appeared in public in a wheelchair.
In April, charges against Ben relating to the concealment of false government documents were dismissed but he still faces the false information charge relating to the Freeman affair. He is alleged to have given information he knew to be false via text messages to the Director of Immigration Fiji, Namani Vuiwaqa, in January last year. When he didn’t appear in court on Monday, his lawyer said that it was because his father had had a heart attack a month before. The Magistrate didn’t buy it. But by then, Ben was allegedly intent on slipping onto a ship that he hoped would carry him across the horizon and leave his troubles behind him.
Poor Ben. It’s only a matter of weeks since he appeared in the New York Times displaying the scars he received the last time he was in custody. He was cast – and undoubtedly cast himself – as a victim of the “torture” inflicted on opponents of the regime. Yet without excusing what happened, there can be few people in Suva who don’t think that most of Ben’s problems have been self-inflicted. What drives him seems to be a classic combination of unbridled confidence in his own ability, a plausible manner that inspires confidence in others and a rat-like cunning to make the most of any opportunity. All characteristics, of course, of the successful politician he might have been but also the mark of a conman.
Intriguingly, Ben’s Facebook page lists “Criminal Minds” among his favourite TV programs and The Bible among his favourite books. Perhaps it’s just as well that where he’s going in the coming days, he’s bound to be doing a lot more reading than watching TV. As Ben says about himself on Facebook: : “What you see is what you get. Nothing less, nothing more.” And his favourite quotation? “Better to be hated for who I am than loved for who I am not”. Mmm. One for the armchair psychiatrist to ponder.
If Ben wanted to slip out of the country to escape legal action against him, all he had to do was contact he king of Tonga and arrange for a Tongan patrol vessel to pck him up off Kadavu.
With a second name of ‘Wainiqolo’, Ben is named after a famous Tongan warrior. I am sure this fact would not be lost on the king of Tonga who could easily justify Ben’s evacuation from Fiji waters courtesy of the Tongan naval vessel, on the basis that he wanted to help out a relative.
We have a precedent already with regard to the Tongan King helping out his ‘kainga’ in Fiji who find themselves in trouble with the law.
Mr. Padarath’s a very amusing character in that he is so passionate about getting on the wrong side of the law (law in this case is referred to the current law of the land, whether or not everyone thinks it is fair)
@ Mr X
Ben Padarath “…….getting on the wrong side of the law (law in this case is referred to the current law of the land….”
1. Drunk, failing to stop, crashing the car and a passanger being killed.
2. Receiving money by false pretences
3. Accusing someone of being HIV positive
Thank GOD for the CURRENT Law of the land
What say Petelo
Dream on buddy.
Ya, poor Benny, a lost soul who is trying to eke out an existence in Fiji’s very competitive economic climate. The fact that he is of mixed heritage makes it all the more difficult for him to cut it in business.
He is a ‘kai loma’ in a sense, but is of a ‘kai loma’ mix that makes him an outsider to the other Euro-Fijian ‘kai loma’ plantation class of the so called ‘landed gentry’ in Vanua Levu and the islands.
Nor is he of the other ‘kai loma’ class – the tradesmen and mechanical engineers , boilermakers etc who worked in the sugar mills who still can be found around the major sugar mills in Fiji.
All too easy to put the guy down, but this guy needs help…his previous convictions notwithstanding.
Given his ethnic make-up, Ben represents a group of people of mixed heritage who are truly disadvantaged in the sense that they cannot readily identify with any real ethnic and political grouping. There are just not too many of them around to form an organisation with any clout.
Very much like the kai Solomoni’ people of the ethnic make up of Ben will always remain on the fringes, an underclass of sorts – but even the kai Solomoni are a homogenous group who have the advantage of living in communal aggregations from whence they derive their strength an a communtuy eg Marata in Wailoku, Waidradra in Deuba, Tokou in Ovalu etc.
There are no comparable geographic communities of mixed Taukei-IndoFijian mix. They will be forever consigned to the fringes of society – powerless, confused about their identities etc.
That is why Franks program of breaking down the ethnic barriers that divide us as a community is so important. We are all Fijians together an must reach out to help people like Ben who, in their confusion of their own identity, are falling by the wayside.
A bit more compassion and empathy in the true Christian sense will help this poor guy overcome the challenges he is currently having difficulty overcoming.
In clsoing – To Chand. God Bless bro
Komai 1, you are a very civilised and compassionate person and I feel very mean and unsympathetic by comparison. Yes, on reflection you are right. All this points to a disconnection on Ben’s part that we are collectively obliged to address.
I was stricken by guilt and regret when I saw his photo in today’s Fiji Sun. He looked so haunted and vulnerable. What has brought him to this point? He clearly needs the assistance you’ve suggested. Thank you for your wisdom and empathy. Fiji needs more of this.
@ Graham
Komai and Komai1 are the same person. Somehow the system was rejecting the original ‘Komai’ handle, hence the ‘Komai1’
You know who that person is.
Kalougata tiko
Ben an idiot, much better part Indofijians in Suva. Father is an idiot as well.
@ Tomasi
“Let who is without sin cast the first stone”.
I am sure you know where those words came from.
Please reflect on it so that you can be less judgmental.
