Japan has damaged its close relations with Fiji by bowing to an Australian request not to proceed with plans to invite the Fijian leader, Frank Bainimarama, to an important regional conference this month. The Australian newspaper says Tokyo had been keen to ask Commodore Bainimarama to come to Japan for the triennial PALM Forum of Pacific leaders. But after the intervention of Australia’s foreign minister, Bob Carr, the Japanese prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, wrote to the Fijian leader explaining that his foreign minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, would be invited instead. Japan is reported to have been convinced by Australia that not enough has been done to lift “draconian” public-order regulations in Fiji.
Suva has reacted coolly, telling Japan that Ratu Inoke is “busy” with another international engagement and that the country will not be sending anyone to PALM. A Japanese Foreign Ministry official indicated Tokyo had been surprised and disappointed by Fiji’s response. “We took it as a very negative sign and we are very unhappy about it,” he said. But Japan clearly underestimated the offence caused in Suva by its decision to put its relationship with Australia first and allow Canberra to dictate Japanese policy.
Fiji had been hoping to capitalise on what The Australian described as Prime Minister Bainimarama’s first major opportunity to rejoin the international community since announcing a series of reforms aimed at restoring democracy. These include the formation of a commission to formulate a new constitution in the lead-up to planned elections in 2014. Japan, the paper says, had been keen to end the military leader’s diplomatic isolation by inviting him to attend the PALM talks. But that was before Mr Carr persuaded the government that Fiji had not yet done enough to warrant being rewarded.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry official said that Japan welcomed the promise of elections and constitutional consultation, but after “very, very in-depth consultations with Australia” decided to drop its push for the commodore’s attendance. “The public-order decree is (effectively) still in place and there’s still a quite significant chilling effect on various groups including trade unions,” The Australian quoted him as saying.
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr, who is visiting Tokyo for talks, welcomed Japan’s decision not to invite Commodore Bainimarama. “Our view is that we maintain our position on Fiji until we have been persuaded that the process of constitutional consultation is thoroughly open,” he said. “There have been encouraging signs in Fiji but the continuing process of consultation about a new constitution has some distance to go. But there should be no weakening of our position until democratic norms have been reinstated.”
In Suva, Australia’s intervention will be greeted with fury. The Fiji Government had hoped for a gradual thawing of relations with Canberra after Mr Carr spoke of “credible steps” to restore democracy when he recently visited the Fijian capital as part of a delegation from the Pacific Forum. But Japan’s snub to Prime Minister Bainimarama will also cause disappointment and dismay. In stark contrast with Australia and New Zealand, Japan has maintained good relations with Fiji and its ambassadors have had regular meetings with Bainimarama himself. Last month, Bainimarama warmly thanked Japan for its assistance at the opening of the new Japan-Pacific ICT ( Information and Communication Technology) complex at the University of the South Pacific. The Japanese Government provided $US 21.5 million for the project. Bainimarama also paid tribute to the outgoing Japanese ambassador, Yutaka Yoshizawa, who was seen to be especially popular in Fiji Government circles. As Fiji’s relations with Japan go into deep freeze, his successor, Eiichi Oshima, is likely to face a much cooler reception.
This article has subsequently appeared in the Fiji Sun.
POSTSCRIPT: The Fiji Government has issued the following statement from the Prime Minister, politely making plain that it would have expected the country’s leader to attend a leaders’ meeting and inviting his Japanese counterpart to visit Fiji.
Fiji will not be attending the sixth Pacific Island leaders meeting (PALM) in Tokyo, Japan this year.
While thanking Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda for inviting Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to the meeting, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said Fiji will not attend as it “is a meeting of leaders”. The Prime Minister was not invited.
Prime Minister Bainimarama said despite this Fiji is committed to promoting high levels ties between Fiji and Japan as Fiji and Japan have long enjoyed an excellent friendship.
He invited the Japanese Prime Minister to visit Fiji later this year to enhance these political and economic ties.
Prime Minister Bainimarama said Fiji has recently engaged with the international community at an unprecedented level.
He said the constitution consultation process towards the 2014 democratic election had started and the government remains focused on implementing the roadmap for democracy and sustainable socio-economic development.
He said the government has received the full support of most members of the United Nations for the roadmap.
“With the recent conclusion of the UN Needs Assessment Mission and the visit by the Forum Ministerial Contact Group, we expect to remain fully engaged with and receive the full support of all members of the international community on our way forward to democratic elections based on what is best for Fiji and its people,” the Prime Minister said.
All this disgraceful nonsense was orchestrated by a man (Carr) who is not an elected official and who represents a government with a paltry 30% approval rating and who have no possibility winning the next election. Leave Fiji alone Frank is doing a great job.
Bainimarama is an unelected despot, they don’t want him at PALM..you people need to get real..
