Just when you think that things under the Coalition government can’t get any worse. something always happens to set a new low and make a sick joke of the promises of the “new order” to be better than the old order when it is turning out to be infinitely worse.
It may have been legal in the strictest sense for the latest Acting DPP, Nancy Tikoisuva, to appoint her dismissed predecessor, John Rabuku, as her Deputy. But it is a slap in the face for the three Supreme Court judges who ruled that Rabuku was unfit to be ADPP because he had been found guilty of professional misconduct. After he tried desperately to cling on as ADPP and the Acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, delayed removing him, we know, because he said so, that Rabuku put forward Nancy Tikoisuva’s name to replace him.
Well now we know why. Because it is fair to assume that a pact was reached between them that after a short interval, she would bring him back into the ODPP as her deputy and now it has happened. As well as being a deeply cynical move, it is also an assault on the spirit of the law and the advice by three Supreme Court judges that John Rabuku is unfit to be Acting DPP because his appointment violated the Constitution.
So he is no longer Acting DPP but the professional misconduct that had him removed from the top job still qualifies him to be Deputy DPP? What happens when Nancy Tikoisuva is absent for whatever reason and her Deputy takes over, which has been normal practice in the ODPP until now? Can John Rabuku again be Acting DPP even though the Constitution, backed by three Supreme Court judges, prohibits it? Or does one of the Assistant DPPs – a rung down from John Rabuku – act in Nancy Tikoisuva’s absence, taking their instructions from Rabuku?
The whole thing is a farce that beggars belief and shows just how far standards in the offices of state have fallen under the Coalition government. We might have expected that the rogue Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, would give his blessing to this arrangement because he is without scruples and a proven outlaw through his successive violations of the Constitution. But this must also have had the concurrence of the new Attorney General, Graham Leung, who was touted as a “clean broom” to sweep up the institutions of state in the criminal justice system but is proving to be just as bad as his predecessor as AG, Siromi Turaga.
Nothing surprises us anymore about the depths to which this government will plunge. But let’s just call this for what it is – a bunch of iTaukei supremacists trading public positions at will with no concept of their obligation to govern with integrity. They think nothing of thumbing their noses at supreme court judges and putting someone who has already demonstrated his lack of integrity as a lawyer back into a senior office of state.
They also think nothing of governing by nepotism and appointing their own allies to publicly-funded positions. The position of Deputy DPP has been handed to John Rabuku on a plate. And unlike Nancy Tikoisuva herself – who is Acting DPP because Christopher Pryde still holds the position – Rabuku has been moved straight into a substantive position.
Yes folks, the new Deputy DPP in Fiji is a man who was unfit to hold the acting top job because the Independent Legal Services Commission found him guilty of professional misconduct. But thanks to his kai vata around him, he gets to be the substantive Deputy DPP.
Let’s be quite clear. John Rabuku is unfit to hold even that position because he was found guilty of professional misconduct. Yet under the Leung-Temo-Tikoisuva cabal, it simply doesn’t count. What’s the bet that Graham Leung was in on this grubby little pantomime right from the start, Fiji? He needs to explain himself even if we have given up on Salesi Temo being able to explain himself with any integrity ( More on that tomorrow).
There is only one word for all of this. Corruption. And the shocking trashing of the nation’s institutions of state for racial, political and personal gain.
POSTSCRIPT: We know that John Rabuku brought Nancy Tikoisuva back to the ODPP from private practice after he became Acting DPP Number 2 in October 2023. This naturally adds to the suspicion that this is a “you scratched my back, now I’ll scratch yours” appointment.
But has John Rabuku used witchcraft – draunikau – to manipulate Nancy Tikoisuva into giving him this sinecure? Because we know from her colleagues when she was first in the ODPP in 2011 that she was a believer in draunikau and blamed witchcraft for the illness or her husband.
Sounds incredible, doesn’t it, Fiji? But this is the standard to which our offices of state have fallen under the Coalition government.
The Wise man from the West speaks for an entire nation…
Such a happy couple! The fact is that you still need to reward him for putting away the former PM.
But more importantly, this is Fiji. Some very high standards are being set here. These are iTaukei Christians, who know more about everything than anyone else. Just ask them.
Is there a measure on corruption?
Because if there was one, the law society in Fiji will meet all benchmarks on highest level of corruption ever recorded within the justice system.
Give these basta$ds a gold medal already for that.
Was sitting in a government led meeting today when this news appeared in the TV1 Facebook page.
Everyone looked at each other and the one thing that was pretty clear was people are trying their best to leave Fiji. This included mostly i-taukei. Many are ashamed by their own. There you have it. Ashamed by their own and moving out.
That says a lot about the faith that they have in their own.