Comment by Komai 1″There are no comparable geographic communities of mixed Taukei-IndoFijian mix. They will be forever consigned to the fringes of society – powerless, confused about their identities etc.” Bens a spoil brat that needed a kick up his arse when he needed it! By heavens you make such a generalised statement to back up Bens behaviour? Is that the reasom why Bens in a lot of shit because of his heritage? You sound like someone who has an AXE to grind. Whatever a person heritage they are proud of that, they did not have a choice in the selection of their parents but hell would change it? You need to ask them? As for making comparisions similar to standing on a rung of a ladder below the kai Loma or kai Solomon islanders you should be in Butadroka or Qarases party or best of Adolf Hitler mob! So were do you place a person of mixed heritage of Chinese-Fijian father and Kai Loma mother with one of Solomon-Indo-Fijian father and Kailloma mother? Do you get the picture now! There is no such thing as a pure race and anyone who thinks so from Fiji is either dumb or stupid- there is no pure blood in Fiji no matter what they look like. Your explantion sound so good one would have thought it was truth-so show us the data! Your summations lacks credibitily and for godness sake be on the look out as my graddad once said ‘you might just have a son or daughter marry a kaidia! Boy won’ that make your day! Sorry your kawas will be below the Solomon Islanders and that might just ‘make your life”!
@ varanitabua
You are right it was a generalised statement.
But then you try and pin some specifics on me in a rather aggressive tone that makes me think you must be smoking or drinking something you shouldnt.
You’re reading too much into my posting and getting yourself into a knot with your rather contorted references to Butadroka, Adolf Hitler et al. I am not sure what your point is but please dont bother to try and explain.
I was not backing up Ben’s behaviour. If I did I would condone his unlawful behaviour. I dont.
Taura mada vakamalua tagane.
I am not being aggrasive i am just trying to know how you came to such conclusions -how many indo-fijians in the same situation as Ben you do know of? If Ben is what he is it has got nothing to do with with his heritage? You have not explained in fine detail your comments about indo-fijians of similar background to Ben that could be successful. Would you know of them-I do? Where would you place Chinese-Fijians in your catergorisation of people with ‘mixed’ blood, up the ladder or futher down than Ben? My point is when you begin to embark on such staements it can be ammunition for the likes of pure blooded Fijians to have another go at someone like Tarakinikini who had an Indo-Fijia father. As if been an Indo-Fijian isn’t enough to have a go at we now have people who now have to “refine” them futher as you have done! What does that do to the both the mother and father of people such as BEN? People are bad because they are bad! Lets not try to bring the Nakoro explantion to something that is simple to explain and lets complicate things by looking for things that don’t exist! Ben could well be a stupid person by his consant bad behaviour but by you explanation one can inteprete that this due to i quote” no comparable geographic communities of mixed Taukei-IndoFijian mix. They will be forever consigned to the fringes of society – powerless, confused about their identities etc” RELALLY! Lets not make Bens mum and dad feel more guilty for Ben’s behaviour by your remarks. Dri Yani ratai!
@ varanitabua
How do you know that Taraikinikini has an indo-Fijian father?
What evidence do you have to prove your claim?
I am related to him and object to your posting.
Kakua na siosio kei na viavia vuku
Sa vo sara ga o iko mo kila ! Ask Jone Baledrokadroka & sotias from the camp! Why the hell do you think they were sying a’kai idai’ was part of the coup from withing the army! Ke o sega ni kila e saga beka ga ni dodonu mo kila am not here to talk rubbish i know what i am saying tarogi ira na cakacaka ena tabani Bula mai Viti! Here ends the discussion.
When it comes down to it the choice is often the individual. Our upbringing, society, friends, experiences etc often plays a part but the final decision is always the individual. Any blames for the outcomes rests maybe abit to the influencing parties around but the majority is to the individual responsible for the final say. If theres a problem with the outcome learn from it and keep going. The real problem is when you fail to learn and rise again. If your failure is due to forces beyond your control then accept it and change but if you choose not to learn then the blame is nobody but yours alone.
How do we know if someone has chosen not to learn, well the well known one is if they keep repeating their endevours, so in this case Ben really has no one to blame but thats just my opinion, he may well have a genuine reason although the relatives of that person who died due to the car accident which Ben was responsible for might be hard to agree with that particilar reason regardless how genuine it may be.
O Ben me a vica na toloni cau e muna me a vuli kina-it would have made him see sense very on in life, now its a simple case the tree has grown and too late to bend! E sa na bend ga ni tovolea e dua na tolo ni quawa!
I think Lavenia Padarath is from Lau and it seems like they brought up this Ben as a viavialevu and uncontrolled childhood upbringing in the Lau network….system like Qarase…and they think since the Lau people controlled most of the goverment in institution prior to 2006 they can get away with anything……..Believe me if Frank did not take power we would be just a case hidden under the carpet as something else….and it probaly would not happen he would be able to hide……with Frank now it seems to be the sympathisers with the last goverments (old politicians ) mainly Lauans and the rest of Fiji………….Kaila…!
New Viti…….
Don’t blame the Lauans bro. Many of us are ashamed of ourselves because of what Qarase did to the Fijian people.
Many Lauans are ashamed.
Lauans are in mourning right now people.
I met Ben Padarath in about 1998. I owned a 2-flat house in Lautoka. He, and a woman, wanted to rent my upper flat. I did some checking and found that the woman he was with was married to someone else. Because I did not want to risk having a murder in my house, I refused to rent to them.