Australia and New Zealand have a long history of misjudging events in Fiji and are adding to their litany of mistakes with their tacit support for the overthrow of the Bainimarama regime. Neither country – at leadership level – will acknowledge that this has now become official policy. Yet there are clear indications that Canberra and Wellington have abandoned any notion – peddled by the Lowy Institute, among others – that they engage with Bainimarama and help him meet his stated objective of elections in 2014. Instead, they appear to have embraced the idea that the regime will eventually implode, the dictatorship will crumble, sweet reason will triumph and their own brand of democracy restored.
What’s the evidence for this? Well, two recent developments that unfolded not on some distant balmy isle but in frosty Canberra at the feet of the Australian Government. First was its decision to welcome the renegade Fijian military officer, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, who’s fallen out with Bainimarama and is now touring regional capitals drumming up support for his removal. The second was to countenance the visiting Samoan prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, meeting Mara in Canberra and calling for tougher sanctions against Fiji to provoke a popular uprising and Bainimarama’s overthrow. Before he gave Ratu Mara his blessing, Tuilaepa would have been well advised to gauge his support among ordinary Fijians, which judging from his public appearances in Australia, is pathetically low. But more on that later.
Never mind the diplomatic niceties or the Samoan leader’s gratuitous intervention in a Pacific neighbour’s internal affairs. Australia and NZ know that any popular uprising in Fiji is virtually guaranteed to cause bloodshed, perhaps a lengthy stand-off and along with it, the destruction of the local economy as tourists flee, plus the significant Australian and NZ commercial presence with it. Was there any high level comment from Canberra and Wellington on Tuilaepa’s reckless suggestion? Not a word. Did any political journalist in either capital even ask the question? Evidently not – a clear sign in itself of just how low Fiji rates as an issue and the partisan anti-Bainimarama stance of the overwhelming majority of journalists assigned to cover Pacific affairs.
Funnily enough, this is even more evident in New Zealand than Australia, with a string of reports and editorials in the mainstream NZ media that appear so ill-informed about events in Fiji as to be almost willfully negligent in a country that prides itself on its Pacific ties. Local commentators with intimate knowledge of Fiji- including David Robie at Auckland’s University of Technology and Crosbie Walsh, the academic blogger – are routinely ignored simply because they go against the grain of the accepted wisdom that Bainimarama is a tyrant and his political opponents are heroic bearers of the democratic flame. But that’s another story.
The truth that ought to be self evident to everyone – but isn’t – is that supporting the notion of tougher sanctions to provoke an uprising in Fiji is not only misguided but fraught with danger for the entire region. Yes, the Samoan leader is an entertaining character with a sometimes amusing turn of phrase. Yet in the interests of regional stability, he should confine himself to his pet projects of forcing Samoan motorists to drive on the other side of the road and propelling his countrymen back to the beginning of each day by moving them lock, stock and barrel across the International Dateline.
For their part, Australia and New Zealand seem to have no public strategy on Fiji other than to keep chanting their mantra that Bainimarama abandon his leadership and return the country to democracy immediately. But as they do so, events are rapidly getting away from them. Other countries like China, India and Indonesia are rapidly strengthening their links with Fiji. At the United Nations, even Australia concedes that Fiji is damaging its attempt to secure a temporary seat on the Security Council. And all the while, the topography of the traditional Aussie and Kiwi backyard is changing as both countries sit on the back deck nodding in furious agreement with each other and the regime’s opponents like Tevita Mara.
How will history judge a period when Australia and New Zealand – mired in their domestic agendas – failed to see the signs of change and were overtaken by events? Such questions are generally ignored or treated with scorn. Anyone, for instance, who dares to suggest in Australia that China’s increasingly close links with Fiji are cause for concern is howled down. Two years ago, Australian officials, and some gormless commentators, were peddling the line that China wasn’t really interested in Fiji, except perhaps at a commercial level. When asked, “Who says?”, they produced an extraordinary answer: “Well, the Chinese. They’ve assured us that they’re not interested in Fiji and that their influence there is benign”. Oh, alright, that settles in then. The naivete implicit in such comments is breathtaking.
Never mind an Australian defence white paper clearly identifying China as the biggest threat to regional security. Or the remarkable suggestion by defence planner Ross Babbage that Canberra needs to obtain American nuclear submarines to counter that threat. Or the head of the US Seventh fleet reporting that his Chinese naval counterpart discussed carving up the Pacific between them. Or news of a massive Chinese military buildup – including a new generation of missiles, stealth fighters and the imminent launch of its first aircraft carrier. No, when it comes to Fiji, none of that matters because they’ve done us the courtesy of telling us they’re not interested.
Australia will pay for this reckless indifference, just as Britain paid for its grossly misguided judgment in the 1930s that Nazi Germany posed no threat. But this is just the “big picture” historical mistake, as China steadily moves into Fiji and the rest of the region, placing high level diplomats in supposedly low level island backwaters, all the while telling the gormless Aussies and Kiwis that they’re just there for the palm trees and to sell their wares. The more immediate threat is to good governance in places like Fiji, as Australia and New Zealand scream ” bring back democracy at once!” yet fail to grasp that their own notions of democracy can’t be established in the short term without eroding the very principles that underpin the democratic ideal – voter equality and equal opportunity for all citizens.
Grubsheet has become decidedly weary of pointing out what, to us, is the bleeding obvious in Fiji – that the democracy Frank Bainimarama removed at gunpoint in 2006 wasn’t a democracy worth having. Why? Because not only was the vote of an indigenous person worth more than the vote of a non-indigenous person, the indigenous majority had begun to use their power to disadvantage other citizens. Racial equality had been sacrificed at the altar of a bastardised democracy, which only those who benefited regarded as a true democracy. Oh, plus Australia, New Zealand and anyone else like them who preferred lip service and a quiet life to the tedium of actually having to examine the facts, insistent on enforcing a “democracy” that they would never accept themselves. Yes, we’ve said at all before and no-one listens. But it’s worth repeating nonetheless. History lesson over, let’s come to the present.
The Ratu Mara glee club moved south to Melbourne at the weekend for yet another church hall meeting in Chadstone on Saturday night. Stung by the pathetically low attendance at Mara’s first public outing in Queanbeyan, outside Canberra, the Melbourne organisers were predicting a turn-out this time of between 150 and 200. But in the end, barely 50 people were in the room and it’s a minute fraction of the Fiji-Australian population in Melbourne.
It’s a little known fact that Australia has the largest Fijian population outside Fiji, with 44,000 Fiji-born Australians registered at the last census in 2006. No more than 30 turned up at Mara’s Queanbeyan rally. And with the Melbourne attendance struggling to reach the half century, what does this say about Mara’s support and ability to trigger a popular uprising in Fiji? That’s right. Zilch. So why are Australia and NZ giving the thumbs up to someone with no evident grassroots appeal? Is this Fiji’s future “democratic” leader-in-waiting, the Aung San Suu Kyi of the islands? Hardly.
There were a couple of surprises in Melbourne, including the presence – yet again – of Simione Kaitani, one of the principal figures of the 2000 George Speight coup. Kaitani is evidently also one of the principal figures behind Mara’s political crusade, more than enough to raise eyebrows in itself. While there was no sign on Saturday of Canberra glee clubbers Jon Fraenkel and Brij Lal, there was another surprise celebrity in the form of former Fiji Times publisher Dallas Swinstead, who – like Fraenkel and Lal – posed happily with Simione Kaitani, seemingly unconcerned or unaware about his highly colourful past.
Mara himself has been on the defensive all week after one of Frank Bainimarama’s most strident critics – the New Zealand journalist Michael Field – dismissed him as yet another coup leader in the making. Field portrayed Mara as not only a disgruntled former member of Bainimarama’s inner circle who stood accused of human rights abuses but a privileged chief who was planning his own coup and wasn’t fit to lead a genuine democratic movement. This withering assessment stunned the Mara camp and Roko Ului – as Mara is otherwise known – was forced to issue a public statement rejecting Field’s claims.
Mara also continues to be dogged by allegations of an anti Indo-Fijian bias that gives the lie to his claims to support a multiracial Fiji – the cornerstone of his father’s blueprint for the country he led to independence 40 years ago. Disturbing reports emerged after a community meeting Mara addressed in the Fijian language at the Canterbury Fijian Methodist Church in Sydney. One of those present said Mara suggested that Fiji’s attorney-general, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, intended to alter Fiji’s land ownership provisions, which currently set aside more than 80 per cent of the country for indigenous people. There’s no evidence whatsoever for Mara’s claim yet nothing could be more designed to inflame indigenous sentiment against the regime. Already, Mara has repeatedly cast Khaiyum as Bainimarama’s puppet master and once depicted him as a Muslim helping another Muslim to get a job.
This blatant scaremongering about Indo-Fijians pulling the strings and plotting land seizures raises loud alarm bells for the 40 per cent of Fiji citizens who aren’t indigenous. If even the Bainimarama regime’s fiercest critics like Michael Field see Mara as no different to any other of Fiji’s expanding list of coup makers, why is he being feted by countries like Australia, New Zealand and Samoa? Why give him the thumbs up – Mara’s Churchillian wannabe signature – just because he claims to have had some Damascene conversion to democracy as he fled the camp in disgrace four and a half years after the coup he helped stage? And after a brace of genuine democracy activists say it was Mara -not Bainimarama- who was doing the abusing during the 2006 crackdown?
And – while we’re at it – why give Bainimarama the thumbs down when unlike Mara, he’s firmly in control of Fiji, isn’t going anywhere fast, leads a regional grouping in the Melanesian Spearhead Group, has demonstrated a commitment to multiracialism and promises, hand on heart, to hold elections in 2014? No, cry the critics, we want elections now! Well tough titty, it ain’t going to happen – “over my dead body”, says Bainimarama – no matter how many church halls attract a smattering of regime opponents in the weeks and months ahead.
This is the reality whether regional politicians and journalists like it or not. So isn’t it better to be there to help Fiji clear up the unfinished business of independence, help it develop its own form of democracy and maintain our collective stake in the country’s affairs? This is what the Lowy Institute and other enlightened parties -yes, like Grubsheet – prefer to a country that gradually embraces the morals and mores of the communist Chinese. Or yet another would-be soldier-turned-politician like Tevita Mara who even elements of the “pro-democracy” movement regard as undemocratic and the potential leader of Fiji’s next coup.
NOTICE: These articles on Fiji have triggered a wave of offensive and racist comments. The worst of these have been excised, as have a number of comments in the Fijian language. We regret having to do this. Grubsheet isn’t normally censored, except for postings that incite racial division and hatred. We also insist on the use of English as the common language of our correspondents.
Graham,
You have obviously been too busy to answer your comments on number 30. So I thought I would put my last comment in here and see if you have time.
Graham,
Here is a clear case of physical abuse in the Bainimarama dictatorship. In your book the beating of Semesa does not justify you in withdrawing your support of the regime because it is not systematic. How many Semesa’s need to step forward before you withdraw your support of Bainimarama?
Guy, you are the classic one-drum beater – bang, bang,bang about one alleged human rights abuse in an ocean of issues that deserve to be debated as a matter of urgency.
This is not to excuse what happened, the details of which I am not familiar, but to urge a sense of proportion. The idea has been floated by the prime minister of Samoa that sanctions be tightened to provoke a popular uprising in Fiji. Do you think that’s a good idea? I’d much prefer your opinion on this.
We’ve opened up whole cities of debate in this latest posting but you want to beam the headlights down one dark alley? Go for it but again, please excuse the lack of excitement we showed before.
Graham,
I have many more drums to beat.
However, I like to finish a debate before moving on. You on the other hand are unable to answer the question and so you try and divert attention by moving to another topic.