Oh wellcome,
Got off the other side of the bed this morning!!! Well your paymaster is still Bob, the (for your disappointment) sun still rises from the east and yes, Bainimarama is still the PM of Fiji.
Boss going to Japan?? Don’t forget to remind him to extend both his hands and keep his PALMS open.
Best wishes
Bainimarama is not going, thats fine with us. What about that obese ass kisser from Samoa called Tuilaepa.
Well as Graham himself said some weeks ago ” democracy is coming back to Fiji -albeit slowly ” they say the ride gets rougher towards the end of the journey
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/reserve-grader-fumbles-the-big-league/story-fn53lw5p-1226360567933
Bob Carr likes to think he is a grand statesman of the labor Party in Australia. Some of us had hopes that his coming into foreign affairs would start better dialogue with Fiji even though the Labor Government is emminently cringe worthy on the international stage. No such luck, Unfortunately he is rapidly becoming the class clown. This excellent piece by Peter Van onslen gives one view from an Australian perspective. It doesn’t include his latest gaffes and the future chapters are open!.
terry tavita
Bainimarama may be an unelected despot, but he is no pleaser or ass kisser like you and your boss Tuilaepa.
Of course Tui is going to PALM..he’s a real elected leader unlike Baini who is a pretend leader..the truth is, the Japanese and all those other coutries don’t want an unelected despot stinking up their meeting..
real countries with real leaders attending PALM next week – Japan, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand.
Terry, sorry but a Pacific meeting without Fiji is like a gathering of European royals without the Queen of England. The biggest star is missing.
I see you’ve got Fiji on your list of attendees but it’s decided not to go at all. It’s the Japanese who are now upset but they have only themselves to blame. They ought to have realised the inconsistency of inviting Fiji’s foreign minister but not the prime minister to a Pacific leader’s meeting. Same team, same dictatorship.
You can go on about Frank Bainimarama as much as you like on behalf of your boss, the Samoan prime minister. But he’s the leader of the most influential of the island states and chairman of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the regional body that represents most Pacific Islanders. If the opinion polls are to be believed, he’s also the likely winner of the Fiji election in 2014.
Fijians who support the reform process he’s undertaking – to provide the first genuine democracy in the country’s history and not the sham that existed before – look forward to the day when your boss has to shake his hand whether he likes it or not. And, bro, I’ll be watching your face as he does it.
Bainimarama’s Fiji has zero influence in the region..it has no voice at CHOGM and no representation in the FORUM where all the region’s major decisions are made..the MCG is not a major player in the region and its influence is largely in the Melanesian bloc countries and territories..it only has 3 votes in the 14-member Forum, that’s why it couldn’t the last 5 years get Fiji reinstated, least mention the F-word in Forum discussions..there’s much about the region’s politics you need to understand Graham..if Fiji was so influential, why isn’t Baini heading off to Tokyo?..oh yea, he wasn’t invited..
“Terry, sorry but a Pacific meeting without Fiji is like a gathering of European royals without the Queen of England. The biggest star is missing.”
tap-tap..you need to wake up princess..
Terry, zero influence? it’s incredible how deluded members of the Samoan hierarchy like you really are. All hat and no ranch, as the Texans like to say.
Where’s your airline? Bust. What regional organisations are in your capital? None. Where’s your military? You don’t have one.
Instead, you have to plant your arse on a Fijian plane to get to Honolulu or Nadi, you have to come to Suva for regional meetings and you sit around the kava bowl while Fijian troops do the heavy lifting for the western alliance and the UN in trouble spots like Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mate, you can swagger around the bars of Apia all you like. You can force your motorists to drive on the other side of the road. You can move your whole country across the International Dateline to where we’ve always been. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it’s all talk. Yes, all hat and no ranch.
All the major UN offices are hosted in Apia (UNDP, FAO, UNESCO, etc). Since the 2006 Fiji coup, the big regional metings have been held in Samoa, the Cook Is and Vanuatu..but that’s not really the point, Samoa is respected because it’s, WELL RUN, and I really don’t need to explain that to you..like I said, boy, much you need to learn about the region..you can start by visiting a mature country like samoa, as i know you’ve never been to this part of the region..
oh, and Virgin Samoa (formerly Polynesian Blue) is doing very well..been turning out profits for six consecutive years since its inception in 2006..now, nuff schooling for you today..nyt-nyt
does australia ever give up, what they are doing is going to alienate them in the pacific as their bullying tactics worked in colonial days but know the pacific has educated young people who understand the politics. if australia wants to have influence in the pacific they have to have mutual respect for fiji as well as other pacific nations. going to tokyo and working behind the scenes to make franks regime not welcomed does not change any thing because fiji does not care , what the labor gov in australia think off them. i reside in sydney and being a ex fiji national pisses me off. i am a labour voter but come next election will vote for tony abort as he has a more consulting attitude towards fiji. god bless fiji and australia. cheers
Bob Carr in Japan
Thank Christ!
