Poor Pio Tikoduadua won’t like to confront the fact but the ghost of Jone Vakarisi hovers over this week’s gathering of South Pacific defence ministers as an example of what not to do in our celebrated “ocean of peace”.
See, it has now been more than five months since the accused drug dealer was killed while in the custody of the RFMF at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Suva and still no-one has been held to account for his murder.
Yes, dear defence ministers. Jone Vakarisi was beaten, stabbed and had boiling water poured over him back in April in a vicious torture session that killed him. And wonder of wonders, although it happened in the RFMF’s interrogation centre, which presumably has CCTV cameras if it is a modern facility, they simply can’t work out who killed him. Or maybe the cameras were, er, inoperative.
It is all a big mystery. Our own Defence Minister Tikoduadua isn’t saying why no-one has been charged 20 weeks later. The RFMF Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, isn’t saying why no-one has been charged 20 weeks later. And the Fijian media isn’t grilling them on why no-one has been charged 20 weeks later.
Jone Vakarisi – like Elvis – just left the room and ended up on a mortuary slab. But unlike Elvis – who was at least remembered – everyone seems to be suffering a bout of collective amnesia about what happened to Jone.
All we can say, dear defence ministers, is that you’ve come to the right place for a lesson in how to cover up extra-judicial killings in your own countries. In fact, Fiji leads the region in such matters – a proud record stretching from the mutiny of 2000 to this very day.
So have a successful conference and a wonderful time on Denarau. But a tip. Maybe talk to your own advisors about what to say if your own media asks you about Jone Vakarisi. And why extra-judicial killings by Pacific military forces aren’t on your collective agenda this week.
Maybe some of the other island nations aren’t too bothered about Fiji’s little “local difficulty” in the extra-judicial killing of an accused drug dealer. But are the Australians, the New Zealanders and the French also going to turn a blind eye to murder?
POSTSCRIPT:
Speculation continues to rage about reports that as he was beaten, Jone Vakarisi continually cried out the name of Lynda Tabuya – the Minister for Information and Climate Change who was found guilty by the People’s Alliance of an illicit drug and sex scandal in Room 233 of the Windsor Hotel in Melbourne in August 2023.
So Tabuya’s own drug taking is established fact. But what was her connection to Jone Vakarisi? And why would he be begging his torturers to contact her?
Is this why the investigation into Vakarisi’s murder has so far gone nowhere? Or is it because of another widespread rumour – that the RFMF officer ultimately responsible for his death is so senior and feared that the military and the government simply won’t move against him?
Whatever the truth, this farce has gone on long enough. And the entire credibility of the RFMF, the government and Fiji in the eyes of our neighbours (and France) is now very much on the line.
______________________
The letter signed by the Prime Minister finding Lynda Tabuya guilty of a “sex and illicit drug scandal”.
It has not been published by any mainstream media outlet in Fiji and Tabuya is now Minister for Information and Climate Change.
As part of her information portfolio, she supervises cash payments to media outlets under the Coalition’s “public broadcasting” initiative. It’s called buying off the media anywhere else.
Coupled with the Vakarisi murder, does anyone really need further proof of the corruption of this government? And the corruption of the Fijian mainstream media?
Frank is awaiting his April 2027 trial and the 20 witnesses that will be called before the court to give evidence…So how much time does everyone have to take action in order to prevent this trial where someone could spill the beans and take this all the way back to 1987? Lol….That’s what’s at stake here!
So now you all know…Not a matter of if it’s when.. Lets face it FJ will never be able to elect an Indian PM or Indian dominated gvt of any sort ever again. If it happens You will have a coup. Perhaps it’s time the constitution put its mouth on the mic and amended a clause that ensures only Fiji itaukei members can take the position of PM and President in the country. I’m sure Fiji Indians would rather endorse this reality than risk being chased down the road again in the event of a coup! It s brutal truth and one you need to face. A constitution that does anything else while fair is just wasting everyone’s time. Unfortunately the country is what it is with intolerance the silent truism.