Which brings me to the point that it is the indigenous people of Fiji who have always let themselves down. They have no one to blame but their own when it comes to corruption.
I wonder if this has anything to do with latest legal challenges to cases brought against people whilst he was Acting DPP? There really is no low they wouldn’t stoop to.
Just imagine these “defenders of the law” running the show in Fiji.
It is frightening. Those racist Christians who choose to turn a blind eye because of their prejudice should think again as it will come back to bite them and it will be too late then for their children. Incompetent, racist, prejudiced, looking after their own kind, a small group looking after each others backsides – this is far worse than any previous governments and any form of integrity and independence. Imagine the very low standards being set and the predetermined outcomes this mob will preside over. It is obvious they do not want the vulagi in that department. They are such a nice god-fearing Christian bunch. Just ask them.
Can the illegally appointed Tikoisuva advise where this position was advertised, who were the other applicants, and who the interviewers were. I believe it is in the public interest to know this given that Rabuku was illegally appointed before. Oh well just a month ago when he was kicked out.
Utterly shameful that the legal fraternity is tested in this way. Reminds me of 1987 on repeat.
Do I believe the press statement from the A/DPP? Not in a million years!
The perfect example of a corrupt process.
No doubt the cabal of A/CJ, Minister for Justice and new AG will either welcome or praise or both this latest farce!
As I said in an earlier related post I no longer have any confidence in the Fiji justice system!
All these appear to be remotely controlled from Beijing. More liars born, and the latest is Nanise who swears that the appointment followed ” due process”. She’s the new T addition to the Taukei cabal of Temo, Turaga, Tikoisuva. Shame on Women’s leadership?
We look forward to Richard’s take on this latest episode in Saturday’s Fiji Times. Plus Imrana on social media as donor-funded women’s movements claim they do better than their male counterparts.
Corruption surges and will get worse. FICAC? Where art thou, Vasu? How many more matanigasaus in secondary schools rugby before the Deans season is over? And Muanikoso is just the tip of the iceberg:
https://www.fijivillage.com/news/Muanikoso-residents-concerned-over-late-night-loitering-of-iTaukei-children-in-their-community-54xf8r/ with Leung/Seruvakula blaming the Vulagi community!
Isa o keda! As The feet is voting says, 3 out of 5 fingers are pointing back at our own selves.
Graham Leung the toothless tiger amongst the corrupt iTaukei elites. Sooner, if not already, Graham will realize he was only made AG to appease his friends from the Fiji Law Society and other vocal defenders of the law so they could stop attacking Governments’ legal decisions.
Graham, as all educated Fijians knows, is a real opportunist, or as iTaukeis calls it “masipolo” literally translated as “ball greaser” a term iTaukei uses to mean appeasing those in power for favours. Thus he was handed the position of AG after publicly nudging Rabuka before the 2022 election and aligning himself to powerful chiefs in politics.
He has now realised that Rabuka is only using him as a legal bullet proof vest to take all the bullets fired at the government. Also, he will soon know that his colleagues at PAP and SODELPA still sees him as a descendent of Chinese immigrants, someone who is not like them thus will be a sacrificial lamb for the iTaukei corrupt causes.
Grahams legacy will forever be tainted under this regime, unfortunately of his own making, poor judgement and his own selfless ambition of reaching the highest legal office in Fiji.
If anyone is still wondering why John Rabuku is being brought back into joining this corrupt lot, he is Rabuka’s nephew and is from the same village as Rabuka. He had just returned from his 3 week holiday in Sydney after being terminated and now back into a fully tax payer funded job.
John Rabuku, Nancy Tikoisuva, Lynda, Fili, amongst others are the new breed of young iTaukei corrupt officials and politicians and are being groomed to continue taking Fijians down the path of tyranny.
Perhaps Graham Leung has always secretly been one of the tigers. He certainly isn’t a “new broom”, that’s for sure. All that crowing about being on the side of the law. He’s been quite happy to stand by and see the law violated. And some even believe it was Leung who advised the JSC to suspend Christopher Pryde’s salary.
Someone else here has wondered whether we will hear from the likes of Richard Naidu and Imrana Jalal. We shall keep a candle burning in the window but don’t bet on it. Coalition enablers and appeasers, both of them.
Imrana Jalal specifically urged John Rabuku publicly to stand aside as Acting DPP. What is her view about him being made substantive Deputy DPP when the charge of professional misconduct still stands?
As for Richard “I have the means” Naidu, total silence. Just like his NFP co-appeaser and enabler, Biman Prasad.
For sure not from Imrana Jalal. All her public records in Fiji points to the fact that she will support any woman, even if a woman isn’t qualified, behaves unethically and unprofessionally.