Why should Frank be there, he has virtually abandoned his PM role to his AG to partake in one junket after another.
Thank your stars that low life rabid nationalist coupster Kubuabola is not going to be there either.
Japan, the people of Fiji love you.
Do not be concerned.
What you must all do is make good time of your meeting and put in a place a shadow roadmap to our present regimes roadmap that clearly has carrot and stick element to ensure they do not renege from there undertakings.
Do not blink.
Terry Tavita… Fiji should cut your country free. That is, cease trade and transportation. But guess what VB won’t do that because he is too much of a statesman. Samoa’s economy is so so small in comparison to Fiji.
Terry Tavita waffles on about democratic elected government but I fail to see what’s really democratic about the samoan system where one has to be of chiefly class to even stand for election. Hardly a genuine democracy. Frank’s efforts represent the ONLY credible effort in the pacific to eradicate corruption and nepotism. His efforts will surely propel Fiji even further ahead of other pacific economies and people like Tavita will only become even more envious.
Japan snubs Fiji and invites its Foreign Minister…Fiji’s doesnt bite and bows out all together! Good one PM! Its always nice to be reminded that despite our individual national anthems, flag raising ceremonies etc etc, we are still being dictated by Australia and New Zealand….
Food for thought for Terry from Samoa…..if you can remind us on the process of the electing of a PM in Samoa, I think you’ll realise that only in Samoa can your opinion matter!
Terry, your delusion knows no ends. The Pacific Forum secretariat – the body you trumpet as the only regional grouping of any consequence – is in Suva. And as I said, if you want to fly from Apia to Nadi or Honolulu – two of the biggest centres in the region – you have to plant your arse on a Fijian majority owned plane. Virgin Samoa, eh? Haven’t seen that in LA or HK.
I see you don’t want to address the issue of Samoa’s irrelevance in keeping order in the rest of the world. Because compared to Fiji, your country is very small beer on the international stage and always has been. Your Vailima brew isn’t bad but I haven’t seen it much beyond Samoa, which makes it something of a metaphor for your country. All froth and no reach.
Debating with you is like talking to a 12-year old..air pacific flies nadi-apia-honolulu for commercial reasons and certainly not for charitable causes..good on them..there are tens of thousands of samoans and american samoans in honolulu (many more than fijians), if air pacific wasn’t making a profit it would have ceased the route by now..do you know anything about the airline business graham?..air pacific’s apia-honolulu route is just business and not cause for some twisted nationalistic fervour dummy..for a so-called award winning journo I’m surprised by your level of stupidity..
..and don’t worry, we are a matured and humble country and really don’t need to shout our humble achievements from the rooftops..fiji is the center of the universe..hepi?
Oh, and there are probably ten times more Samoan soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan than Fijians there..go figure..
As I say, Terry, deluded. “Ten times more Samoan soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan” than Fijians. Wanna bet your fale on that one?
Never mind debating a 12-year old. This absurd concoction and the tortured way you’ve tried to deflect the indisputable fact that Samoa is dependent on a Fijian airline lowers your own line of argument to that of a toddler.
Fiji doesn’t need Samoa for anything. You need Fiji for quite a lot. So let’s end this pretence and get on with it.
Samoa isn’t dependent on Fiji, that’s why Tui can say whatever he wants about Baini..get a clue..much you don’t know about the region mate..
Terry, I suddenly realise you’re claiming ethnic Samoans serving with US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq as your own. No, they are American citizens from the US territory of American Samoa. It’s an entirely separate country.
Mate, there’s something strange and pretty distasteful about you trying to appropriate them to make political capital for your own do-nothing government. They fight and die for the US so that some loudmouth to the West can make a cheap little boast? Pretty grubby even by your usual standards.
we are all Samoans mate, though politically divided..Samoa is, mai le tai samasama o le Tui Manu’a se’i paia le tai ulaula a Nafanua, from the yellow tide of Tui Manu’a (east) to the crimsom tide of Nafanua (west)..when Samoa gathers, these are the honorifics, Afio le Usoga a Tumua ma Pule, Ituau ma Alataua (Savai’i), Aiga i le Tai ma le Va’a o Fonoti (Upolu), Afio Fofo ma Itulagi, Sa’ole ma le Launiu na Saelua (Tutuila), To’oto’o o le Faleula ma Tama o le Manu’atele (Manu’a)..tell your Samoan friend to explain that to you..eh, I probably have to charge you for relaying this important knowledge of fa’asamoa..all Samoans on planet Earth are related..