Will the gvt risk depriving the military of the right to intervene in public affairs or are the low salaries of the current rank file enough to deter the gvt from excluding military authority on the grounds that it might incite a takeover? How about the immunity clause…Did Frank really think he would govern forever? Was he that deluded? Possibly.
Either way we know for a fact that the military has corruptible elements. That much is evident from the Vakarisi killing. What the hell was this guy doing there for a start? Why would they want to silence him? Why would Lynda Tabuya be involved with this? Is it possible that the drug trade in FJ is so deeply embedded in the fabric of the political elites that there is no integrity left in anything?
We all know that the South Pacific is suffering from a serious narcotics epidemic fueled by cartel involvement in the Americas. How are all these drugs being distributed ? Why hasn’t it abated? Clearly the police, army and government are all in on this! If something isn’t done to SERIOUSLY stop this trend, the country will become a narco state in 5 years. That will be followed by outright lawlessness and a total breakdown in governance. Takeovers, gangs and an environment not dissimilar to Haiti!!!
Don’t put it past these people! Quite scary and shameful. FJ is at a crossroads where is is going to have to take some really serious measures to fess up to the reality of the situation. Kick the can down the road and you will be very sorry indeed.
What you suggest to have a racist clause embedded within in the constitution is taking us backwards in the worst way. Every Fijian who holds only the Fiji nationality should have the right to work hard towards the highest office in the nation, who knows it might be your own great grandchild or god daughter.
To be accurate in your context, only one coup was attributed to an Indian PM and also except for that man, I don’t see another living Indian PM anytime soon.
Even if it’s a fact that no Fiji Indian can be a PM for the foreseeable future, we as a nation simply cannot outright legally ever spell out such racism in 2026, 2027 in our constitution (EVER).
In the unlikely situation if an ‘Indian’ or ‘vulagi’ PM ever results in another coup like 2000 then let the world decide, and I’m sure this final time, the international community in a social media world will not be as tolerant and kind to atrocities and crimes against humanity in Fiji.
No need to drag Linda Tabuya into this. Stop your vendetta. Stop clutching at straws. He also made allegations that she was videoed with the convicted drug dealer Jonathan Hill. There’s no such video. you are speculating if not lying to damage, Hon. Stop the lasulasu. Stop the jhoot.
No. She may control of the Fijian media but she doesn’t control me.
Why hasn’t she been brought to account for her proven drug-taking? What are her connections with Jone Vakarisi and Jonathan Hill? These are legitimate questions and I will keep asking them.
Before Christmas, justice for Jone Vakarisi.
In this day and age, with the amount of technology and surveillance available, and given that Fiji is such a small, close-knit community where people eventually talk and, let’s face it, sometimes people will talk at a price, surely we can find out what happened to Jone Vakarisi. Police already have likely suspects. Do your job, law enforcement officers and agencies! Five months is long enough. Whatever crimes Vakarisi may have committed, he died in military custody in 2026. His family deserves answers. Before Christmas, we should at the very least know whether there is sufficient evidence to charge those suspected of responsibility.
And finally, can the Fiji people grow some balls and protest once in a while? Look at India and elsewhere. Why are we so subservient? We accept things, watch them unfold on our phones, read about them in the newspapers and then talk about them around the kava bowl.
What a pathetic response from us as Fijians and the local media!
We seem to have only a handful of people, including some overseas, still loudly asking what happened to Jone Vakarisi, while people in positions of power have moved to their usual conferencing in five star hotels wining and dining: absolute gluttony!!
And for a country where Christianity features so prominently in public life, perhaps remember Exodus 20:13 — “You shall not murder.”
Graham Davis you are getting your underwear in a twist over nothing. Don’t worry our media is sorting out all the problems. It’s all happening in Savusavu. Relax and enjoy your whiskey, old man.
Pacific media summit to set direction for next decade of Pacific media
By Pita Ligaiula in Savusavu
Pacific media leaders and journalists from across the region will tackle press freedom, newsroom survival, artificial intelligence, anti-corruption, climate change and the future of journalism when the Pacific Media Summit gets underway in Savusavu today.