I imagine the thoughts going on in your brain as follows: Human rights abuse are wrong I know that and I must say so. I believe Bainimarama is doing the right thing therefore I must support him. You keep the 2 thoughts separate and somehow you can write them both down on the same page and it makes sense to you. But not to others.
Like Crosbie Walsh you once lived in Fiji and you think that makes you an expert. However, you don’t live here now.
You support the objectives of this coup because they were noble. A lot of people felt the same way including myself and Ratu Tevita Mara.
The difference is both RUM (not for the past 6 weeks) and myself live in Fiji. We can see where the grand vision has fallen off the rails. You because you are in your ivory tower in Australia are remote from day to day life in Fiji.
Life goes on as normal so long as you toe the line. No worries you are in no fear and within reason you can get on with your life.
Woe betide you if you say anything against the regime, even in a private conversation because you might get taken up to camp. (Taken up to camp sounds quite pleasant) You will get taken up to the military barracks where you will be intimidated and maybe beaten up and maybe have a rifle shoved up your ass.
Woe betide you if your business is targeted by the commerce commission because they can decide whatever they like and you have no come back/
Woe betide you if you ask any questions about the regime.
So Graham I challenge you come to Fiji ask some difficult questions and see what happens to you. Actually we already know the answer if you are an overseas journalist and you ask difficult questions you get kicked out of Fiji.
Graham do your job as a responsible journalist and not as some lap dog sycophant.
Guy
@ Guy
“Woe betide you if you say anything against the regime, even in a private conversation because you might get taken up to camp. (Taken up to camp sounds quite pleasant) You will get taken up to the military barracks where you will be intimidated and maybe beaten up and maybe have a rifle shoved up your ass”. (Your Quote)
Well that wont happen anymore Guy, coz the guy who organised those sorts of abuses (RUM) has absconded to another place.
Avatar,
“Well that wont happen anymore Guy, coz the guy who organised those sorts of abuses (RUM) has absconded to another place.”
It may well be RUM who was behind it but the Commander has to take responsibility. I would also point out that beatings that took place this year were whilst RUM was on leave and not allowed into camp.
The irony of this is even if we have elections in 2014 the military pardon will remain in force and there will never ever be an investigation as to who was behind the beatings.
RUM on the other hand by bringing back democracy will be amongst many others in the military be investigated by the police and tried by the Courts. He may be guilty, we do not know, but the only way we will ever know is if an independent court sits. That will only happen when this regime falls.
@ Threllfell
There you go again….why should someone else take responsibility for what RUM has personally ordered or supervised? Why cant he take responsiibility for what he has personally done? Why the convenient and cowardly passing of the buck that you advocate?
Mate, they hung these guys at Nuremburg for the same blame shifting game! Yet, here you are trying to cover for people like RUM and co who cant quite grasp the idea that Frank removed the silver spoon from their mouths!
Isnt he (RUM) supposed to be a paragon of courage and loyalty etc? Yet, he absconds and betrays his own country to a foriegn power like Tonga?
Maybe you too should consider migrating to Tonga annd Samoa, so you can go their form of ‘democracy’…with a king who prances around like an old fart from the Napoloenic area…complete with feathered caps..and the sceptre and orb.,,while he phis people wallow in poverty
Yes, Guy, let’s just fixate on your own concerns and forget about the big picture of how all this affects the region. It suits you to portray me as a “lap dog sycophant” because you can’t see past your own nose and that little circle of yours in Suva, that, as you say, once supported the coup but has now lost the faith.
Never mind that had Australia and NZ been more willing to understand the complexity of Fiji, they might have helped produce better outcomes for you and yours. Four and a half years on and no Australian or NZ diplomat has entered Bainimarama’s office. While all the while, the Chinese, the Indians, the Americans, the French and God knows how many others have his ear and attention. Mark my words. History will see this as an inexcusable error of judgement by two regional middle weight powers that didn’t even try to grasp the underlying issues.
OK, let’s get a detailed blueprint from you about where we all go from here? Those of us “in our ivory towers” would love to hear it. So go on, do it. Come up with something more rational than the tired old refrain you’ve repeated here and we might sit up and take notice. Lecturing me about “not doing my job” isn’t good enough. Do yours or post your comments somewhere else.
Graham,
To answer your points in order.
Why have I now lost the faith?
Well let’s start with we have been promised elections twice now and they have never materialized. Fool me once Shame on you Fool me twice Shame on me. Fool me three times….
As you know we have been told countless other lies too many and to often repeated to go into here.
This Government has no Governance. We have not seen Auditor General’s Reports since 2007. A good question for you to ask is WHY NOT, if you were doing your job properly.
This Government has no transparency. It just passes decree after decree without explanation. In some case without even publishing them.
For example I just went on the Government website and the following decrees are missing: 11,12,13,14,15,16,23, 24,33,34
The last decree in the website is decree 56 dated from December 2009. The AG was boasting the other day that they had passed 55 decrees last year. They are all missing from the website.
Another good question to ask of the AG or your very good friend Sharon who is responsible for the website.
If you lived here Graham you would see how much prices have risen. How much harder it is to put food on the table.
Investment is at its lowest level ever.
According to his roadmap now 2 years old Bainimarama was going to concentrate on the economy until 2012. The country is really feeling blessed with Bainimarama’s eagle eye focused so keenly on the economy, it is really booming, NOT. We are going backwards Graham, in case you are so blinded with faith let me spell it out for you B A C K W A R D S.
So yes I have lost my faith and I am amazed that you are still blinded by yours. Open your eyes and see the reality not the make believe that Sharon spoon feeds you.
(That email Bainimarama forwarded to Rokoului, really exposed you for the lap dog sycophant you really are.)
I am not sure I understand your argument about Australia and New Zealand not engaging with Fiji. Are you saying that if they had engaged Fiji would be thriving? Well if so then you have just admitted their sanctions are working. They are not alone in this, the other diplomats from Western countries may go into Bainimarama’s office but they expect nothing, they do not expect dialogue, they do not expect to be listened to, they do not expect concessions and nor do they give the Government anything. They do it just as a courtesy. If Europe was so forgiving and friendly with Frank how come they stopped their $350m aid for the sugar industry? The only ones who have his ear are the ones who will give him money.
To use the AG’s friend Hitler as an example. Appeasement does not work with Dictators. History tells us that truth time and time again. So well done Australia and New Zealand keep it up. Graham has just confirmed you sanctions are working.
I can lecture you about your job if you are not doing it well. You ask all the right questions about Ratu Mara. But you are incapable of asking any difficult questions of Bainimarama. You are supposed to be an independent journalist but you display very little independence in your writing.
The above is rational. It maybe tired and oft repeated but it is still the truth. To appease you I have not even listed HR abuse as a reason to lose faith in Bainimarama.
Guy
Guy, your continued personal insults mean that you have forfeited your right to any further reasoned response from me. If you don’t like what you read here, think I’m a lap dog of the regime and in the personal thrall of its spokesperson, why not go back to those dark corners of cyberspace populated by those who share your views? You’ll be much happier and so will we.
Thanks Graham for your kind suggestion. But it is too much fun here having a go at hypocrisy. I think I will hang around and wait for your next balanced and fair posting. I hope Sharon will like it as much as Posting 28 and perhaps will get some more ideas for her next seditious attack on her country of birth.
Guy
Guy, Sharon Smith Johns “seditious”? That’s a novel idea. As I understand it, Ms Smith Johns is a dual Fiji/Australian national so sedition doesn’t come into it. We are not at war, though the way some people here behave, you’d imagine we were. How sad that it’s come to this. I also think Australia is misguided and pathetically short sighted. Does that make me seditious?
Wars, guns and votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places.
Paul Collier 255 pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers..
Excerpts of the book review. Full review available on:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/books/review/Roth-t.html?pagewanted=2
“These days no self-respecting government wants to present itself on the world stage without the legitimacy of a democratic mantle. Elections are now de rigueur, even if many a despot rejects the idea of actually abiding by voter preferences.
The result is an embrace of “democracy” by such authoritarian leaders as Vladimir Putin of Russia, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria and Mwai Kibaki of Kenya.
They all have used some combination of violence, fraud and repression to ensure that elections do not threaten their grasp on power.
They get away with this charade in part because the Western democracies that might be expected to demand the real thing have economic and strategic incentives to settle for farce.
Rather than insist on the elements of democracy that make it meaningful — a free press, a vigorous civil society, the rule of law, a fair and transparent process for counting ballots — they close their eyes to electoral travesty.
It has long been an article of faith that these pseudodemocracies are inherently unstable. When citizens have no real opportunity to select their leaders, grievances fester, and violence may be close behind.
But it is one thing to know of this phenomenon, quite another to prove it. In “Wars, Guns, and Votes,” Paul Collier has set out to bring empirical rigor to our intuitions.
A professor of economics at Oxford, Collier examines the governments of what, in an earlier book, he called the “bottom billion” — the world’s 58 most impoverished countries.
Collier’s primary conclusion: democracy, in the superficial, election-focused form that tends to prevail in these countries, “has increased political violence instead of reducing it.” Without rules, traditions, and checks and balances to protect minorities, distribute resources fairly and subject officials to the law, these governments lack the accountability and legitimacy to discourage rebellion.
The quest for power becomes a “life-and-death struggle” in which “the contestants are driven to extremes.”
Collier’s data show that before an election, warring parties may channel their antagonisms into politics, but that violence tends to flare up once the voting is over. What’s more, when elections are won by threats, bribery, fraud and bloodshed, such so-called democracies tend to promote bad governance, since the policies needed to retain power are quite different from those needed to serve the common good.
Ethnic identification in the multiethnic societies that predominate among the bottom billion is a particular impediment. Leaders have no incentive to perform well, Collier explains, if voters cast ballots according to ethnic loyalty rather than governmental competence.
Nor should we be fooled into thinking that democracy is working just because voters turn out in large numbers. Where identity politics prevail, “voting is likely to be primarily expressive,” like “wearing a football scarf.”
It doesn’t mean voters have faith that their ballots will lead to more effective government. Besides, because news organizations in these countries are weak and objective information scarce, citizens probably don’t even know how well or how badly their leaders are performing.
To flourish among the bottom billion, Collier says, democracy must “gradually erode ethnic identities and replace them with a national identity.” Economic development helps, but in societies riven by ethnic divisions, it can simply increase the stakes to be parceled out among the different groups. According to Collier, what is essentially needed are visionary leaders who can build identification with the nation as a whole.
The West’s mistaken fixation with elections, according to Collier, has mainly to do with lingering cold war habits. The Soviet dread of the ballot, he writes, “confused us into thinking that achieving a competitive election is in itself the key triumph. The reality is that rigging elections is not daunting: only the truly paranoid dictators avoid them.”
Still, electoral shortcomings in these countries do not mean we should give up on democracy altogether. It’s the cheap imitation that should give us pause. As Collier explains, “democracy is a force for good” as long as it is more than a “facade.”
Collier’s analysis is filled with interesting statistical tidbits. For example, coups tend to cost a country 7 percent of a year’s income — “not a cheap way of replacing a government,” he notes. And international aid, by sweetening the honey pot, increases the risk of a coup — by roughly a third when aid amounts to 4 percent of the gross domestic product of a recipient nation.
@ Guy
You are so one-eyed. Check out what the views of the pro-democracy movement in the US, Lorouma Tawawili, formr soldier and apologists of Rabuka, (and his ‘taukeist paramountcy model’) has to say about multi-culturalarism in Fiji:
“I am a ITaukei in Fiji and am held at a very high esteem by my people in Ono. Now I am seeing the IndoFijians in a very different light. They are the worst scums of this earth and they should not be given refuge in Fiji if they are not willing to accept our way of life the Taukeis of Fiji. They must go back to India”.
My question is : “Iam held in ‘very high esteem by my people in Fiji?”