Yes, Terry, and I’m related to Cro-magnon man, though not as closely as you.
yawn..must be hard being a palagi..don’t worry, you’re not alone, most people wish they were Samoan..
Well, I did say when he and N.Z McCully came here, that they were both full of shit!! So nothing has changed.
terrry tuilaepa
samoa is a backward country struglling to be recognised in the global arena.
Samoa isn’t dependent on Fiji, that’s why Tui can say whatever he wants about Baini..get a clue..
How dare Australia try to influence the affairs of our Fiji and who the hell this bacteria from Samoa think he is? Direct your fecal matter to your PM Tilapia.
Fijian soldiers have given their service since the world wars and brilliant at what they do with many standing out like S.Sukanaivalu VC. If counting the ethnicity of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, there are many serving Fijians in the british army excluding our RFMF commitments? Samoa can say whatever about Bainimarama; he has respects from much bigger places with the likes of India, china, Russia, USA and Brazil. Russian foreign minister only visited Fiji from the small island nations to pay a courtesy call to the pm when he came to Sydney for a summit. oh yes, frank is most likely to head the International sugar organisation next year as he is the current vice president has lot of support from likes of brazil the sugar producing giants. Cheers
terry tavite
Can you tell me what bad thing has Bainimarama done to you and your boss fat Tuilaepa to make both of you hate him personally
Ya, Apia is an overgrown village. In terms of size, it is somehting like Ba but wthout the stray dogs that take over Apia streets at night.
Terry is probably also counting on the number of Samoans carrying New Zealand passports and serving with the NZ army in whereever.
Not to worry Terry we are all Pacific brothers in arms.Lets look beyond these petty skirmish and focus on what really matter for our common survival as ocean people.Rise in pollution,carbon levels and ocean acidification which is a direct threat to our people come on ” Wansolwara ” !!
i sure do..they all our brethren..see this middle finger..fark you palagi..you don’t define what a Samoan is..
@ Terryn’t Tevita
Can I call you the court jester of the PALM!! But didn’t you lose your little middle fingers while trying to wriggle out the wallet from uncle Bob’s back pocket…and this is why you have lost your sense of smell and direction. And you thought that you could move your country forward by moving the clock forward so you could be closer to the international date line. And you thought that the following morning you would be able to see the shores of your mother land with uncle Bob and uncle Kevin waving a few green dollars and Macdonald vouchers welcoming you all…doh
The Welsh lost their middle fingers fighting for the good cause ( against the ruling English ) to save their country.The Samoans lost theirs by sticking them up their own backsides in their ramshackle beachside faleulas !!!
@Terry Tavita,
Hollywood has given us The Dictator. Samoa has given us Tavita.
On a serious note, Terry and boss is god’s cruel joke to the Pacific.
and Fiji has given the pacific embarrassing despots like rabuka, speight and bainimarama..shame..little kiddie country..
Terry,in your Fa’a Samoa words I don’t see the words Fa’a fa’a fine and Fale Wila or Fale Ula and Afakasi in your vocabs !!
Samoa has had two judges sit in the World Court at the Hague – Judge Slade and Judge Lussick. Judge Lussick found the dictator from Liberia guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity last month.
Bainimarama better be careful otherwise he might be appearing before a Samoan judge at the Hague hahaha.
Fark you and your judges…
Dear Petelo,
My high school english teacher was a Samoan Lady by the name of Mrs Tui and if I recall rightly her husband was a professor at the University of the South Pacific. Her family name was pretty long to remember but my, my…was she good. 30 Years later my friend, I still remember her. I only wish Tavita was also her student.
In the later years,I have had the good fortune to be in the same class as a lot of Samoans at the Telecom. Training Centre in Fiji. I only wish Tavita was also in the company of such multi-racial group. Such joyful and beautiful people.
Good on the judges. These were the product of hard work…people who would not rely on handouts but strive for self pride despite all the odds. These people and the Judges as well can stand up proud…there is no doubt about that.
Petelo, I have seen the kind of leadership that brings a country to its knees. Right from the 1987 up until 2006. The kind of corrupt and racist agendas that the previous governments had…to isolate almost 40% of the population…you know the end game for us Indians did’nt matter as much as I believe that from almost every family at least one member has migrated and can fully support their being in Fiji. But what about the i-TAukei brothers and sisters who were caught in this corrupt web where only the chiefly connections benefitted.
Bainimarama may not be a democratically elected rep but he has done what a lot of the other elected leaders have not ..including the Labour party member..Mahendra Chaudry. You see Petelo, the psychie of the Australia and the NZ government is this…keep the buggers corrupt and ignorant and they will be happy with the handouts we deliver. Do you think they really want a vibrant and prosperous pacific Island nation…where its people are smart and can question aids and motives etc. Hamas was democratically elected in the Gaza strip but nobody supported that gov’t because it did not conform to what US, Australia and other countries wanted…please note that when I say governments, I do’t mean the people of such countries….these are very beautiful people that I meet every day.
