Disturbing reports are reaching Grubsheet of widespread drunkenness on board the new Australian-donated Fiji Navy vessel that crashed into the dock in Suva at the end of its delivery voyage in a major embarrassment to the military and every Fijian.
The majority of the ship’s complement is said to have been so intoxicated that the Minister for Home Affairs and Defence, Pio Tikoduadua, ordered that they be locked in their cabins. They were later escorted from the vessel and have been detained pending an investigation.
There has clearly been a major breakdown in discipline in the RFMF. And its Commander, Major General Jone Kalouniwai, needs to start addressing it or move aside so that someone else can focus on its principal duty to protect the nation and perform its duties to a proper standard.
Too much emphasis has been given to the “reconciliation” process within the RFMF at the expense of maintaining discipline and standards. The sh*t show in government has clearly spread to our disciplined forces, whether it is corruption in the Fiji Police or a Navy that cannot be trusted to perform the most basic seamanship.
The RFMF has the requirement under the Constitution to protect the wellbeing of every Fijian. But it can’t even dock a naval patrol boat at a wharf in its home town without damaging it.
Shocking and totally unforgivable. And if it is true that all this took place in front of the Australian High Commissioner and official guests at the arrival ceremony, then a serious question arises. Why should Australian taxpayers keep funding replacement equipment for the RFMF when it clearly cannot be trusted to look after it?
Part of the story – but not the drunkenness – in the weekend Fiji Sun.
What the Fiji Navy did to its last Australian “gift” – the RFNS Puamau. Hopeless.
Just a week ago, Jone Kalouniwai was pledging to “restore public trust in the RFMF”. Trust? We can even trust the Navy not to slam into a reef or a wharf.
Please get your priorities right, Commander. Enough reconciliation and forgiveness and more basic professionalism.
All that aside, where was our fearless PM. I expected him to be present at the dock in his full military regalia to receive the replacement vessel. He loves to bask in all the glory as we all know. Especially when anything is donated by a foreign government the PM cannot forgo a photo opportunity. You know, where were all the medals, the salusalu and the big fat cake? What is worng with this PM he missed this opportunity. Stupid donkey, or is that an oxymoron.
Oxymoron perhaps.
I’d venture to say speak on behalf of the donkeys. Please do not malign donkeys with the snake and senile, treasonous basstard turd we have as pm nor with pedophiles.
Donkeys cannot lie, commit treason, mutiny, nor are these beautiful animals repeat adulterers or pedos.
Donkeys are faithful inteligent beasts of burden that have served humanity loyally for millennia.
Baboons on the other hand…
GD. Not many may remember but the habit of crashing and destroying donor gifts by the incompetent military was started by the Jonah Rabuka in 1987. Very soon after baritone buka started his destruction of our country in May 1987 the French started a “masi polo” campaign to curry favour from the racist colonel. They gave the evil bastard many Renault trucks and even a helicopter. Guess what…all the trucks driven recklessly by buka’s macho henchmen met with accidents within a year or so and the helicopter crashed just off the beach somwwhere cos someone forgot something. Our airforce ended before it got off the ground properly. š . Since then the low standards introduced and influenced by bumbling buka has led to countless accidents and abuse of military hardware and equipment. Everything this evil sonalevu touches or is involved in is cursed! I’m just waiting for the curses of thousands of fijian families to catch up with buka…when he will have a very public meltdown and either shit and piss his pants or won’t even remember his name…maybe he will have both together…and the whole world will laugh at the evil prick.
Problem is we have a pliant desk officer as the new Commander RFMF who lacks the moral courage to move his fat and humpty dumpty senior officers out of the way to make room for brighter and more qualified.
These fat humpty dumptys cannot lead from the front. They recruit their nephews and neices into the RFMF who get priority listing on overseas service.
No wonder their soldiers surrender en masse in the Golan and their wannabe ‘Navy’ cant even navigate safely through a passage, and cant even park a ship properly. All this reflects poor leadership from the PM downwards.
Ha ha very true.
The Commander is more focussed on Group Hugs with previous coupmakers, when he should be kicking ass and getting his command up to a standard that prevailed pre 1987.
No wonder there is widespread distrust of the military (and police). Like a fish, the rot starts from the head.
Nah, it is not embarrassing at all. Australia will just give another vessel if they fcuk up again. You see Fijians are special people. That is what we call mentally challenged people in Australia.
Is there another term to describe them?
The president would more accurately describe them as, vutusona.
Why aren’t there any Indians, who make up 30% of the population in the Army and the Navy?
Logically, there should be 30% or close to representation in the natural course of everything.
Where aren’t there any Indians in Fiji Rugby by the same notion?
Has it got to do with racism and people are so racist that it has now beome the norm and just accepted. Even by the Indians, because I do not see any Indians bringing up this issue. And it is a big issue as far as I am concerned.
Hey bro.
You ask where are the Indians?
You should have asked that question in 1943 when the Japs were on their way to Fiji and had to be stopped in the Solomon Islands.
The Indians did not put their hands up then, in the same way they are not putting their hands up now!