I am in Fiji and never heard of this dickhead before. What has Loru done for Fiji that is so different from others in his cohort group? Did he win a military medal for being a pay clerk?
O i’au we, Eda sa mai lasutaki
Come on Guy Threllfell …..whats wrong?…dont you like facts thrown in your face?>. I Live in Fiji. I also own land (both freehold and native leased through my mother’s people).
Wots wit you and the ethno-nationlists eg Tawawili etc?
Please explain ! ( with resects to Pauline Hanson)
I could not agree more I would not want Tawawili running Fiji any more than I want Bainimarama. Just because some racist idiot does not like Bainimarama does not mean everyone who wants democracy in Fiji is a racist.
Avatar that is not even an argument you have got to do a bit better than that.
Refer my post above.
I would encourage you to migrate to Tonga and Samoa. After all, they are ‘democracies’ and enjoy a higher standard of living than Fiji…..tsk…tsk….tsk…
I was in Apia recently and at a Chinese restaurant where waitresses who could not even speak English…or even understood what was on the Menu!
Do you need directions to the place?
Roko Ului has a Tongan passport and is now a Tongan national so he is no longer a Fijianand should go back to Tonga and massage the kings balls.
Guy
The problem with you white people is you think that we are still are bunch of savages in grass skirts and cannot think for ourselves.Leave us alone and we will settle our own problems
I hear that RUM is intending to visit calif>ornia to talk to Tawawili and his goup. Since he has a tongan passport he has to go to Fiji to get a Visa
Graham
Thank you for your long winded explanation on the Chinese, American,Australian and New Zealand governments foreign interests in the Pacific and on Fiji. This explains why Bainimarama is surrounding himself with Chinese, Indians and Kaivalagi’s like you and the reason why Fijians should reject this greedy power play for their country.
As a Fijian, I only have one kerekere.Why don’t you all shut up and piss off back to your countries and leave us alone? Like other Pacific Islanders,Maoris and Aboriginals we are fed up of bloody greedy power hungry foreigners who come into our regions and f…k the place up.
Who cares what you say Davis? Trace your history back to England, pack up and take your family there and concern yourself with your people. When Bainimarama is gone we will kick all the Chinese, Indians and Oz & NZ pakehas, out of the country for good.
Bainimarama is like a prostitute, selling himself to anyone who wants to give him foreign money and he wants to come to the village and want us to be a prostitute too.This is the same problem with all previous Fiji governments and regional partners.
Let Fijians build their own country and decide what they want politically. If we make mistakes, so what? Every other bloody country makes mistakes too but at least we are free from pesky meddling foreign jerks like Chaudary,Khaiyum,Sharon Smith and Davis.
If I sound like a nationalist then so what? I am a proud Fijian who want my rights back to government my own future. Indigenous peoples of the region are fed up of being told what to do in their own country.Like India we will 24hrs for all foreigners to leave the country.
Well what a charming fellow you are, Adriu, and such a credit to the i’taukei. All the finest characteristics of the Fijian race- grace, pride, humility and a unique ability to behave vaka turaga.
Yes, Fiji is the place it is because of people like you. Thank you for the benefit of your brilliant analysis. Now might I humbly suggest that having shared it with us, that you return to your kai vata on other websites more suited to your unique way of seeing things.
We are not really worthy to have you as a guest here. But vinaka vakalevu for a giving us the chance to see such an exotic species at close quarters. Ni moce mada.
Adriu
Wake up and smell the roses. If all the foreigners leave, Fiji will revert to the stone Age in no time.
Yes, Graham
Why you and Pratap bother commenting on i Taukei and Fiji? You two are good example of foreign powers who think that they know whats good for indigenous people in this region. You stuff up indigeneous peoples of Australia, New Zealand and now Fiji.
Graham, have you fight for anything about poor Aborigine people in your country Australia and to give them equal rights? Do you criticise your Kaivalagi government for how you treat them as non citizen for 100 years and still press them down with your bastardise racist democracy?
I only see white faces like you in Canberra parliament and poor Aborigines still camping in tent on front lawn everyday still dreaming of the day when they will sit in there. Why don’t you go and camp with them and fight for equal say in parliament? Bloody hypocrite wannabe journalist crap.
Nothing wrong with i Taukei in their own country in Fiji. Only trouble brewing because all foreigners are greedy people who try and take over their country through their bastardised equal rights bullshit.
And Pratap, what your business in Fiji? What you talking about when you say Fijian go back to the stone age? You bloody racist foreigner madarasi!! Why don’t you go back to India and fight for equal rights for bloody underclass Indian like you? You come to Fiji then runaway to Australia now and talking hate messages about i Taukei? No bloody respect after Fiji host you penniless bastards from Calcutta for 100 years!!
Too many bloody kaivalagi, Hindu, Muslim, Chinese and other vulagi trying to take control of my country. Thats the truth about all this bullshit happening in Fiji and i taukei are fed up of living under vulagi rule.
150 years of vulagi rule in Fiji and look where i taukei is today in his own country? Bloody exist as only internal refugees with no say in politics and economy and Graham you think that is good? Fijian try and rule for 40 years and you bloody interefe and keep pressing us down and with stupid prostitute like Bainimarama want to take us back to gauna ni koloni.
And Davis, don’t give me this shit about humilty and vakaturaga when that bloody prostitute Bainimarama give our turagas, talatalas and kaivatas hell on behalf of foreigners like Khiayum, Shameem and greedy Chinese bastards and you clap your hands in happiness on the sideline with you bullshit talk about anti democracy.
Look what that prostitute Bainimarama did to all i taukei soldiers..bloody blind them with Chinese money so much that they kill their own kaivata to keep foreigners happy. What bloody sad situation we have now in Fiji hwn itaukei getting killed in their own coutry for nothing but pwer hungry vulagis. And you Graham say that’s nothing? You should be bloody put on the lovo!!
Better you shut your mouth and stop stirring up trouble amongst the itaukei because you already cause enough damage.Make sure you don’t return to Fiji again otherwise you will hang for terrorist activities against itaukei like that prostitute Bainimarama.
Adriu, I’m tempted to remove your gratuitous, racist diatribe but will leave it up for everyone to see your peculiar brand of extremism in all its glory. People ask why racial equality in Fiji needs to be enforced at the point of a gun. You’re a one man answer, bro. Thanks for making my job so easy.
Graham
I’m surprised that you should evidently feel racial equality in Fiji needs to be enforced at the point of a gun. It doesn’t. South Africa, Mauritius, Trinidad and many other countries are examples of that.
Contrary to your view, I believe that the enforcement of anything at the point of a gun will only lead to bitterness and possibly even a radicalisation of people who might otherwise be fairly moderate in their views. South Africa prior to 1993, the Latin American meat packing glitterati (apologies to Roger Waters) are all examples of countries where the point of the gun did nothing to foster any of the societal impulses that ensure disparate groups of people unite as a nation.
Jon, the hatred spewing forth in these comments from Adriu is all the evidence I need that the extremists in Fiji are beyond the pale. They have brought the country to its knees on successive occasions. And if it takes military rule to keep them under control and the rest of the country at peace, then so be it.
I find it quite extraordinary that you have said nothing whatsoever here about the venom being sprayed all around you. Instead you attack me for not agreeing with your own views about the need for “democracy’ in the face of a continuing threat from people who think that anyone who isn’t i’taukei – including you and 40 per cent of the rest of the country – has no place in Fiji.
Graham
You feel I’m ‘attacking’ you when I express a contrary opinion? I had no idea you were such a sensitive soul.
Using one person’s extremism as a way of justifying your own extremism ie enforcement – of anything – at the point of a gun, is obviously not the correct thing to do especially since most people in Fiji are already perfectly accommodating of people who are ethnically or racially different to themselves. The fact that some extremists exist is no reason to leave the moderate middle ground in any debate. By the same token the fact that a few politicians were extreme is no reason to support a coup.
While it’s understandable that you should respond as you did to some recent comments posted here, trading insult for insult is surely only going to make both sides retreat further into their respective laagers.
Therefore, as Fiji’s racists once again challenge all kai India, kai Vulagi and kai Others to notice the difference between their pure blood and our execrable mixture I’ve decided, in the interest of maintaining a sense of proportion, to produce this essential guide to nationalistic racist etiquette. Too many people in Fiji and elsewhere have forgotten the importance of good manners during an angry racist diatribe. This simple guide should ensure that the racist’s absurd statements are politely ignored without it descending into a foul-mouthed brouhaha.
Nationalistic Racist do and don’ts:
1. When crossing swords with a racist please do so with poise and grace. Imagine you are trying to balance a badly educated child on your head.
2. However, assuming you live in the racist’s country, it is important to remember you are now in the racist’s place of entitlement. The racist is your host and you should treat them with respect. Do not litter in the same areas that they litter.
3. If one finds oneself eating lunch in the same restaurant as a racist, always use a dessert fork to stab them in the face when they start making obnoxious noises about themselves being entitled by birth to a third of your soup.
4. Never be arrogant or condescending – particularly when pointing out the horrendous spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in a racist’s posting.
5. Listen patiently and politely to the racist as he or she explains loudly why their country would be far better off without you, before smiling and saying ‘thank you so much, that was very entertaining’. You should then offer them a lolly – perhaps a Hacks or a mango skin.
6. Do not burp, spit or pick your nose at them.
7. A man should always open a door for a lady racist, even though she will find it difficult to resist the urge to slam it in your face.
8. If the racist continues to insist that you should leave his country because you have no right to be there, always say ‘pardon me?’ rather than ‘huh?’, ‘come again?’ or ‘what in the name of fuck are you talking you delusional, self-serving bucket of piss?’
I hope this helps in moderating further debate.
Jone and Adiru
I have a few of questions: Are you two really i Taukei? You sound like Kai-si to me. You represent yourselves, not me or any other i Taukei with half a brain.
So I can understand where you are really coming from, Who do you think gave you the technology for you to spread your BS? I don’t think it was the i Taukei. Do you both have a Kete-levu? Are you going to tell the world that you have never eaten curry and roti, chop suey or thought about a Mc Donalds soft serve icecream or BBQ?
What bothers me about all of this is that you only take what you want from the foreigners and then use some convenient ‘western’ ideological BS to reject the rest. I am so glad that not all i Taukei think like you morons.
Let’s put the issue of RUM aside for a moment. Jone, just because someone gets a passport from another country does not exclude them from being i Taukei. You should know better than that. Blood is blood. I think you are an imposter.
Pratap (read what your write) you are no better and all of you belong in a kindergarden sand pit for racists. You are all boring as batshit.
Concerned observer, o iko na kai vei? Tamata yalowai and racist fool.
Don’t bring that bullshit about IT, roti and curry, McDonalds and try and cover the tracks of this bloody bullshit foreign coup.Whats being concerned for my country got to do with all the crap you trying to bring up? Nothing wrong with IT, roti curry, chop sury, Mcdonalds, Nike and whatever else. There is something really wrong when bloody foreigners are using the prostitute Bainimarama to get want they want in Fiji.
You are not a Fijian, I am. Whats wrong if I speak out against what I see happening in my country? Where are you from? Like it or lump it, Fijians are the real people of Fiji and it is when we have a corrupt coup led by a prostitute Bainimarama who is being paid by corrupt foreigners to do their dirty work then it is my right to speak out against this. Whats wrong with that? All the Fijians like Kubuabola, Filipe Bole, Jimmy AhKoy, Vunibobo I see with Bainimarama are prostitutes too, they are well known to Fijians to be conmen,corrupted and thieves from the SVT times. They are Fijians like Bainimarama who also take the Fijians backwards.
And Davis, what is his business in Fiji? He is a Australian and Pratap is an Indian.These two will never ever think like a Fijian because their race will always think their way. This is the truth and not some bloody racist comment like you insulting me with.