Fijian Media Association (FMA) general secretary Stanley Simpson told PACNEWS the summit comes at a critical time as media organisations across the region face growing pressure from misinformation, disinformation, new technology and declining traditional advertising revenues.
“Newsrooms are not just fighting for their independence, they are fighting for their survival,” Simpson said.
The 8th Pacific Media Summit, organised by the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) and hosted by the Fijian Media Association, will bring together regional media practitioners, researchers and leaders to discuss press freedom, media sustainability, climate and disaster reporting, artificial intelligence, digital inclusion and inclusive media leadership.
Simpson said the discussions would focus on how newsrooms can respond to technological change without losing the basic principles of independent journalism.
“We have really consulted widely about all the challenges facing both the big and small countries of the region, the challenges faced by newsrooms, brought about by the new technology, but also how we maintain the basics, the independence of the media,” he told PACNEWS.
The summit theme, “Reaching the Remote: Media and Digital Innovation for a Connected Blue Pacific,” reflects the need to ensure media and digital developments reach communities beyond capital cities.
Closer to communities Simpson said Savusavu in Fiji was deliberately chosen as the venue to put the discussions closer to communities experiencing some of the challenges being discussed.
“We have come to Savusavu to talk about this, a place that is facing these challenges, as opposed to holding these meetings in a capital city where we may be far removed from the challenges we are aiming to overcome,” he said.
He said the growth of digital platforms and AI was also putting pressure on the traditional business models that have sustained news organisations.
“Many of the traditional ways of the media staying alive through advertising is under threat now with the digital spaces and AI,” Simpson said.
The summit will also examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used by newsrooms to improve coverage while maintaining editorial independence and journalistic standards.
Simpson said high-profile regional speakers would contribute to discussions on the future of Pacific media, including researchers working on AI and its application in newsrooms.
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is expected to deliver the keynote address on Wednesday, while Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica will also attend.
Other speakers include former Fiji President and Tui Macuata, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, who will address climate change. Simpson said many of the region’s established media figures including PINA president Kalafi Moala, Johnson Honimae, John Woods, Leilani Reklai, Katalina Tohi and Solomone Finau — continued to contribute to the fight for media freedom, independence and professional standards.
“Some of these names we’ve heard for many years, and still contributing, still fighting the cause of media freedom, media independence, and better standards to tell the stories of our people,” he said.
For the Fijian Media Association, Simpson said hosting the summit also carried significance after years of pressure on the country’s media sector.
“We’ve come through a long period of suppression and struggle and facing hostility. And this is perhaps a symbolic event where we can declare that we are back,” he said.
He urged regional delegates to use the summit for frank discussions on the direction of Pacific journalism.
“We really have to have honest discussions about what needs to be done and where the region needs to go,” Simpson said.
He said the summit’s focus on technology and connectivity should not come at the expense of the core principles of journalism.
“Using new technologies that we have, but essentially keeping to the basics of journalism — accuracy, fair and balanced,” he said.
Simpson said the discussions in Savusavu could help shape the direction of Pacific media for years to come.
“This is where we set the direction for the next, I would say, five to 10 years for Pacific media,” he said.
You are such a comfort. But regrettably the record shows that the media is on the take. And cannot be trusted by the Fijian people to report without fear or favour.
If they did, then I would be the first to pack up my little operation – which I provide for free as a public service – and genuinely retire to my easy chair, drink in hand, in the knowledge that others are doing the job I try to do. Alas.
When the media takes money from government and foreign donors, not only for their Savusavu talkfest and the canapes and cocktails but millions from the Coalition in direct funding, they are far from being independent. And only the most deluded hack like Stanley Simpson can’t see it.