The RFMF is a voluntary force. Why should they make way for people eho dont turn up at recruiting centres?
It is not. Voluntary force.
People get paid for sitting around.
I see, no Indians served in World War II? And if it was not for the iTaukei the Japs would be swarming all over the Pacific. So in that case it makes it right that there are no Indians in the Army, Navy and in Rugby in 2024 and forever after.
Is that the point you are making?
Did you vote for the current mob and are ecstatic?
Hey Kulina. I am pointing out the facts of history that you choose to ignore.
8Dont attack me…go talk to your kai India brothers who fail to show up at Army recruitment centres.
My response was directed at Army Vet, unless you are the same person.
Will Indians have religious freedom and appropriate conditions if and when Indians are recruited. Has a welcoming environment being put in place to attract Indians? Will they be required to follow Christian values and other things imposed on them? Has Fiji Rugby got an appropriate environment to welcome Indian players. Will the prayers they hold before and after every match going to be multi-religious? Are Indians being shut out by having an environment that they are not welcome in the first place. So as usual it is always someone elses fault. I believe the iTaukei are scared of Indians in these areas. I promise. Your attitude in calling me Kulina speaks of your character. Do you go to church and ask for forgiveness and are a hypocrite like the rest? Are you also one who hopes for divine intervention like they do in rugby and almost everything else through a vulagi religion.
Indians prefer not to join anything that is about free loading. Isnāt that what Fiji Army and Navy do? Whole day polish boots and guns. How have they served Fiji so far since the World War?
Look at the army in Fiji.
Most of them are wife beaters and cheaters.
Just freeloaders.
Coup makers.
They are welcome to being freeloaders.
“Army vet” must read up on history. It better to be thought to be a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
While native Fijian were eating each other in the 1900s, this entry from wikipedia is about about WWI -https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_PageWorld War I
The Indian Army fought against the German Empire on the Western Front. At the First Battle of Ypres, Khudadad Khan became the first Indian to be awarded a Victoria Cross. Indian divisions were also sent to Egypt, Gallipoli, German East Africa and nearly 700,000 served in Mesopotamia against the Ottoman Empire.[2] While some divisions were sent overseas others had to remain in India guarding the North West Frontier and on internal security and training duties.[3][4]
Field-Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from 1942 asserted that the British “couldn’t have come through both World War I and II if they hadn’t had the Indian Army.”[5][6]
India in WW2– During the Second World War (1939ā1945), India was a part of the British Empire. British India officially declared war on Nazi Germany in September 1939.[1] India, as a part of the Allied Nations, sent over two and a half million soldiers to fight under British command against the Axis powers. India was also used as the base for American operations in support of China in the China Burma India.
In Fiji, the British wanted Indians to remain in the cane fields and banana plantations as slaves lest they be killed in action, or worse, run away.
Here’s an interesting essay for captain Baku to read at his leisure: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33317368.amp
Btw, all branches of the current Indian military seem to be competent fight forces, having fought several wars on their own.
The natives racial stereotypes deliberately designed to create a hostile and unwelcome environment for indo Fijian to join. Plus, the native establishment are scared sh1tless of too many Indos joining and then did not participate in coups or carry out unlawful orders.
Yada yada yada from snother Kulina who misses the point.
The issue is Indians in Fiji failing to show up at Army recruiting centres.
A lecture on the Indian Army at the western front in WW1 is irrelevant and deflects from the main argument.
Out you go into the bin.
The natives racial stereotypes deliberately designed to create a hostile and unwelcome environment for indo Fijian to join. End quote
Baku, why aren’t more kailoma joining? The Micronesians? Other communities? See above.
As for Indians in WWI AND WWII- very relevant to make points Indians and other communities ate just as capable if not better.
You can’t fix stupid and ignorant racists.
Fiji Indians were serving in the MÄori Battalion via New Zealand. They were the most celebrated battalion of all time in New Zealand. That is after they moved from Fiji while on Girmitya.
The i-taukei need to learn the facts before opening their mouth.
Racism existed then and it is still happening today.
Happy mongoose.
You just worry about the Fiji Indians. The kailomas have their names already inscribed on the honour roll of the National War Memorial….I suggest you go there when next in Fiji….it will reinforce the point being made.
Dont bring the Indian Army into this…they are a world class organisation.
Lets just focus on the issue at hand i.e. why Fiji kai India dont turn up in numbers at military recruitment centres.
There are no Indians-only Indoo Fijians. Their priorities are completely different and especially after 1987, 2000 and now 2022, the purpose is to educate and migrate. The far and few business people, primarily Gujaratis, who were not part of the indenture system, remain in influence and will continue to provide ammo to whichever government is in power.
Indo-Fijians in general either do not have the interest or physique to be in the armed services or in contact sports such as rugby.
That should be told to that ‘kulina’ felliw who is complaining about why Indians are not in the Army or in the Flying Fijians or Drua rugby squad etc.
Hey Willie, so Indians cannot play rugby or be in the army because they do not have the physique? Is that right? You did a research on that or is that just your observation?