Adriu, I was born in Fiji and have as much right to be there as you do. So does Mr Singh. The days of indigenous Fijian extremists like you lording it over the country are over.
I have removed some of your more offensive racist comments and will continue to do so if you persist in posting them. By all means vent your hatred but it will be trashed, as will any further postings in the Fijian language. This is not a Fijian-only site in the way you so patently want Fiji to be.
AN, do you actually know what a racist is? Grow up or go back to school, fool. You can only hear the sound of your own voice in an eternal feedback loop.
It is obvious that you feel free enough to speak out against what you see in your small part of Fiji. You are being welcomed on this forum and not rejected. Be respectful. That is i Taukei. There are lots of other people who have opinions and share similar concerns about Fiji as well. There are also many Fijians who do not share your views. They also deserve a space to ‘talanoa’.
Remember, I am not answerable to you. Who cares where I come from. I am a nobody in your world… and what has it got to do with you? Are you some form of Fascist Native Police? Do you drive in a Pajero, taxi or a bus when you are on patrol? I wonder what you really think it means to be i Taukei. You don’t move like a fish or think like an ancient pebble. You think like a very small fish and move like a big stone.
I would be more concerned if you were in charge of the country. Give us your plan Ratu. Give us your brain and not your pain! I’m sure you have one just beyond your anger of perceived injustice… use it. Like your sparring partner Pratap you are as boring today as you were yesterday.
Concerned observer, whats your problem?
You call me kaisi,ketelevu,small fish, big stone and you tell me to be respectful to you and all the racist here who think the same? You bloody racist mongrel!! You are not i taukei, I am. When you in Fiji respect the vanua and i taukei and we will respect you. But when you talk rubbish like Davis and that bloody madarasi Pratap then you are a bloody racist vulagi who deserve to be put on the lovo.
If I am boring then what is your problem? If you got nothing to do then go and take your little mind elsewhere bloody vulagi kaisi.
Isa AN. You do have a big problem don’t you. You still don’t know what a racist is either, google: ‘racist definition’ you may find it interesting.
Rather than wasting your time on this site why don’t you go and look after your country. If not, answer the question. What is your plan? What are you doing to help your Vanua?
If you want to talanoa and you want to be the strong leader you think you are THEN ACT LIKE ONE. You are only speaking for yourself and no one else. Who said I was not in Fiji and who said I was not i Taukei. Only you. You have proven on this site that the only way to talk to you is to talk straight and hard. You talk like a mad dog. I never asked you for your respect. You mean absolutely nothing to me.
I am not afraid of the lovo. Put me in there. My meat is sweet but I will poison your food. So be it. That is the truth.
Adriu
You rant and spew venom from your dirty mouth like Butadroka.You know what, the truth hurts.Foreigners made your country what it is today.
You kind of rubbish nationalist talk has no place in modern society.You sound like Ahmadinejad of Iran.
Concerned Observer
you just shot yourself in the foot by your stupid comments.
Whatever… it’s better than a shot into an empty head. You guys are still as boring today as you were yesterday. GET OVER IT AND GET ON WITH IT LITTLE GIRLS.
Yes Graham,
Answer my question.Why you not having a history of fighting for Aborigine rights to equality in Australia? Equal right in parliament, equal share of wealth, education and health? Don’t come and lecture to the i taukei in Fiji about equal rights, you bloody bullshit artist. Start at your home first before you come to the Pacific to tell the Fijian how to live in their country.You ever talk about equal share of economic power for Fijian in Fiji because what is going on is daylight robbery of Fijian wealth.
Why you want to remove my truthful comments because it hurt your power hungry feelings yet you do not threaten to block racist comment from that bloody madarasi like Pratap?
Don’t try and call me racist because I am speaking the truth about the condition of Fijians in Fiji. You vulagis only want to see one side of it that will suit you and I speak like this because you throw insult at Fijians.
Whats your business in Fiji? Are you getting under the table dirty money from that Bainimarama prostitute Sharon Smith to write all your batardised equal rights bullshit and take way attention from their greedy power hungry interest behind this bloody corrupt coup?
What you have to say about those other greedy power hungry bastards from China who are using their prostitute Bainimarama to move in on Fiji? You only want Australian government to take action and welcome Bainimarama because you worry that the communist bastards will takeover all your greedy kaivalagi and Indian control in Fiji.
Well, I am a Fijian and all I see are bloody corrupt and greedy foreigners using their prostitute Bainimarama to illegally rob Fijians of controlling their own destiny in their own country. You want us to be like other indigenous people in your country and Pratap want Fiji to be a colony of India. You use bastardised equal rights and democracy comments to try and rubbish Fijian concern and further the aims of this bullshit foreign control coup in Fiji.
Save you breathe for Australian politiics Graham and better make sure Shaorn Smith get out of Fiji before she spend all her life behind bars there.
Fijians need kick out all the greedy foreigners from Fiji and take back control of their future. Fellow Pacific brothers in Samoa, Tonga, PNG and others, please do not let your country slip into the hands of greedy foreigners like what the prostitute Bainimarama is doing for them in Fiji.
Adriu, there is no such thing as vulagi in Fiji. Just Fijians and non-Fijians. And thanks to Frank Bainimarama, all citizens are now Fijians whether you like it or not.
The notion that people whose families have been in Fiji for generations are still vulagi (visitors), is absurd. Nowhere else in the world is this accepted and Fiji is no exception.
Are you suggesting that the 44,000 Fijians in Australia are just vulagi and have no legitimate right to consider themselves permanent Australians? Or any of their children and successive generations born in Australia?
This is the logic of your position. It belongs in the 19th century, not the 21st. Frank Bainimarama is right and you are wrong. And many people in Fiji thank God that he has the guns and you don’t.
Adriu
I think it time for you to take a trip to St Giles to take your pills. I can pay for your taxi or you prefer to paidar
Prataap, save your breath and money for your one way plane ticket back India. Bloody racist bastard.
Adriu
I wont go to India but I will send you to Iran to be Ahmadinejad’s spokesman
Yes thats right Davis, call me what you want you bloody racist. You might be born in Fiji but where is your father born? Thats the problem when your kind come here for short time and just because you born here you think you have the right to try and control Fijians. You and Pratap don’t even live in Fiji. Kaivalagi and kaidia are guest in Fijian house thats why we call you vulagi so bloody respect that you understand. How can I call you i taukei are you stupid? Tamata viavialevu.
Why you call me extremist when you are white man extremist trying to tell Fijians how to live? Whats wrong with my i taukei thinking being concern about what that prostitute Bainimarama doing with the bloody communist Chinese bastards and corrupt kai idia and kaivalagi like you in Fiji? Australian government and people should be concern when idiot like you try and lasulasu to them about your bastardise democracy and equal right bullshit in Fiji.
And why you delete my Fijian message here? When I talk to my kaivata I do it in my togue thats respect. You don’t understand that and think you bloody English higher than evryone and think you too smart for the Fijian. Thats the kind of foreigner bullshit we should get rid of from Fiji.
The colonial time is over understand? After 150 years of foreign rule Fijians are in the shit in their own country. Behind education behind health,behind standard of living, behind in economy, behind of rule in our own country and now pressed down by the gun because that prostitute Bainimarama trying to take Fijian back to bloody corrupt vulagi rule? When the kaivalgi rule in Fiji before do they give my old people equal rights in their country? What about aborigine in your country? Don’t give that bloody bullshit equal rights Graham when Fijian like me trying to break free from that type of old style rubbish rule and you call me extremist.
And Pratap, why you talking rubbish like I should be in Iran you bloody madarasi racist fool? Too many bloody madarasi going to live in another country and still stirring trouble in Fiji. You go to Australia and stir trouble there too you ungrateful bastard.
Adriu, I will determine what happens on my own website and when and if I decide I don’t want your offensive racist rantings any more, you’ll be deleted.
I don’t believe in censorship but those postings of yours that cross the line will be trashed. So keep a civil tongue in your head or go elsewhere.
Graham, go and ask Aborigine who is the real i taukei in Australia and who is the vulagi. Also ask any Fijian there the same question because they know they are only vulagi in Australia and the aborigine are i taukei ni qele there. Don’t try and think for Fijian because you wrong. Only itaukei ni qele from one country can understand i taukei ni qele in another country and respect that. Fijians like Australia but they respect rights of aborigine too and we know there is only one country for Fijians in the world..Fiji.
But you don’t understand that because you not a i taukei and you try and force you greedy power through that prostitute Voreqe and the gun who is doing your dirty work in Fiji selling i taukei to chinese communist bastards and bullshit kaivalagi like you. You talk here about only Australian and New Zealand interest in Fiji becaue you worry about those other greedy foreigners Kai Jaina who hide behind their prostitute Bainimarama. When these cxommunist takeover they will force all the kaivalgi out. But you only worry about yourself and no concern for the itaukei pressed down by the barrel of the gun. Who the bloody hell you think you are?
When you say that there is no longer i taukei in Fiji we now see your bloody racist and power hungry view coming out. Is this what you talk about quietly with that prostitute from Kiuva to take away our identity and country? This kind of racist talk is the cause for that prostitute from Kiuva pressing down of our chiefs, talatalas and killing our kaivata. Vinakavakalevu Davis, because you show your true colours and we will see how far your prostitute Bainimarama will last because he will die by the gun he carry. You give a bad name for kaivalagi who come to Fiji and dispect the itaukei in his own country. Why are you not like other kaivalgi who understand Fijians and respect us here? Tamata bokola.
@ Graham
Please delete this Adriu’s postings. He adds no value to the debate except to confirm the underlying three ‘isms’ in radical Fijian ethno-nationalism i.e. tribalism, racism & militarism. His posts reek of these ‘isms’. Vakaloloma sara
Like other ethno-nationalists, Adriu is upset because the gains of the 1987 and 2000 ethno-nationalist coups, have been undone by Frank.
Adriu, au sa tukuna oti. Laki gunu panadol mada ka laki moce mada
Isa AN, slow down man. Anyone who comes and goes to Fiji can see the truth for themselves. Many people will understand your experiences but don’t chase them away even before they get there. GD tends to speak in political terms. Like i Taukei some people are good some are greedy. Actually it is a human thing that has nothing to do with your race. One could probably ask whether a non-racial citizenship based society will solve the problem of extreme nationalism. I doubt it. It hasn’t happened anywhere else in the world. However, it is a start to get over the first hurdle of the very systems that have caused the extreme racial disharmony that you and your mate Pratap represent. This is a simple game of politics. It is not hard. Self interested people and extremists make it complicated. If you have another solution then please share it with the world. Meanwhile let those people who are trying to get on with putting the country back on track towards a future election get on with their important work.
Concerned Observer, Adriu and Pratap
Would you guys please take a hike
SAM X, maybe we are trying to work something out here. If you don’t like it find something else to read… Maybe ‘Noddy’ is your thing.
Once there are no more Indians, Chinese or Europeans left, hate-filled people such as Adriu will turn their attention to fellow taukei.
Graham,
Guy, Sharon Smith Johns “seditious”? That’s a novel idea. As I understand it, Ms Smith Johns is a dual Fiji/Australian national so sedition doesn’t come into it. We are not at war, though the way some people here behave, you’d imagine we were. How sad that it’s come to this. I also think Australia is misguided and pathetically short sighted. Does that make me seditious?
Thank you you make my point. Ratu Tevita Mara says “This Government is F All” Is that seditious? Of course not in Australia but in Fiji it gets you charged with using Seditious language.
Do you see the difference? You and Sharon are free to say what you like about Australia. The people of Fiji cannot say what they want about their own country.