Shoe on the other foot stuff i guess..Same could be said of previous admins…Someone is awlays a PR for hire. Media isn´t a slugfest unless its under democratic rule. Even then there are lap dogs cuddling up to the budget tweakers. Im sure Franks gvt endorsed a good chunk of funds to the offshore spin doctors too. In fact the more brutal , open and transparent it is the more respect we should give to the gvt of the day , regardless of narrative. Censorship hides alot of healthy debate. Im sure your pages would have chewed up its fair share of gigs under Fiji first had it been “enabled”!
“Shoe on the other foot stuff”? I don’t need lectures about the relative merits of the last government, having campaigned for their removal. The point is that these bastards promised to be better, giving specific undertakings about better governance. And the nation has been betrayed.
They only got the endorsement of the courts last year and have sat on their hands for the past 12 months thinking of “how” and what to make amendments to under the proposal which will be tabled tomorrow you time if I am correct.
I have no doubt the provisions will have been very carefully thought through and despite the tight time frame leading into the elections will back up the governments claim that the proposed changes are justified given the nature of the formation and motives for the 2013 Constitution . Rambo has always claimed that the changes are needed to ensure that the faith of the nation is restored in a democratic process of change rather than the merits of the those changes themselves. TO be quite frank FJ first were stupid not to have done this themselves while they had the moral ascendency. Perhaps they should have proposed a referendum on the 2013 Constitution in 2014 so that it could have been recognized by the people for the people. Instead he sat pie faced on the whole issue and then got dumped in 2022. If they were so confident that their decree infused constitution was so popular by the people back then, why didn’t they pass a referendum bill to gauge the mood of the nation? Why? Because it was easier to stuff a few envelopes into the ballots and claim a good run of electoral victories rather than ease of the training wheels and let real , genuine public sentiment steer themselves back to some normalcy. 4 years is not a long time to reset a democracy . After 16 years of a facade it seems the impatience and lack of democratic governmental practice has taken it’s toll. It appears some ministers got a little carried away and perhaps some had forgotten how to behave in a ministerial portfolio, after all it had been 16 years since anyone last had the opportunity to function in a democratic society!!
This current tenure has not lacked its share of “colorful scandals” some best avoided but all water under the bridge now let’s not dwell …time to move on prep’ for a referendum…vote and…vote Hopefully the next 4 years will bring some improvements. Try to maintain a spot of optimism whatever your opinions.
You keep taking the tablets, “Dane”, and all will be well. But not for the rest of us if this sh*tshow continues.
Rabuka and his rabble make Frank and Aiyaz look like paragons of democratic virtue. You seem to have completely forgotten that they won the 2014 election by a landslide, won again in 2018 and got the biggest number of votes in 2022. So democracy had already been “reset” – as you put it – until these idiots scraped into power with just one vote on the floor of the house and are claiming a mandate they don’t have to rewrite the rules.
There are no grounds for optimism at all except the prospect of defeat for a government riddled with scandal and incompetence and which is literally ruining the country with its burgeoning debt and abysmal standards of governance.
Looks like someone else thinks the sun shines out of Lynda’s bush.
Pita Ligaiula and PacNews seem to have been ‘bought’ by other interests.
As I always mention, whoever pays the piper, plays the tune.
It seems PacNews is ‘transported’ to all sorts of exotic places to cover meetings and try and portray themselves as ‘neutral’ or more ‘Pacific’.
The volume of articles and self gratification for regional organisations like SPREP is outrageous. No analysis or independent assessment, just repeating the rhetoric from the rising plethora of talk fests in the region. Of course it is a always a bonus to quote the Director or Minister who , as a Chief Guest, is always lavishing praise on the institution.
The current talkfest the media organisation is no exception with experts like the former President (alas!) thrown in to champion climate change issue.
Perhaps PINA could educate its journalists to question more critically some of the issues. For example, the need for more climate finance. Can the Pacific Island countries like Fiji show how they use the ‘climate finance’ which is received. Can they ask what “Ocean of Peace” means against the increased threats of deep sea mining, nuclear submarines and defense pacts.
There is more to covering news than merely reporting that Parliament is meeting for a special session today!