The problem is not the Indians, the problem is that you are an idiot but you do not know it. And that is the biggest problem with hundreds of thousands in Fiji and it has become so normal. The arrogance and the assumption and the racism combined with fake vulagi Christianity.
Because india has no army, air force, navy, or military. Ditto Bangladesh. Only the Fijians are powerful, intelligent, and brave military strategists who have fought several wars defending Fiji. And this can only be successfully done by having beef, pork, and kava. Ask them.
The ships hitting reefs and docks are all Australia’s fault. Silly Australians still havent learnt to give us an amphibious boat. Or hovercraft.
As an Australian taxpayer, I find it absolutely stupid that these vessels get given to these people only for them to treat them with such disrespect. Lord knows with the cost of living crisis and the housing crisis here in Australia, that money would have been better served helping vulnerable Australians.
And the temerity of Fijians to say that the matters of their country are for them alone… Yes perhaps when you can pay for your own patrol boats and not require foreign assistance to prop up your economy – your affairs may be yours alone.
Until then, it is in all ‘donor’ countries interests to make sure that the money that is given to Fiji is well accounted for and part of that is a well functioning, transparent and accountable government.
Holly molly, we really are the banana Republic after all. This is just hillarious.
We just love going all out and not giving a shit about things. This all trickles from the top.
Have people forgotten the boat they put on top of Belchers Rocks, off Nukulau Isl.
Belchers Rocks, where the waves are a fearsome cauldron of smashing waves, even on the calmest of days, unmistakable on a radar, as good as a solid island on a screen, a very scary place for a seamen to venture close to.
Australia is the bigger fool here.
It’s just as well for Donor countries’ treasury aid budget and for personnel that would make up an air force – that Fiji does not have a conventional air force. The aircraft would be crashed and destroyed faster than you could say helicopter. Cheaper unmanned drones , the aerial weapons of modern warfare, likely wouldn’t fare any better in the hands of the operators. One would probably crash into Suva market.
In the Fijian Constitution Section 131 (2) it’s time for the Military to be replaced by Almighty God as the protector and entity responsible for our well being. The army and navy are adequately proving themselves to be impotent and unreliable – and definitely not a Disciplined Forces as they are usually described.
What a sad and sorry state of affairs. But the rainbow of hope in the grey skies is that the men’s rugby sevens team is finally winning in the finals….and that’s all that matters.
Let’s just reconcile and have a group hug, Ro Kalouniwai.
What a f**king disaster of a shį»t show.
Ro Kalouniwai should’ve been removed the minute he hugged and reconciled with mutineers.
Graham, you and I can’t name another jurisdiction that are so compassionate towards mutineers.
The rot has metastasized. The village idiots are running the government and the disciplined forces like a village cooperative dairy.
I wish someone with balls of steel in the RFMF can redress this. Like how Frank did in 2006.
F**king embarrassing.
Australia will give again.
Their average everyday tax payers work hard.
They have lots of money to shower on drunken Fijian navy.
Nothing new.
Fiji is hanging on a thread of everything under the sun.
Next.
That’s what happens when you give people with tiny brains keys to big things.
They’ll mess it up. Just take the example of the road accidents in fiji, people who’ve never driven a bicycle suddenly given cars and the accidents are a daily occurrence.
Same with people who only know outboard and bilibili suddenly given big boats…just crash it.
Also some people have no regard for the office they work for or the authority or even the law. Just drink kava all day and wreck things in dope.
This proves that native Fijians are incompetent. You can’t trust them to do the job right.
I hope Fiji Airways isn’t pressured to appoint crew on the flight deck on the basis of race and being indigenous, rather than competency and industry standard flight ratings and hours.
From memory local pilots want to be given opportunity to be in charge and complain they are not being considered over international applicants.
Long may the highest standards of entry to be a captain or commanding officer be maintained ( to international and not Fiji standards) – none of this Fiji Army/Navy type of nonsense of promised internal reviews and better training after a disaster occurs.
Note: The Fijian judiciary is already wrecked and beyond salvage, as are other institutions ( inc offices of the president and PM) in the drive for indigenous representation everywhere possible.
Air Fiji domestic flight 121 crash: Source Wikipedia. Extract :
Start>
Specific investigations later found that the captain of Flight 121 may have been intoxicated. The brother of the captain stated that four hours before the crash the captain of the flight had been drinking alcohol.[8] The investigation also revealed that the captain had insufficient rest and that he had consumed an above-therapeutic level of antihistamine prior to the flight. Air Fiji’s standard operating procedure was also found to be inadequate.
The structural failure that occurred in flight was a result from the crew’s error in descending below the Minimum Descent Altitude of 5,400 ft (1,600 m). The right wing struck a ridge at an elevation of 1,300 ft (400 m), the aircraft then broke up and impacted the slope of a ridge 1.3 km (0.81 mi; 0.70 nmi) further on. The tail section and right wing were found 150 m (490 ft) from the main wreckage.[1]
END<
The domestic Air Fiji at that time from memory was in the ownership of a large private Fijian owned company.