So what’s your point? Australia is a democracy, Fiji is a dictatorship. No-one is arguing this self evident truth. To examine why this is the case, one need only look at the racist rantings of Adriu Navura, someone who believes anyone in Fiji who isn’t indigenous is a guest. They’re not. They’re are full citizens with equal rights. And that principle is being enforced at gunpoint because people like Navura used democracy to impose a tyranny of the majority over the rest.
In mature democracies like Australia, we have legislation to protect minorities from the incitement of racists whipping up hatred. In Fiji right now, we have the PER and a buturaki up at the camp. Both offer a degree of protection that minorities find comforting against the rule of the mob.
Graham
You appear to condone the PER and ‘buturaki up at the camp’ on the grounds that it keeps the racists in check. I wish that it were so simple, since I doubt you’d find too much sympathy for those who had been beaten for uttering racist diatribes.
However thus far it seems that those who’ve been subjected to the beatings have NOT been racists, but have been those who question either the legitimacy of this government or its policies.
I’d venture to say that this is not the ‘degree of protection that minorities find comforting’ that you claim but is quite the opposite.
The degree of protection that is needed is that handed down by law. If the courts and police were instructed by government to make a concerted effort to crack down on racist behaviour – in the same way that domestic violence has been targeted recently, then we might all feel somewhat more comforted rather than relying, as you imply, on detention and beatings of people who aren’t racist.
Jon, well perhaps you’d do well to seek the views of those Indo-Fijian citizens who’ve been attacked or had their homes invaded by these thugs simply because of who they were.
I’ve made it clear repeatedly in our exchanges that I don’t condone any violence against those who oppose the regime on political grounds. But please don’t ask me to feel sorry for people who use their physical and numerical power to terrorise their fellow citizens.
For minorities, Fiji is unquestionably a safer place than it was before – a “human right” that is invariably ignored by those who regard “democracy” as more important than personal security and well being. But then, they’re not the ones being targeted.
Graham
This is becoming eye watering. I fully accept that you don’t condone violence against those who oppose this government on political grounds. But you go on to write
‘For minorities, Fiji is unquestionably a safer place than it was before – a “human right” that is invariably ignored by those who regard “democracy” as more important than personal security and well being. But then, they’re not the ones being targeted’.
Many of those who regard democracy as important are precisely those who ARE being targeted – by the army.
For others (iTaukei, Indian, European) who’ve suffered home invasions over the past 8 or 9 years which have put their personal safety at risk, it’s far more likely that such invasions are as a result of perception that they are (relatively) wealthy, than because they are of a different race.
We’ll debate this until the cows come home, but getting back to the original point – if you think long term stability can be achieved through the barrel of a gun then you are so utterly wrong you should be shot.
And the last remark was deliberately ironic, in case you’re going to try and take off on some fallacious tangent about it.
Graham,
Actually I am glad you pointed out that Fiji is a dictatorship I was not sure you were aware of that fact. I agree with Jon Orton no one has been taken up to camp and been given a beating for being a racist. They have been taken up because they have spoken out against the regime.
You seem to accept that beatings of one group of people (Democracy Activists) are an acceptable price to pay because it has lessened racist attacks on minorities in Fiji over the past 4 years.
I am not sure of the logic but it certainly looks like condoning violence to me.
I resent bitterly the implication that everyone in Fiji who wants to see democracy is a racist. I am not a racist but I do want to see democracy. You only try to connect the 2 as a cheap way of justifying Bainimarama’s violence.
Guy, I want to see democracy in Fiji too. And it will happen – in 2014, if the dictator is to be believed.
It will not be the kind of democracy many people want. No-one will be allowed to stand on a racial platform or to represent one racial grouping. Which excludes the SDL.
This is what has the likes of Jon Fraenkel in a lather – the notion that this is not democracy, that a racially based party has every right to contest elections or they axiomatically aren’t democratic in that they don’t express the will of the people.
Well, nowhere with a awkward multiracial mix that functions properly allows it – like Singapore – so why should Fiji? I think it’s a small price to pay to smash the racial politics that have dogged Fiji since before independence, let alone since.
Let’s get one thing straight. Trying to portray me as someone who accuses all democracy advocates of being racist is both wrong and absurd. I have no problem with democracy advocates. But I have a big problem with racists.
Guy
For your info Roko Ului conspired with Driti to commit mutiny but they were ratted out by a loyal army officer who knew that these two officers have no support and what the consequences would be. Just imagine what would have happened if they had carried out their plan.It will be November 2001 again.
We dont want that to happen again “NEVER AGAIN”.Roko Ului is not only an army officer, but also a businessman who has used his position to further his business interests.When all his dealings will be revealed, you and other people who believe him will realise you have been hodwinked under the the guise of return to democracy.
Sam where is your evidence for this. Roko Ului was only charged with using seditious language. Surely if they had evidence of mutiny they would have used it. Additionally if they had evidence of mutiny why didn’t they court martial him immediately instead of waiting 8 months for a trial in a civilian court with no allegations of mutiny.
I am not sure where in any of my statements I have shown support for Roko Ului. I want to see democracy back in Fiji and I want to see the end of the Bainimarama regime.
The one thing I will say about Roko Ului is he has repeatedly said he will come back and answer to the people of Fiji for his crimes.
You know as well as I do that only when the regime has gone will there be any investigation. Roko Ului may be dirty but so is Bainimarama, Khaiyum, Aziz etc. Only under a democratic government will we get the answers to these questions. Even if there are elections in 2014, which I doubt, the Military and the interim government will be covered by a blanket immunity and so no investigation.
Go for it Roko Ului bring back democracy and if you are guilty bring on your time in prison.
@ Guy
Your support for a ‘traitor’ ala RUM…who abandoned his family and sold his soul to a foreign government (Tonga) ….you dont think anything is wrong with this? Isnt this betrayal?
What world do you belong to? What makes you think you can lecture to us (Fiji citizens) about the virtues of RUM’s betrayal?
You are obviously not Fijian….like I suggested earlier…if you’re not happy with how things are going in Fiji…then please migrate elsewhere…Samoa or Tonga.
Avatar,
The true traitors to Fiji are Bainimarama and Khaiyum.
They have sold their souls to Mammon and are making themselves rich at the expense of everyone else in the country.
Who are you Guy, and where the hell have you been? Are you for real? Take off the damn blinkers, my friend. Politicans, chiefs and businesses ganging up and getting rich and fat off their people is nothing new in Fiji (also add the clergy to the list). It is not a Bainimarama invention, as you seem to be suggesting. A very good precedent was set in Fiji my friend. You can rest assured Bainimarama has learnt from the best. This is not say what he is doing is to be condoned. But you need to understand we have lived though this kinf od exploitation, both under democratic and autocratic rule. We are sick of people telling us they are acting on their behalf while filling their own pockets. Do you have any idea the state Fiji is in? Are you aware of the suffering of the poor people? Do you think all this took place overnight? Is Bainimarama solely responsible for everythijng?
Things did not go rotten overnight in Fiji – the malaise set in over many years. The Bainimarama coup is just another product or outcome of years of rot. You can shout about the merits of democracy from the rooftops but many in Fiji will remain skeptical. Can you really blame them, stuck as they are between a rock and a hard place, getting screwed from both sides and ends over all these years, so to speak? We are seeing a form of justice though – many fat cats are dying early from diabetes and heart attacks. So all the grog and ill-begotten good living has its drawbacks.
Guy just as you asked Sam about his evidence, I want to ask you the same thing. Where is your evidence?
Guy
Democracy will be restored in 2014, when the electoral reforms are in place.That means that no uneducated Ratu or party supporter can stand and be voted in to become a Minister.only the best will be eligible for parliament>
Yes Charlie Singh, hate filled Adriu is one Fijian who well expose all the racist and greedy bullshit that kaidia like you want to bring to my country in the name of bullshit equal rights. Look at the world and stop dreaming, Chinese have China, Indians have India and European have Europe. In history and today, all these people fight for their country to be who they are today?
Why try and bring your Indian, Chinese, Kaivalagi and whatever to Fiji but make no effort to become Fijian? 150 years now and bloody Davis, Charles Singh, Chaudary, Khaiyum can’t speak fluent Fijian or understand Fijian culture. You go to Aussie, you speak Aussie, you go to America you speak American, you go to China you speak China and after 150 years there you lose your identity and you become a true son of that country. Why is this not happening in Fiji? After 150 years of foreign rule in my country you still kaidia, kai Jaina, Kai valagi identity. Why??? You can’t blame i tauklei for that and the race problems in Fiji today.
You know why? Because bullshit artist like Davis and you all don’t want to accpet Fijian culture and be Fijian in Fiji, but want to force your bloody forein rubbish into the country because you are all racist and have no respect for the i taukei anywhere you go.
And look, the prostitute Bainimarama is doing the dirty work of greedy racist foreigners in Fiji by the barrel of the gun? Those bloody Chinese communist bastards and those kaivalgi like Davis in Australia and New Zealand only worry about Pacific control of their interest, they not worry about i taukei.
If Davis think it alright to press i taukei down by the barrel of the gun from his prostitute Bainimarama then whats wrong if I call on i taukei to kill him by the gun to get control of our country back? Bainimarama is just one stupid Fijian who is blinding Fijian soldiers with Chinese money. When money run out he is finished like Rabuka. In future in i taukei will put him and his kawa in the rubbish.
Come to Fiji respect Fijian and his culture become Fijiain. Keep you identity in your own country because thats where problem start. You kaidia, you have india to run away to, Chinese have China, Davis have Australia, I am Fijian I have no other country to run away to if bloody greedy racist vulagi like Davis help kill my kaivata and press i taukei down in Fiji thats why I have to fight with all my strength for me and my kawa. Whats wrong with that? If you and Davis call it extremist then I am proud and don’t give a damn.
you are all right and you are all wrong, but i will say this, very soon Fiji will prosper while the rest of the world will be in turmoil. the countries that have been trying to destabilize Fiji will pay a heavy price. some call it karma, others say what you sow you will reap, so let what is about to happen, happen. let God decide. cheers.
Sam X,
What an interesting thought.
You say “That means that no uneducated Ratu or party supporter can stand.”
Does that mean we won’t have any political parties in 2014? Interesting idea I would be interested to learn how it works in practice.
Also if we are talking about uneducated does that mean Bainimarama will not be standing? I am not sure he has any academic qualifications. Certainly judging him on the way he runs the Ministry of Finance, he could write all he knows about economics on the back of a postage stamp.
Ha,ha…this blog is really the cyber highway for grubs. Sabre rattling by Adriu releases the venom of pro barrel of the gun coup extremists, including the likes of “classy” wannabe moderates like Graham.
Putting aside the mudslinging between Adriu and others, Adriu does have a valid concern as an indigenous person in Fiji because he is questioning the interests of foreign entities against those of his. In particular that of Davis and his attempt in influencing Canberra’s anti coup policies in relation to the Chinese infuence in the Pacific. Davis has never addressed the very real concern of indigenous persons like Adriu or are those concerns a fallacy?
Does Davis have a clear policy for the future of Fijians in Fiji? Please outline to Fijians what their future role will be in terms of,1) rights to self determination 2) Land rights (and qoliqoli) rights? 3) Cultural and traditional rights? 4) Identity rights? And why they should/should not be concerned about not ending up in the same position as the indigenous in Australia.
Please weigh your arguments up against historical indigenous rights under colonial rule in Fiji, comparision in other countries that have similar indigenous populations(like Australia/NZ) and the recent UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON
THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Adopted by the General Assembly 13 September 2007. Could you also explain the push for polical power by migrant populations like the Indians, kaivalagi and others. How has this affected the Fijian concerns pointed out? What do migrants want in Fiji, other than just saying equal rights? Equal rights to do what and to have what? Are their demands attached to the self interests of foreign governments to the detriment of i taukei and is this ethical ?