My point being Petelo, I can see where Samoa is heading and so do a lot of people. Terry and his PM has allowed that country to be a lap dog of the Ausies.
Your government may not be viewed the same when Liberal Party comes to power .
I mean would you like to keep the previous owners pet dog when you occupy the residence…after a time it only becomes a barking (farking as Terry would put it)nuisance.
Save her.
Samoa is not a lapdog of anyone..samoa’s opposition to the bainimarama military regime is a matter of principle that obviously you do not understand..
Terry,
Really…beggers have principles….ok it must be a farking principle. Good on you and Tui.
Good on you Tavita.
I imagine the principle you refer to is elected government so while we are on the subject please explain what is principled about your government having to be of chiefly class, for instance you yourself being a plebian like the rest of us could not stand for election because you are not a chief. So your leadership is cosily kept within a small class of self interested people. You have also forgotton that the great majority of us Rotfians support VB just look at the lowy thinktank survey and its certainly my clear impression around the country. So I don’t understand your beef about “principles”.
Samoa does not have a class system..acquiring a matai title – a perequisite to running for public office – is a rite of passage. I have two such titles. Every family has several matai titles you can take up. There are 36,000 registered matai titleholders in a country of just 179,000, excluding children as under current laws you can only take up a title when you reach 18.
The Samoan parliament is a microcosm of every day Fa’asamoa in the family and the village. The matai makes the decisions..
Tavita is right; Samoa does not have a class system. It is a much more homogenous and less complicated society than Fiji. Fiji is beset with different pressures and divisions in the polity vis a vis Samoa.
In Fiji, the quasi-feudal set up and chiefly system give rise to ‘elite politics’ where the chiefly elite have set up alliances with local business, the Lotu (Church), sections of the government bureaucracy and of course the military where they have set up a patron-client relationship which had its apogee in the Rabuka coup of 1987.
Fiji;s ethnic and religious diversity is complicated by internal cultural differences and “imperative coordination” between the Polynesian eastern maritime provinces viz a viz the more flatter and Melanesian Western side of Fiji. As we all know it was the British who iadopted or imposed the chiefly, dynastic traditions of the Eastern Fiji with ts similarities to the Scottish clan system, as being the ‘orthodoxy’ for Fijian society (read the work of Peter France).
So, really you cant compare Samoa to Fiji. They have a different historical experience and culturally, Fiji is much more diverse – which explains the more complicated political challenges that Fiji has to overcome.
Dont get me wrong, I have been to Samoa and like many other Fijians I have a very healthy respect for the Samoan people and culture. I see a lot of us (Fijians) in Samoa.
I think we can also learn a lot from Samoa. For one, the cleanliness and discipline of their villages which obviously is a result of theitr Matai system. Second, and unlike Fiji, there is much less time wasting kava drinking there by their menfolk. And of course, we in Fiji can learn from the discipline and commitment of Manu Samoa – I guess there are more Manu Samoa fans in Fiji that they are in Samoa! Now thats a good thing.
I am not sure whether this Fiji vs Samoa thing on this blog will yield anything productive. Forget about Tavita. He represents a personal (and passionate) view about Samoa. He is a son of Samoa and we dont expect anything less.
Lets get on with life and pray to God that He will look above our weaknesesses as humans and heap all His Blessings upon the peoples of Samoa and Fiji.
God Bles You all
very good assessment Pious and Tavita malo and thank you so much for giving us so much food for thought and keep on posting Sole.There is quite a substantial Samoan community spread out all over Fiji.I would say the Polynesian influence and intergration is widespread throught out Fiji as well and not just concentrated on the eastern islands.You only have to travel some kilometers inland from Sigatoka to see how far the Tongans had advanced and my home island down south has its fare share as well.I have always said we Fijians need to have that zest and passion for life and accomplishments like the Tongans.When they play rugby its like a war,when they study they give it their all ( Tongans have the greatest Phd holders in the Pacific ) and when they eat there is no tomorrow.So yes Fiji and i taukei lets celebrate and be proud of our diversity and relish our position in the Pacific and its important we unite with other pacific islanders in the pursuit of whats really at stake like the environment,pollution etc
The difference between Fiji and Samoa right now is simple. In Samoa, the media take potshots at Tuilaepa every single day, calling him all sorts of names. That crazy old man who runs the Samoa Observer wakes up every morning thinking up of new ways to take a running dump on Tuilaepa and his HRPP govt.