The current jaina fella doesn’t know who he himself is let alone stand up for anything, getting anything to stand, or stand for anyone else.
For a bit of background, Wikipedia records this super mega racist bigot chameleon saying:
Leung was an outspoken critic of certain government policies which, he says, undermined the rule of law. In particular, he has opposed the early release of persons convicted and imprisoned for offences related to the Fiji coup of 2000, and the promotion of legislation which he believes undermines respect for the rule of law.
Leung strongly opposed the government’s decision, announced on 29 November 2004, to release Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli from prison, where he had served little more than three months of a four-year sentence for his role in the Fiji coup of 2000. “It lends the appearance of two sets of rules, or two classes of justice. It lends the appearance that if you’re well connected and of a high social standing, you might expect more favour with the authorities. Conversely, if you are a person of lesser social standing, you might expect the full brunt of the law to weigh on you. Now that seems to me to be a travesty,” he said.
Addressing the annual conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Nadi on 8 September, Leung said that the concept of true democracy was not well understood in Fiji. “Democracy, the rule of law and human rights march hand in hand. These concepts are not well understood by a good portion of the population,” he said. “It is far more than merely participating in free and fair elections for a new government. It is about playing by a set of rules, respecting those rules and accepting the result even when it may not be what one had hoped for.” Many Fijian people feared that could undermine their way of life, essence, and identity, he said. Rather than ridicule these fears, it was necessary to understand and address them, and to develop a new paradigm to illustrate the consonance between Fijian traditions and democratic norms. “The evidence shows a growing albeit reluctant acceptance of the rule of law,” he said. “But time, patience and a genuine commitment not just of the country’s leaders towards creating an environment that will allow democracy, human rights and the rule of law to flourish, will be required.”
Hippopotamus hypocrite.
Graham, thanks to Charlie for noting earlier Fiji’s suspension from the World Rugby Council. FBC reports our reinstatement, and FRU is to nominate its delegate to the Council. The nominee will first be vetted based on WR’s Integrity Code. Let us wait and see who the nominee will be, and hope it will not be yet another puppet like the new DDPP. Considering a previous representative was eventually removed by WR, your blow torch on the forthcoming nominee should also be helpful.
I don’t claim to know anything about the internal machinations of the rugby world so sorry, that is unlikely.
But, yes, let’s see who it is. If the nominee had been someone like John Rabuku, I might have given my two saqamoli’s worth. But he has already emerged as Nancy’s nancy boy.
I really can’t help myself but laugh, Fiji is definitely setting the bar really low.
Almost everyone in Fiji and across ANZ thought FFP was bad but this, well this is something else.
Still, no corruption as most Fijians would put it…its just the Fiji way.
JR’s appointment as Deputy DPP is a mockery of the Fiji Supreme Court’s judgement however see the connection below.
NT was appointed by JR as his deputy DPP when JR was acting DPP. After FSC’s judgment against JR, NT was appointed acting DPP. Now acting DPP NT returned the favour to JR by appointing him as Deputy DPP. Payback. Isn’t this collusion, favouritism and nepotism?
Once Again, Siriveni Rabuka took off overseas pretending he is not involved in Rabuku’s reinstatement
For the first time in the history of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, it is being led by two incompetent and mediocre prosecutors!
This is far from a DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusive) appointment but a corrupt appointment about two lawyers whom they managed to scrape out from the bottom of the barrel!
I am not Imrana Jalal but for someone who has known this woman for over a few decades, this is exactly what she would say in private!
What a mockery and f**ked up , these guys seem to always digging a wider and deeper grave. Goodness is there no one else in Fiji that can fill these positions? Where is integrity and ethics.
Not impressed.
Rajiv, I’m glad we’re on the same side on this. A communion of sorrow. God help us.
Literally returning to (cultural) root justice…governing via tribal laws and regulations… The symbol of the scale is a humorous prop now….sad, sad…
Refrain from criticising these iTaukri eff wits folks.
Why?
Because these iTaukei supremists are registered in the VKB so everbody else can go jump..it’s their turf/country and they can do whatever they like!
And another thing…
The GCC and the delegation from Rewa can visit Communist China and not be criticised for it…why? Because they are registered in the VKB and they can do whatever they like, its their country. Everybody else can go jump!
Immunity military madman Rabuka’s ethno-nationalism and nepotism at play in high places as well while he is galvanating in communist China looking at ideas to eradicate poverty in Fiji. Unbelievable!
WTF man…no one starves in Fiji and what poverty alleviation is this military madman talking about.
What morals? What ethics?
We forget less than mere 150 years it was customary to bury kinfolk alive.
The bure kalou was the house of worship of ancient spirit gods.
Before the introduction of a vulagi religion/god.