Wilson, to answer your question -you would have the same rights as anyone else in the “new Fiji”. This notion of yours that indigenous rights need to be protected applies to minority populations in other countries, not the indigenous majority in Fiji. It is the minority in Fiji that needs protection ie. those who aren’t i’taukei. And that’s precisely what is happening, however much you don’t like it.
I’m not surprised at your enthusiasm for Adriu. As they say: “birds of a feather…”. In this posting, you’ve shown your true colours at last. An indigenous supremacist clothed in the fig leaf of a multiracialist. As we used to say as kids: “Labasa!”
Graham bula
Looks like some “ists” have moved in here. The same usual tirades I would have expected from Apisai in his heyday before burning down his indian neighbours house. I find Guy Threllfells comments interesting. Where was he in in 1987 when Rabuka sent 15 goons into my house or members of my family were given the involuntary choice of spending time in the barracks ? I never heard of Threllfell then. I never heard of Threllfell when friends fijian and indian were being taken down to CPS to get a less then gentle interrogation (including brain damage on one occasion) from that paragon of democratic virtue Qalo Bulatiko. Isa then I knew the democracy 11 who went to court for supporting the democratic process but I never saw a Threllfell offering support. In all of the dictatorial bad behaviour on display then and the few decent voices that were crying out I never heard of Threllfell. Must have been a recent convert to democracy. I wander if the conversion was before or after George Speight weighed in and let his friend Inoke Takeveitata unleash his goons on the peasant farmers of muaniweni ? I certainly didnt hear Threllfells name then.
Sa dui cagi ni toba
Vinaka, Bushmoko, you are dead right. The collective memory here doesn’t seem to extend past the outrage of 2000 but you and I – and doubtless many others -remember just what happened when this cycle of coups began in 1987. It was a disgraceful episode which is far too easily forgotten. And how amazing to think that it’s almost a quarter of a century ago.
So much wasted in the intervening years, and especially the loss of the country’s finest brains, who simply gave up on the idea of a multiracial Fiji and carved out other lives elsewhere. I’m tempted to despair of the nation’s future when I read some of the rubbish posted here. But then a missive like yours is posted to remind me what we’re fighting for – an inclusive, multiracial democracy that eventually lives up to the hopes of our parents and grandparents for a prosperous Fiji.
It will happen, but only if people of goodwill are prepared to take a stand for equality, tolerance and decency against the voices of extremism. And the woolly-thinking liberalism of knee-jerk “democrats” like the gentleman arriviste in question.
@ Graham,
“But then a missive like yours is posted to remind me what we’re fighting for – an inclusive, multiracial democracy that eventually lives up to the hopes of our parents and grandparents for a prosperous Fiji. ”
The difference between you and I Graham is not the objective. I agree with you 100% with the above. It was the policy of Ratu Mara a man who I greatly admire.
Our difference Graham is how we get there. You believe the dictator will deliver on his promises.
I on the other hand believe he will break his promises about 2014, just like all the promises he has broken since 2006.
As we have debated before. you still have the faith, but mine has been lost.
Guy ( or whatever your name is ), you either believe Bainimarama or you don’t. But as it’s a dictatorship, what choice have you got? He will either deliver an election in 2014 or he won’t. And if he doesn’t, he will forfeit the support of many of those who are currently relying on him to keep his word. In the meantime – as we’ve heard here from Jone – there is genuine service delivery in some places after years of false promises. The regime deserves credit for that, along with its insistence on racial equality.
Graham,
In your words “it’s a dictatorship, what choice have you got?” The choice is either you support the dictator or you don’t. That choice is well demonstrated by the two of us.
“He will either deliver an election in 2014 or he won’t. And if he doesn’t, he will forfeit the support of many of those who are currently relying on him to keep his word.”
Tell me why did the dictator keep your support after he lied about elections in 2009 and 2010? What makes you believe 2014 will be any different?
The Dictator has made a number of decent decisions and has delivered in a few areas. However on a broader scale he is failing dismally. The economy is in tatters and will not improve unless the investment climate changes. The investment climate is unlikely to change so long as the dictator is in power without any checks and balances. It is too risky to invest in Fiji.
Therefore we have the prospect of another three years of zero growth and high inflation. That is just going to put more people below the poverty line and make any chance of recovery harder. Added to which if he carries on borrowing at the same levels we will have another $1.5 billion dollars to repay.
That is why we can’t wait for 2014. And even you, a supporter, is not sure 2014 will happen.
The Fijian People and I include every race in that statement cannot survive for another 3 years on a promise. Especially from a man who has a track record of breaking them.
The biggest Human Rights abuse in Fiji at the moment is the increase in the urban poor and the number of people in the towns living below the poverty line.
It is about time you come back to Fiji Graham. Don’t come on an official visit organized by Sharon. Come and tour around by yourself. Go to your old stomping grounds, meet the people. Remember you will have to earn their trust before they will talk to you openly. People are scared to speak out. Again you can only know that if you live here.
@Bushmoko & Grahame,
If you had not already realised it Guy Threllfell is not my real name!
So no surprise you did not hear about me in 1987 or 2000.
But I was there and I have been consistent in my opposition to all coups and all the violence associated with them.
Graham,
I reckon you would have produced a better sidestep than Quade Cooper if you were a footy player (a big if) given your failure to address my questions. Your strategy is as simple as your mind…can’t win the debate, attack the person.
You dress yourself up as a credible crusader for equal rights with supposed credible information about the situation in Fiji when upon just the slightest questioning, falls down in a heap of journalistic trash. A bit like the Peter Foster saga which Bainimarama tried to exploit back in 2006 to fool the nation. Yes, “conmen of the feather stick together”
You are no equal rights crusader Graham, but one of the many misguided coup apologists who have become a part of the problem instead of the solution in Fiji. You insistance on maintaining the “multiracial” diatribe by the barrel of the gun does not fool anyone except yourself.
Readers should not take your comments seriously because of your troubling infatuation for Bainimarama.
Wilson, this is the pot calling the kettle black. It is you who has engaged in insults. You apply standards to others that you do not apply to yourself. It’s called hypocrisy.
Graham,
I have been reading your comments and desire for a non racial and non corrupt Fiji. I also read WT’s comments about the rule of law and equal justice. All that is good and what we all want for Fiji. But doing it by the barrel of the gun is wrong and certainly not good for the country,whether it be 1987,2000 or 2006.The gun does not solve anything but continue the coup cycle and the silent majority of decent citizens do not agree with this method.
I want to point out that in Fiji, corrupt people in the military has been the biggest single problem that society has had to deal with. All the coups so far has come about as a result of military mismanagment because of corrupt external political interference in one way or another. This is where the real problems lie. It is our collective responsibility as a nation to ensure that this current gun diplomacy is halted and a full review is done as to the real costs of having a military force in Fiji altogether. My solution is to repeal the Fiji Military Act and dissolve all armed forces leaving internal security in the hands of community style Policing. Regional alliances will ensure safety from external threats.
As we can see by the harsh tones in your blog site, without the guns,right wing indigeneous and right wing non indigeneous groups need to be coerced into settling differences the humble Fijian way.eg lets talanoa mada.
Thank you
James, thank you for your comment and intelligent contribution to the debate.
Unfortunately, I think things have gone too far to dismantle the military in Fiji when it sees itself as the custodian of the nation’s security and future. The best we can hope for is a military that sees its role to defend those civilians chosen by the people in free and fair multiracial elections, when they eventually take place.
The military is also a prime source of revenue and foreign exchange through UN peacekeeping operations. And the distinguished performance of Fijian troops in those operations has been very valuable for Fiji’s global image and ability to be taken seriously.
Our military punches above its weight. It just needs to reserve those punches where they’re needed to keep the peace abroad rather than using its muscle against Fiji citizens at home. The excesses up at the camp against its opponents cannot be excused, as I’ve said here before.
Guy,
Bainimarama may not have much academic qualifications such as you have, but what he has done so far for my province in terms of rural development surpasses any academic politician of yesteryear’s. The people in my village like him, gone are the days of vote for me and I will do this for you.
You dont know how many tabua,food and mats we have presented to SVT and SDL politicians for road and water supply upgrade, but nothing eventuated. We asked Bainimarama once during his visit to our province and two weeks later work commenced.
Guy
Graham and I have seen the steady deterioration of the body politic and the economy of Fiji now for 25 years. The primary reason for that deterioration is not dictatorship per se. It is the activity of groups of ethno nationalist extremists and their opportunist friends (Apisai Tora, Taniela Veitata, Raikivi, Qio, Veisamasama, Kaitani – the list goes on and on) who have had no qualms in abusing the institutions of governance for generally venal ends. Look at the National Bank of Fiji, look at the agricultual grants scheme (both if you include that silly Viti corp exercise) – again the list is endless. In the bare rancid racism you see from Wilson who is happy to express his views from the comfort of Australia you can get an idea of why the system is failing.
A democracy with constitutions like the 1990 or 1997 ones that retain institutionalised racism and hegemony for some elites who take it upon themselves to continue raping the system and without prosecution will not allow fiji to progress. I cant see that you would disagree with any of this.
So the question than becomes will Voreqe ensure that in 2014 we return to a democratic process and a democratic process that is non racist ? Those of us who support him (and I speak for a significant group) do so because he has given us his personal assurance on this. He also knows that if he doesn’t we will withdraw our support. Is that significant ? maybe maybe not.
The fact remains however that neither the australian and (to a lesser extent) the new zealand governments have a satisfactory understanding of the issues that are being dealt with on the ground. Ignoring aiyaz’s dubious decrees (I stopped reading them in 1987 after I found too many spelling mistakes in them) , matters such as the suspension or dismantling of the bose vanua is a profound change. Getting a large part of the business community to start paying their fair share of tax (credit Chaudary) for the first time since independence is a profound change – none of which are being properly understood by those pseudo intellectuals in Canberra and particularly the pyschotic Kevin Rudd.
And for your info Rokolui did not simply make seditious outburst as he says but as I understand it sent blatantly seditious comments in text messages which were fortunately recognised for what they were.
Bushmoko,
I agree with you we have had endless problems in Fiji ever since 1987. Just because they were bad before does not excuse the present regime. This regime is falling into the same traps. There is corruption at the highest level. There are no checks and balances and we have shameless acts of buying support. Just look at the $30m promised to Lau 2 weeks ago.
I do agree that racism needs to be tackled and I agree the constitution needs to be looked at. However, I have very little confidence that Bainimarama and Khaiyum will give us a better constitution. On Current performance the discussions and debate on the constitution will be tightly controlled. Only those who support the regime will be allowed to take part.
You say “So the question than becomes will Voreqe ensure that in 2014 we return to a democratic process and a democratic process that is non racist ? Those of us who support him (and I speak for a significant group) do so because he has given us his personal assurance on this. He also knows that if he doesn’t we will withdraw our support. Is that significant ? maybe maybe not.”
I ask you the same question I asked Graham. Tell me why did the dictator keep your support after he lied about elections in 2009 and 2010? What makes you believe 2014 will be any different?
The Dictator has made a number of decent decisions and has delivered in a few areas. However on a broader scale he is failing dismally. The economy is in tatters and will not improve unless the investment climate changes. The investment climate is unlikely to change so long as the dictator is in power without any checks and balances. It is too risky to invest in Fiji.
Therefore we have the prospect of another three years of zero growth and high inflation. That is just going to put more people below the poverty line and make any chance of recovery harder. Added to which if he carries on borrowing at the same levels we will have another $1.5 billion dollars to repay.
That is why we can’t wait for 2014. And even you, a supporter, is not sure 2014 will happen.
You say “And for your info Rokoului did not simply make seditious outburst as he says but as I understand it sent blatantly seditious comments in text messages which were fortunately recognized for what they were.”