If the Fiji media try and do that to the dear leader, father of the nation, Comrade Voreqe, you will get thrown in prison lol I didn’t expect anything from Bainimarama’s personal fanclub at the Fiji Sun, but the Fiji Times used to be one of the most respected newspapers in the Pacific. The Grand Old Man of Pacific newspapers has been reduced to a whimpering servant to the military junta. Even after the military took its official paws off the media earlier this year, these two newspapers are still ironing Bainimarama’s undies every morning. When Baini asks: “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” The Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times daily answer is: “why you are sire!”
Really Petelo, is this the best assessment that can come from you…you’re insulting the intelligence of the average Samoan. If you understood my reply to your earlier blog on the same topic, you would have by now come out of your TeTuiTa mentalty . But alas….I’m not sure you’re worth debating.
@ Petelo
Very true. Cant argue against your point.
Fiji Times really went to the dogs pre 2006 under Russell Hunter and his sidekick, Netani Rika. They engaged in skirt journalism and were anti-Indian (Mahen Chaudhry’s government in particular). Thakur Singh exposes the Hunter-Rika agenda in his thesis on the Fiji Times. Under Hunter & Rika the Fiji Times lost all credibility. Then along came Frank who put in censors in the newsroom of the papers. That damaged the Fiji Times all the more.
Thankur doesn’t have any credibility..he’s a regime apologist like graham davies..
Terry, with your pretensions to credibility as a journalist, you might at least get my name right. It’s Davis not Davies, as you keep writing.
davies, davis..whatever..you’re a nobody..you and thakur aint good enough to wipe my arse with..
lol!….So does that mean that PM Tilapia is good enough for your arse?
Now that explains alot! now wonder ur PM reeks…lol!
That’s ok Terry, the only people good enough to do that are the ones who voted your boss in power. If you do that to your boss and who knows you may get another Matai…then you can shout to the world that you have 3 (Isn’t that how you got the second on !!). If uncle BOB comes to know about that, you may be able to offer your services to him as well…he might give you a bigger Matai ..and maybe an extra Macdonalds coupon, then you can boast of having 4….ummm let me see who else..oh try coup 4.5.
Oh boy o boy….this just gets better with this guy. It goes by the indian saying: You don’t have to look for an ass, it makes an appearance in front of you….this guy is a perfect script for a commedy…seriously.
Keep going, Terry. More fodder for another piece. I’m on your case, bro.
rarara..you big cry baby..you can shove your pen up where the light don’t shine..please write fifty more nasty articles about me..I don’t give a sh!t..
real news here the average fijian should read..
http://www.coupfourandahalf.com/
the piece on military overspending is excellent..
To the fellow bloggers, who don’t know who Terry is:
Prime Minister of Samoa then comes CEO and then Communications and Press and then Savali Newspaper and this is where Terry comes into play…see below.
•”The Savali Newspaper :–Editor :- Name: Tupuola Terry Tavita Leupolu
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS:
•To inform the general public on Government news and policies, social, economic and political issues; Land and Titles Court decisions and other official matters and to create awareness of how the quality of life of all Samoan citizens can be improved.”
But it is here where it gets interesting. This paper is the mouth piece of the Prime Minister of Samoa…please google Terry’s full name and get the full picture as to why these guys are so spiteful of Bai.
HAve a look into his Savali Website:
Public Address….zero
Weekly address…zero
Speeches and remarks ….zero
Gov’t actions…..zero and on and on. But here is what gets interesting:- ETHICS….zero….nothing mate and seriously do we expect something from this guy who is supposedly the media man for Tui.
And here is the irony: this guy doesn’t even know as to how many people lives in his country let alone the number of “Matai’s. Below is the stat from the Bureau of Stat of Samoa:
“In the 49-seat parliament of independent Samoa, all 47 Samoan Members of Parliament are also matai, performing dual roles as chiefs and modern politicians, with the exception of the two seats reserved for non-Samoans.[3]
The 2006 official census of independent Samoa identified a total of 15,783 matai (8.7%) living in the country from a total population of 180,741. Of the total number of matai, 12,589 (79.8%) were male and 3,194 (20.2%) were female.[4]”
Remember Terry’s claim of 36,000 Matais?????
This is where the Matais or the Chiefs come in. Remember in the earlier blog Terry had mentioned that he holds 2 matai titles….and how many other people would hold 2 or more. Therefore the % of Matais would definately drop from the Stat of 8.7%.
It gets interesting man…47 members of parliament have to be Matais…
Is it any wonder that these guys despise Bainimarama???? They have a reason to man…..
And they talk of Democracy and Freedom of press…what a joke these guys are.
If the Matai system works for you….just keep it in your country and leave Fiji alone because you guys don’t qualify to talk about Democracy. You guys are suppressing your own people man…..