If that is the case why was he not charged over these text messages? Surely it is easier to prove he sent a text message rather than a conversation between only 2 people, with no other witnesses, from nearly a year before. You may or may not know this but his accuser was not even in Fiji when the case was brought having recently being posted to Sinai with an early promotion.
Again if this conversation took place over a year ago why not charge him nearer the time of the incident, instead of waiting? Why not Court Martial him whilst he was still in the military?
You may be right Rokoului might have been working and speaking out against the regime for a long time, in which case he deserves credit for standing up against a dictator whilst still in Fiji.
Graham, I am getting tired of you relentless sidestepping. Is that a trait honed from your school days?
What do you mean by the minority needing protection? I am asking you, what exactly do you need protection from and in particular how you, as a member of the minority, were not protected under the 1997 Constitution prior to 2006?
Refer to my previous posts asking you to detail exactly instances of how your rights were personal harmed in Fiji? Don’t refer to others but to you.
In all my questioning thus far of your claims about the reasons to ustify this coup and know of your so called “equal rights” crusade, you have come up empty. That does not bode well for your credibilty Graham so I quite rightly categorise your comments as journalistic trash.
I am beginning to understand what Mother Teresa said,”Dealing with a journalist is more difficult that bathing a leper”
Wilson, everyone in Fiji deserved to be protected against George Speight and his goons, who Laisenia Qarase wanted to free.
Everyone deserved to have equal rights to coastal waters, rather than be forced to pay the i’taukei for their use.
Everyone deserved to know that their title to land was secure in perpetuity and not be at the whim of any government.
Everyone in Fiji deserved to be treated equally, instead of seeing i’taukei getting preferential treatment for jobs and scholarships.
Everyone deserved to enter the country without having the humiliation of having to list their race.
Everyone deserved to be free of racial tagging and stereotyping at every turn in national life, even in the names of the schools they attended.
Everyone deserved to worship in the manner they choose, rather than see their temples and churches desecrated.
And so it goes on.
I’ve answered you now. That’s it. The rest is points scoring and a load of nationalistic tripe.
Guy
Let me try to respond point by point:
1) I never thought elections in 2009/2010 were appropriate as the extremist element was still agitating in the background – You can tell me for example the year when one NN fled to the US or as another example that Takiveitatata (and his brother in law) along with Ballu Khan were still active.
2) Does that mean that element wont return ? Possibly not, but at least if some of the institutions can be patched up (rebuilding on stronger foundations I think unlikely) and a non racist constitution and democratic process initiated, than there is half a chance that the elites will find it harder to usurp the system.
3) In discussions with the members of the regime, my only focus has been on 2014 and that is where the personal assurances have been given.
4) The economy is not in good shape. That is a consequence of the rotten institutional and physical infrastructure that exists. I understand this in unfortunate detail as have been waiting for a lease for 6 years. The first 4 years was because of a corrupt department so that needs no elaboration. What we have seen inside NFPF/NLTB/Agriculture/Fisheries are the direct consequences and results of arising from Rabuka’s activities 25 years ago which continued more or less untramelled through to the end of the Qarase regime. Sitting where I do I know of corrupt acts committed in this time by the usual suspects that will never ever see the light of day. I also see that at least some of this is now being cleaned up and there are signs of tangible progress (eg mack patel). I agree that in the long term the investment climate will only firm when there are appropriate checks and balances but a return to the previous system is unlikely to do that. It would be more of the same inflammatory behaviour and the same venal acts performed by the same corrupt groups. The other part of the economy is that Fiji is seeing the inevitable decline of the sugar industry and until some of the regulatory process is cleaned up we are not going to see continued or new investment in other sectors such as tourism and mining that have substantial promise.
4) As for Rokolui, thats where you delve into the labyrinthine world of fiji politics. you would need to know who those text messages were sent to and the complications therein. Me I think they should have just focused on his economic interest in sales of particular goods to the former institution with which he was associated.
vinaka
Bushmoko
Let me try to respond point by point:
1) Navi left for the US in December 2006. Balu Khan and co were arrested in 2008. That’s 2 years before the promised elections in 2010. So what makes you think Bainimarama won’t come up with another excuse for 2014.
2) I could not agree more that serious work needs to be done on the institutions that support democracy; the judiciary and the media are 2 examples. Both of which have been destroyed by the Bainimarama regime. Justice must be seen to be done and very few people believe it any more in Fiji.
3) You are obviously close to the regime and I am pleased you have been personally assured the elections will happen. They may intend to have elections in 2014, which I seriously doubt. But as 2014 gets ever closer and Bainimarama and Khaiyum face the loss of power they will change their minds. For every 1 example of a dictator giving up power willingly I can give you 50 that did not.
4) Here we are in agreement the economy is in a bad way and much could have been done to rectify by previous administrations. Under Bainimarama the economy has done even worse. The main reason is that after 4.5 years of Bainimarama the local investors have no faith and are showing it with their money. They is no investment in Fiji because they do not feel secure here. You give Mac Patel as an example. He was not an example of justice. He was an example to the business community if you mess with us (Bainimarama and Khaiyum) we will destroy you.
If the Government goes against you there is no recourse. You cannot go to the courts; you cannot go to the media. If the Commerce Commission decides to change your pricing again you have no recourse. How can you run a business if the prices you charge can be changed tomorrow?
There will be no growth in this economy whilst we are in a dictatorship.
5) You are obviously very well informed. If as you imply Rokoului was skimming money why not charge him with that. They obviously have no evidence that would stand up in court. For me I think it is wrong that someone can be charged for saying this government is F All. If Rokoului committed more serious crimes he should have been charged with those and the evidence produced.
It is too easy for the dictator to whisper in your ear and say Rokoului stole or Rokoului committed mutiny. He might not be telling the truth. We know he told 2 lies in his address to the nation about Rokoului. 1- Rokoului had handed in his passport. 2- There was no police investigation into missing $3m. In fact there was no missing $3m.
I think we can both agree Fiji was not perfect under previous governments and it is not perfect under Bainimarama. But we need to agree to disagree on whether we have elections in 2014. You believe Bainimarama. I think he is a liar and not to be trusted.
Thank you
Rokolui also got the boot because of his affair with one of the female junior officers as its an offence in any military establishment in the world, its a big No No mate.
As a Fijian citizen (at least thats what i can call myself now)
i would rather live under ‘dictator’ Bainimarama for the rest of my life then have LQs ***king rotten government.
Guy
If you think that democracy and election will work for Fiji, you are way off the mark buddy.In our culture there is no such thing as democracy.
Graham,
Your coments are so ridiculous that I am now of the opinion that you are a complete disgrace to journalism. Sorry to use that discription but now I realise I had mistakenly held you in high regard because of the history surrounding your surname. You have also confirmed that the “coconut had not only dropped far from its source” but into the seas and floated off into lala land.
I made one simple request,..how were your rights personally affected in Fiji as per violation of the BOR, contained in the1997, Constitution of Fiji? You could not give one example of how you were discriminated against and whether you did not get recourse after going through the constitutional channels available to you. Worst still, you belittle yourself when you come up with garbage such as,…”well everyone deserved…la,de,da,de,da”!!
Oh, I see!! Graham Davis has a problem speaking from personal experience but yet he sounds as if he was the most violated human being in Fiji. A bit like the smallest empty vessel making the loudest sound in an empty room.
Graham, everything you say is nonsense and could be dealt with by the provisions of the1997 Fiji Constitution. Your diatribe does not detract from fact that Bainimarama has illegally stepping outside his constitutional duites to commit the act of treason. His crimes continue to multiply and whilst he may run, the wheels of justice keep turning and soon the law will catch up to him including evryone else (pray it will not be you) who colluded in this misguided coup.
James rightfully pointed out that since 1987, Fiji has been ruined by inept and corrupt military commanders (including Bainimarama) who have allowed themselves to be easily influenced by equally corrupt external forces to feed their self serving interests. I quoted previously that,” The gun is not the problem but the idiot behind the trigger”
Graham, it appears that your self serving rotten soul has clouded your ability to see the truth. What we have from you is the same old tiring and repetitive military inspired propaganda and explanative Davis trash.
@ Wilson
You are quick to point out the role of ‘corrupt military commanders’ in Fiji’s coup culture but choose to remain vague when you refer to those ‘equally corrupt external political forces’. Can you name some of those institutions who you would label as being the ‘corrupt external political forces’? Could they perchance, include the SDL and Labour Party, the Great Counsil of Chiefs, trade unions, the Methodist Church?
It would appear that if we are to get rid of the ‘coup culture’ then all these organisations will have to be disbanded because they are the ‘idiots’ who are ‘finger (s) behind the trigger’.
You are quick to abuse Graham for having a ‘self serving rotten soul’. Resorting to abuse, and not the strength of your argument, is a poor show and a rather low doen act, Wilson. Is that your best shot?
More personal abuse eh, Wilson. Who’s the real disgrace here. Your hate filled rantings are appalling. I have no more interest in engaging with you.
@ Graham
re Wilson and Adriu and co.
Here we see a significant problem. What we have in Fiji with the ethno-nationalists (ala Wilson) and their cohorts in the pro-democracy movement there in Australia and NZ and the USA is the same frame of mind that is evident in their postings.
Although all of them proclaim to High Heaven that they are democrats; when you put forward an alternative view that they cannot adequately defend against, they resort to personal abuse !! And in the process, they are reckless and mindless in the damge they cause to the reputation of others who have served Fii better than they!
Wilson, vakaraitaki iko mai…kakua so na lako vunivui tiko.
Wilson
You seem to be an expert on governance here, so what is your plan for Fiji, if it sounds good then I can recommend you to be Fijis Prime Minister.
Avatar,
What do you stand for other than just clinging to the skirt of that misguided journalist, Davis?
Your silly questioning of my truthful comments on “corrupt commanders” is an indication that you are too dumb to grasp the gist of my arguments and not worth replying to.
Furthermore, why keep using the term, “ethno nationalism” when you do not really know what this means and also imply that it is only derogatory in nature? In addition, you assert that ethno nationalism is an ideology contrary to democracy? Every major democracy in the world has ethno nationalist policies in place that recognize citizens by race. NZ (Maoris, Pacific islanders) Australia (Multi Ethnic Affairs Ministry), US, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Israel and so forth are examples.
Sakaraia,
My idea of governance is the same as that defined by the World Bank,
“Good governance is epitomized by predictable, open and enlightened policy-making, a bureaucracy imbued with professional ethos acting in furtherance of the rule of law, public good, accountable and transparent processes, and a strong civil society participating in all levels of public affairs.”
Poor governance (on the other hand) is characterized by arbitrary policy making, the abuse of executive power, unaccountable bureaucracies, unenforced or unjust legal systems, a civil society unengaged in public life, and widespread corruption.”
It is not hard then to see that the characteristics of this illegal regime and its misguided leader, Bainimarama, fit perfectly into the category of “poor governance”.
Davis has an ethical duty as a journalist, to continuously highlight the glaring inconsistencies of poor governance in everything Bainimarama is doing and in particular the heinous crimes he has committed since 2006. The continuous rabble of, “Yes, what he is doing is wrong but I believe in what he is promising” is really an indication of corrupt activity itself.
Sakarai, Bainimarama is blinded by the his greed for power and all those who support are blinded by their own little greed. In fact, when Bainimarama is arrested, I also recommend that Davis be arrested, charged and sentenced to life imprisonment for misprision of treason.
Wilson, you are obviously quite mad. My commiserations. For you to describe me as corrupt and treasonous for expressing such run-of-the- mill opinions is a clear sign of someone who is unhinged.
We must all summon up our reserves of Christian charity and turn the other cheek. But having said that, I strongly urge you to resume taking your medication.