And youv’e become fair game.
the 36,000 figure is outdated..there’s probably about 45K-50K registered matai now..our website is a work in progress, we plan to add a few more futures in the next few weeks..anyway, I have a very ambivalent view of a govt media..we have a role to play but at the end of the day people shouldn’t be getting all their news from govt..that’s dangerous..we do have a mailing list of over a 1000 email addresses to send out ministerial speeches, news, press releases and Cabinet decisions..
anyway, i don’t pormally respond to anonymous posters and letter writers..because they are never personally accountable to sh!t they write..so don’t be skurred..I wont bite..stake your claim state your name mate..
Those stats are outdated. A census was conducted in 2011. The SBS is always out of date.
Put it simply, it is not hard to get a matai title in Samoa. Every family has a handful of major titles and a plethora of minor titles (which they could actually manufacture out of nowhere by splitting existing titles, or have one of the senior chiefs appoint some more).
There are so many matai in Samoa that a commission of inquiry is looking into whether there are too many and whether this is impacting on the good governance of villages and clans. The modern trend in Samoa is to split titles. Many titles have over 50 holders, with at least half of those title holders residing overseas. However, the government has no real say over titles. Titles are the domain of families / clans. If families want to split their titles, it is totally up to them.
I hope the spokesperson for the PM knows that there was a census done in his country in 2011.
Ok then the stats may be out by a few thousands or whatever, but the fact still remains that Samoa is not a true democracy, a country where the rest of the not so matai persons cannot contest elections….that’s my point..whichever way you rub it.
And oh yes we no longer care what NZ and australia thinks of your democracy…quite frankly.
Terrior, the matai are elected by their families. For the major titles, branches of families fiercely contest the election of the title-holder(s). That is why so many titles are split – because the families cannot agree. In the past, they used to go to war. Nowadays, they go to the Lands & Titles Court. It usually takes years for families to agree on title-holders.
The titles could actually be stripped from these title holders as well.
So it is democratic.
Terrior RC – you have no idea of samoa and its faa matai system. as terry tavita stated it is a perequisite to running for public office, like any country there is a criteria to be met before you are allowed to run, for e.g you need to be citizen for one, not being imprisoned for more than 2 years . Both Men and Woman can take up Matai title thru their families and FYI those 2 seats now have Matai holders holding them, that infor your going on is so old, i guess the peeps at Mulinuu havent come to updating them. One thing Samoa will always have over Fiji is that we are most politically stabled country in the Pacific region due to leadership of Matai in keeping the peace. Much alofa to my Uso’s from Fiti (Fiji)
Please don’t lecture me about your faa matai system and your so called democratic system of government where 80-90% of the non-matais cannot get to hold public office. A country of 186,000 with 49 members of parliament and only 10-20% of the people eligible to hold office. Some democracy.
North Korea has stability as well my friend. Saudi Arabia has stability as well my friend.
Good luck if your Matai keeps peace and stability. Dignity of a country is not determined by a handfull of chiefs having a strangle hold on the rest of the population and calling it democracy. If Australia and the NZ governments can be appeased with your so called democracy so be it and quite frankly we in Fiji don’t give 2 hoots about it. Fiji won’t fight with its neighbours for the leftover bones thrown about by the 2 pacific giants to. Be it a military dictorship, it has got dignity and that will be defined by the people of Fiji themselves. Terry and company can continue barking.
Our relationship with the ordinary Samoans will continue to prosper.
Samoa ke logon humara Fiji se bahut bahut salaam aur namaste aur Bula.
There is saying in samoan – “Na tofia e le Atua Samoa ina ia pulea e matai” loosely translated that “God chose Matai to rule and govern Samoa.” However being a Matai also brings great responsibility and duties to perform for your aiga (family), nu’u (village), Lotu (church) and atunu’u (country). As i said before a Matai is chosen by their aiga and the aiga also have the power to strip that person of their matai titele, so really the people who really hold the power are the aiga and nuu. Sometimes being Matai is like slaving yourself to aiga and nuu, b/c your doing everything that they want. i dont see how they have a strangle hold on our population. B/c when they make decision on our behalf, its really the aiga and nuu decision as matai need to consult their respective aiga for guidence(soalaupule) on whole range of issues. Also mate you cannot seriously compare North Korea to Samoa. Samoa is more democratic society than N.Korea, we have a free media and we do get to critise our leaders without fear or reprisal. I sometimes call Tuilaepa a arrogant bastard in our newspaper, b/c he is most of time but we are proud of what he has done to the development of samoa. BTW Matai who get voted into parliament (fono) are elected by both Matai and Non-Matai.
As I said before that if the system works for Samoa thats ok. I’m happy for the Samoan people. In fact I have been a keen follower and admirer of the Manu Samoan team from the days of Peter Fatialofa (pardon my spelling) and Pat LAm.