Graham,
Real Christians should make a stand when they see an unjustice or when crimes are committed (against the nation and in particular against unarmed civilians) such as those committed by Bainimarama. He has committed treason against the state and other serious crimes such as tortures and murders.
You find it convenient to describe your comments as “run of the mill opinions” but in reality you are part of a concerted and sinister campaign to legitimise the existence of an illegal regime and its criminal leader. Your run of the mill comments pass as “assists” in evidence for the crime of Misprison of Treason, read part (a) which is also in the Fiji Penal Code,
Under Australian law a person is guilty of misprision of treason if he:
“(a) receives or assists another person who, to his or her knowledge, has committed treason with the intention of allowing him or her to escape punishment or apprehension; or
(b) knowing that another person intends to commit treason, does not inform a constable of it within a reasonable time or use other reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
The penalty is life imprisonment.
The question I have is, “when your time in the courts arrive, will you continue to make a stand for Bainimarama or will you desert him?” At best if you chose option a) he would envy you but if you chose b)he can hardly point the finger at another turncoat.
Wilson, I reject the premise of your argument. Therefore I reject your argument. But you are entitled to wallow in it nonetheless.
As you say on your page on Matavuvale, you’re a passionate advocate of the paramountcy of indigenous rights in Fiji. I, on the other hand, believe in equality for all citizens.
This being the case, I’m glad you’re not in Tavua but Toowoomba, Queensland, where doubtless you accept the paramountcy of the indigenous people there. But I somehow doubt it, hypocrisy being your stock in trade.
Thank you Graham for guiding the misguided Wilson. It’s nice for Wilson and family to enjoy equality with other citizens in Australia but have it trampled on in Fiji where he originates from. I am a Fijian living in Australia and I did not agree with what was taking place there prior to Dec 06. A high percentage of Citizen had their rights were eroded by a Democratic Government. Like you in no way am I condoning the coup of 06 but something had to give and the then Elected Government should have smelt the roses and acted responsibly.
Bula Mada,
Obviously you are another idiot who advocates the use of the gun to get what you want. You sound like a Davis parrot, and Davis sounds like a Fiji MOI parrot. Like Davis, you have not acquainted your little minds to the provisions of the 1997 Constitution of Fiji, the BOR contained within and in particular the legal obligations of the three pillars of governance, the HOR, Exec and Judiciary. Under the Constitution these three pillars and everyone working within are tasked to protect those individual rights and maintain an orderly and civil society.
Any contentious law passed in parliament or the senate can be challenged by any citizen in the courts and even overturned. The Chandrika Prasad case in 2000 is a good example including the FLP cases and even the SDL challenge in 2009. What we have in this coup is that in 2006, people have not respected the rule of law and allowing it to carry out its proper function.
How can we develop a civil society and social harmony when we have a rascal as a military commander, lording over his own peculiar brand of jungle law? Worst still, we have his monkeys in Davis, Avatar, Bula Mada etc… Seeing, speaking and hearing no evil. Democratic elections have provided us with new governments and gotten rid of underperforming ones. It is every decent human being’s duty to get rid of illegal ones.
BTW Davis, I do not have a page on Matavuvale but my comments may have been used there as in other places like the FT. I am also a very proud Fijian who as a citizen of Fiji, have every right to be concerned about my culture, lands, identity and future in just the same way you are. But unlike your advocacy for criminal activities to obtain so called equal rights and freedoms, I am among the overwhelming majority of decent human beings who respect the law, society and consensual governance in order to make changes.
The solution to this failed military coup is simple. Bainimarama should step down or be forced out because he is a disgrace to the military and a disgrace to the nation. He is an unpopular and unwanted cold blooded killer and traitor. An election should be immediately called so that decent citizens can once regain control their future to decide exactly what they want, instead of being dictated by a tinpot dictator.
Wilson. I note that while you deny having a page on Matavuvale – although there is one there in the name of Wilson Tamanikaira Jnr ( your son?) – you don’t deny the sentiment expressed there of standing up for the paramountcy of indigenous Fijians. Qori.
@ Wilson
Try selling your idea of a docile Fijian ethno-nationalism to the ethnic minority communities in Fiji who were the victims of the wanton rape and pillage of their person and possessions by rabid ethno-nationalist in 1987 and 2000.
Those rabid ethno-nationalists who you are clearly an apologist for, even had the gall to bury one of their dead in the grounds of the parliamentary complex. What does that tell you about their democractic (and Christian) credentials?
You are clearly in deep denial and obviously upset at Frank in that he is now undoing all the perceived gains that rabid ethno-nationalists like yourself feel had been won by Rabuka and Speight.
Forget about the 1997 Constitution. It was an abomination that proved to be unworkable. You cannot entrench the interests of one ethnic group over others. Your thinking are based on 19th and 20th century political models that proved unworkable in Fiji.
We need a level playing field in Fiji where all races can get ahead based on merit and where all can aspire to high office without ethnic tags being used to limit their contributions to the nation. If you believe in this vision then you are welcome to return to Fiji. If not, then stay there in Toowoomba and continue to enjoy the rarified atmosphere of the Darling Downs.
Graham,
I have not read the article on Matavuvale but you keep insinuating on a perspective about me that is totally wrong and typically, “Davis” in nature, e.g. “gusu vayalewa, levu na kakase and totolo calacala”. This is similar to your misguided, “Navakasuasua conspiracy” and other non factual or manipulated coup rubbish which you present here. I find your support for the use of force in this coup no different from Rabuka or Speight. Criticizing what they did is a clear hypocrisy because Bainimarama is currently engaged in his very own orgy of criminal and corrupt coup activities.
Bainimarama is living on borrowed time because his own troops are now coming to the realization that they were hoodwinked into breaking the law. He may be on the run from the law today but it will catch up with him soon. I also recommend that the new legal government round up every single coup instigator and apologist who have given material support to assist the traitor continue his spree of crimes against the nation and put them all on trial.
Get real thugs, the people of Fiji are not new to coups and deceitful traitors like Voreqe and his sidekicks cannot pull the wool over their eyes anymore. This foolish coup is a classic case of poor timing and poor judgement. As the saying goes, “you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time”, Fiji’s citizens now have access to credible independent information through the latest IT mediums. In every corner of Fiji (including village folks), they gather i phones , laptops and so forth to watch or listen to live commentaries from credible independent sources that dispel the lies fabricated by the illegal regime’s propaganda machine.
BTW, what are Davis’s house pets, Inosi and Avatar barking for other than the next dose of hand fed trash from Davis? Why criticise me when you two hide behind masks in this forum. You are the very reason why Fijians are not progressing because both are cultivating an image of lawlessness and stupidity just like that other misguided fool from Kiuva. If you have nothing to contribute then stay hidden in every sense of the word.
Wilson, let’s face it. You just can’t stand the notion that other indigenous Fijians don’t share your views. It gnaws at your entrails and consumes you with rage. How much easier to denounce the vulagi stooges who support the regime than confront the fact that many of your kai vata prefer it to your heroes in the SDL.
It strikes me as just a tad ironic that someone who openly advocates indigenous paramountcy in Fiji should be happily occupying a slice of regional Australia. Don’t you think you should bow to custom and open each of your comments with an acknowledgement of the traditional owners of your land of adoption?
My point is that you should have a much better idea living in Toowoomba of what it feels like for kai idia and kai valagi to be tagged vulagi in Fiji. But then again, irony doesn’t seem to be your strongest point.
Very touching Wilson. Come back to Earth and face the reality on the ground in Fiji. How about you lead the revolution to bring back democracy in Fiji and my bet is if and when you succeed all the past scumbags (so maybe mates of yours) will end up in your Democratic state and the common people will be back in square one suffering.
Wilson of Towoomba
Come to Fiji and dont bark from Australia like a rabid dog
@ Sakaraia
“Ketch him poppy”…..laiva me lau kata o Wilson kei iratou na FDM
Sakaraia,
I live in Fiji but travel occasionally overseas to work and study.What is your point?
If you live in Fiji then it is not difficult to locate my whereabouts and my village. Come and see me. Who are you and where is your residence in Fiji or are you just another lame duck hiding behind the safety of a mask in another country?
Go and educate yourself on the issues of Fiji then come and say something reasonable instead of barking from between Davis’s legs.Tamata yalowai
Graham
You should see the photos of all the losers at the Democracy meeting in Sydney on 17/07/11, Roko Ului Mara, Felix Anthony, Daniel Urai,Baledrokadroka and Rajen Chaudhary.
These people dont give a rats ass about democracy, they are there for their own agenda.
Inosi, I agree. All these individuals initially supported the coup of 2006. So they are not “pro-democracy” at all. By persuading Australian trade unionists to disrupt flights to Fiji, they are damaging the local economy. Let it be on their heads when the livelihoods of ordinary Fijians are jeopardised.
Ha, ha.. Graham, you are such a hypocrite and fool. You welcomed coup criminal Navakasuasua with open arms when he turned on his 2000 coup accomplices but you vehemently try to discredit Ratu Ului Mara and the FLP union reps when they turn on Bainimarama.
You accepted the claims of Navakasuasua though he was a notorious career criminal and pathological liar so why don’t you believe these men who had credible careers and were privy to everything about this misguided coup?
What they are saying is proof of my stance from the beginning that this coup is nothing but a series of criminal activities carried out by a cartel of sinister power hungry criminals.At least this lot have come to the realization that they have broken the law and were party to the mess that Fiji is in today. I will not rest until they too face their day in the courts and be brought to justice.
It is pleasing to see that they are now doing what they should have done in the beginning of this misguided coup back in 2006.That is, to legally use their influence abroad to get rid of this illegal regime and bring its dictator to justice.
I support the use of legal sanctions and actions of whatever nature to bring down the corrupt and parasitic Bainimarama system of governance that has strangled Fiji since 2006.
Wilson, it’s very instructive to see the downward spiral in your contributions to this site. You started off as the epitome of reason, became increasingly petulant and have now descended into outright abuse. And all because we won’t embrace your vision of indigenous paramountcy in Fiji – the underlying premise of all your arguments. A typical extremist. My way or the highway. And a headlong rush down a blind alley towards a brick wall.
Graham
For me as a layman I dont buy these peoples sudden change of heart.These are wolves in sheeps clothing. The guy who coined the phrase “Birds of the same feather flock together” must be rolling in his grave as “Birds of a different feather are now flocking together
Inosi, I agree that these were the losers from this misguided coup from 2006.Others missing from the photo are Bainimarama,Leweni,Naivalurua,Teleni, Khaiyum, Kubuobola, Ahkoy, Davis, Avatar, Inosi,Sakaraia and others who are yet to wake up from their slumber of stupidity.
Finally we can converse intelligently with Wilson. God bless Fiji. There is hope after all.
Gentlemen,
I am rather saddened by all the discussions and angst being bandied on this website and I will not add or inflame these discussions any further as I truly feel for all comments whether right or wrong in my view.that we don’t help Fiji’s political situation to progress and prosper for the good of all citizens of Fiji irrespective of ethnicity. I see human beings who need to be understood and tolerated to a certain extent because the reality is, if we are to support those in government whether they have made errors in judgement and delivery of service to the people, we will surely be scrapping the barrel for the saints without sins to run the country. If we are Christians, let the first man without sin cast the first stone to bring down a wrong-doer and perhaps we wouldn’t have this scenario of mud-flinging to justify our opinions. I’m no saint but I will love and forgive everyone whether he has committed an error in his life not knowingly and have the benefit of being forgiven, understood and not crucified for his one act of misjudgment. But on the other hand if someone knowingly takes the wrong action to corruptly swindle the public and its people, then the consequences of his actions will be the law of the land.
I humbly request that we all conduct ourselves with more love, understanding and tolerance as human beings for one another as we are all God’s creation in his image and let’s uphold our spirituality. Blessings to you all.
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