You can come out with all the talk but the fact remains it is not a democratic country by definition. The fact remains that 80-90% of the non Matai people cannot hold public office by the Grace of GOD. If GOD has chosen Matai to govern their people so be it, but by GOD keep it to the confines of Samoa.
Fiji does not need your GOD given Terry Tavita and Tui to tell us what needs be. I know that Terry has 2 Matai titles so God must be doubly pleased with him….
These 2 guys are a blot in the long term Fiji-Samoa relationship.
Stop talking crap. You just got shut down in a debate. It is best you run along now. Samoa’s system is democratic, at all levels of governance. The people of Samoa elect their matai to represent their families on the village councils and also elect their matai to serve their districts in parliament.
Baini and his followers can talk democracy all they want, but until it actually happens, it is all just hot tropical air. Oh, one part of being a democracy is to allow other points of view without the fear of being thrown in prison by the regime.
Terry and Petelo,
Just remember this, I will not run and hide and whether you like it or not I will be here challenging you all. You guys can go and tell whoever in your country to shut up and hide and no doubt that you would be using the Matai to bully. This is my point…most of you guys are no different from bullys and thugs of the previous fijian regimes and the so called democratic governments.
Terry, I am who I am and whether you respond or not does not bother me and since you are the so called God chosen Matai and a mouth piece of the Samoan Regime, you all are fair Game. You and your Boss have chosen to this path so have some guts man…..so called brave enough to to hide behind big brothers and fire your vollys but coward enough not to take up the challenge to respond. You cannot hide man, this is just the begining and I’m prepared to debate you all….come on lets have it…..get more of mates, just a couple of you gets boring for me.
yea, that’s real brave from someone who hides behind a moniker..must be a fijian thing..eh, anyway, tired of this rubbish joint and its deluded crap..bye-bye..
No guts eh Terry…..tail between the legs..uii
In case you haven’t realized..I aint scared of a dumb anonymous little shitbag like you..moce mada..
Oh you low life coward…..big chief plenty shit….you have more coming mate so people can know of the con-artist of Samoa
Oh…I’m loving this
Ok here’s a quiz for you. Correct answer gets you a Macdonalds Voucher.
What is the population of Samoa?
1. $170.00
2. Tui
3. $186.00
4. Uncle Bob.
Terry is not a journalist.
He is the Samoan prime minister’s mouthpiece.
There is a big difference.
At best, he is a wannabe journalist.
Just a quick question, can anyone enlighten me as to who the fak is this victor lal from oxford who happens to think he knows everything about the Fiji government. Obviously he will never step on the Fijian soil again so he can say he whatever he likes. Cheers
Vinny, the following is from Victor Lal’s own website:
Victor Lal was educated in his native Fiji Islands and at the University of Oxford and specializes in conflicts, coups and constitutionalism in multi-ethnic states. He was Reuters, Wingate and Research Fellow at Oxford. Victor Lal was Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Scandinavian Studies, University College, London, Guest Nobel Fellow at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, and was an associate researcher on ‘Project 1905: Swedish-Norwegian Relations for 200 Years’, hosted by the University of Oslo. He has held visiting fellowships in Norway, South Africa, Australia and Fiji Islands. Among his publications include Fiji: Coups in Paradise-Race, Politics and Military Intervention and a forthcoming book Towards a World Without War: Andrew Carnegie, Peacemakers and Nobel Peace Prize, 1901-1951. He is completing a book on East African Indians and the Mau Mau Rebellion in Kenya and the biography of Justice Ransley Thacker, the judge who jailed Jomo Kenyatta. In 2008 Victor Lal was co-winner of Fiji’s prestigious Robert Keith-Reid Award for Outstanding Journalism.
Vinny,
Namaste Bhai, I may have missed Victor Lal and his blog/writings and would appreciate if you could guide me to the site to whatever he has written.
Thanks in advance
Thanks graham, pretty long CV, does not necessary mean what he thinks or says is always right.
Thx
Vinny, Victor is arguably Fiji’s finest investigative journalist and turns out excellent work if and when it takes his fancy. He also seems like a nice bloke in my dealings with him except that we see things very differently at the moment.
fair enough, He has all the answers to what is wrong with the present government but I would like to know what are his alternative views. I mean if the military did not take over the government, I would have had to pay some money to dip into the crystal clear waters of the nadi bay next time i was in fiji under Mr qarase. May be that would have been ok because that was a democratic government according to the west minister system. May be that would have made all the western powers and him ok. any ways just a thought.cheers
hi Terrior RC bro,
i sometime take a peak at coup4.5, as the saying goings “keep your friends close but your enemeys closer” as its good to know whats cooking the other side of the fence.
he has a new blog.
cheers.
Thanks and I will have a look. Take care.