Vijendra Kumar – a long-serving editor of the Fiji Times who left the country 21 years ago disillusioned with its direction – has surged back into the public eye with an optimistic piece on Fiji’s future. It’s noteworthy that the article doesn’t appear in the Times – Fiji’s oldest newspaper – but in its rival, the Fiji Sun, where Grubsheet is also a columnist.
This is bound to raise eyebrows in media circles. When Kumar was inducted into the Fiji Media Council’s FAME Awards Hall of Fame four years ago, the then Fiji Times Publisher, Rex Gardner, spoke of the “reverence” in which he was held at the paper. Yet his sober endorsement of the course that Frank Bainimarama has set for Fiji now sits much more comfortably in the opinion pages of the Fiji Sun, which broadly supports the Government’s reform agenda.
The Times, by contrast, has long been the Eeyore of the Fiji media. Like the famous donkey in AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, it seems chronically unable to see a silver lining in any cloud, let alone a brighter horizon. It seems locked in a mindset that whatever the failings of the Qarase government, the 2006 coup was “illegal” and turning back the clock is the only proper attitude for any right-thinking Fijian to take.
That stance may be understandable when one proprietor – Rupert Murdoch – is forced out of Fiji and his successor – “Mac” Patel – serves time in jail for corruption. Yet when a “revered” former editor expresses an opposing view – and argues it so cogently – let’s hope that every Fiji Times journalist sets aside time to read it. We’re not from the thought police – as our critics will undoubtedly allege – but there’s a balance here that properly reflects the Government’s achievements as well as its failings. Kumar is especially critical about the regime’s handling of the media and Grubsheet endorses that view.
Once Fiji’s indispensable journal of record – and with a proud history stretching back to 1869 – the Fiji Times today is a sorry shadow of its former self under Kumar, who held the position of editor from 1975 to 1991 – a period spanning the Mara years and the seismic shock of the 1987 coups. The Fiji Times now would be unrecognisable to him. Tentative, uncertain and scared, it certainly no longer sets the media agenda in Fiji.
When Vijendra Kumar left for Brisbane in 1991 to work for the Courier Mail, he wrote a memoir that he titled Goodbye to Paradise in which he said:
“I left Fiji in 1991, sad and disillusioned. Sad, because the country of my birth, where our ancestors’ bones lie interred, no longer made me feel welcome. Disillusioned because a nation once internationally hailed as a peaceful paradise and a showcase for democracy and multiracial harmony turned out, in the end, to be a purgatory for half its people. For beneath the thin veneer of a civilized and enlightened society lurked serious undercurrents of racial tension and hostility.”
He added: “Since arriving in Australia I have returned to Fiji only once, in 1995. This visit reinforced my belief that Fiji Indians face a bleak future in their own country, feeling marginalized and alienated, uprooted and unwanted…the country has since been on a mad roller-coaster ride and no one knows where or how it will end.”
As Vijendra Kumar makes clear in the article below, we still don’t know precisely how it will all end . But Frank Bainimarama’s policies of inclusion have at least stopped that process of alienation which drove Kumar and so many others from the country in the first place. Certainly for all the Government’s failings, the future looks a lot brighter for many people than it did. It’s a work in progress, rather than a final destination. But now that democracy is in the process of being restored, there are definite grounds for optimism.
When he left in 1991, Fiji lost one of its shining journalistic lights. We’re reprinting his article in full – a break with tradition for Grubsheet – because we believe this is classic Kumar; well written, rapier sharp and with an overall analysis that entirely hits the mark. Let’s hope that the coming years produce a sequel to his memoir that he might call – Hello to Paradise Again.
ON THE ROAD TO RADICAL REFORM
How Commodore Bainimarama could be Rawlings of the islands
By VIJENDRA KUMAR
As the Fiji Government prepares to draft and adopt a new Constitution and return the country to democratic rule, it might be useful to take a leaf out of the history of the West African state of Ghana. It is today one of the few stable and prosperous democracies on the African continent, thanks largely to an air force officer named Jerry Rawlings.
Like Voreqe Bainimarama, Rawlings emerged on the Ghananian political scene at a crucial time and launched a radical and ambitious reform agenda. The lives of these two leaders bear remarkable similarities. Rawlings enlisted in the Ghananian Air Force and rose to the rank of Flight-Lieutenant; Bainimarama chose the Fiji Navy and rose to become its Commodore.
CORRUPTION, CRONYISM
Both were reluctant politicians and seized power because they were appalled by the level of corruption, cronyism and general maladministration that had become endemic in their countries.
Just as Commodore Bainimarama survived an assassination attempt, so did Fl-Lt Rawlings survive a death sentence during their first forays into politics. Fl-Lt Rawlings led a group of air force officers in a coup attempt against the corrupt regime of Fred Akuffo on May 15, 1979 but was arrested, court-martialled and sentenced to death.Before the sentence could be carried out, his fellow officers mounted another coup on June 4 and succeeded in freeing Rawlings and his colleagues and toppling the Akuffo government
Rawlings and company formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and began “a housecleaning exercise” where large sums of stolen government money were retrieved into government coffers. The same year, Rawlings and his council organised a free and fair general election which was won by the People’s National Party led by Hilla Limann. But on December 31, 1981 Rawlings and the revolutionary council deposed the Limann government and assumed power, with himself as chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council.
He ruled Ghana as a military dictator from 1981 to 1992 and then as elected president of the fourth republic from 1993 to 2001.He founded the National Democratic Party and was popularly re-elected in 1997. He retired at the end of his term and endorsed his vice-president John Evans Atta Mills to succeed him in the 2000 election but this time the Opposition New Patriotic Party’s John Kufuor won.
Rawlings was the joint winner of the World Hunger Award in 1993. He used this money as seed capital in establishing the University of Development Studies in northern Ghana. Today, he is regarded as an elder statesman and is held in high esteem by his people.
Unlike Commodore Bainimarama, Fl-Lt Rawlings resorted to some harsh and brutal measures during the first few years of his rule to bring to book those responsible for widespread corruption and malfeasance throughout the country. But his lasting legacy is a country that enjoys democratic rule and economic prosperity. That the Opposition is currently in power is testimony to the solid roots of democracy that he helped to plant and nurture.
Commodore Bainimarama embarked on a similar radical reform agenda when he deposed the Qarase Government and seized power. However, his method of enforcing change was not brutally repressive but severe and authoritarian. At worst, he could be accused of being a benevolent autocrat.
VISION, MISSION
His vision and mission were clear: to reform a political system that divided the country into racial blocs; to root out corruption; abolish some of the anachronistic institutions and thus clear the decks of the last vestiges of the old colonial power structure, and, finally, to charter a course for a free, democratic and prosperous Fiji.
The establishment of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) has already claimed a few big scalps but the war on corruption is both complex and difficult, not to mention time-consuming. It will take long and persistent efforts to even partially eradicate an entrenched culture of baksheesh, loloma or ghoose. But the very presence of such a watchdog entity acts as a strong deterrent to those inclined to seek and bestow favours, illicitly and in secret, for cash or other considerations.
HELPING POOR
His economic and social reforms have been targeted to help the poor. Free school bus services, increased welfare payments, changes to the tax system and reforms to the land tenure system are significant measures towards creating an equitable and just society.
Among his many bold and historic reforms, the creation of a single common name for all citizens and thus giving our people an internationally recognisable national identity must be singled out as his greatest achievement. It gives all Fijians a sense of belonging and instills in them national pride. It will foster, one hopes, a more cohesive and united civil society. It should gradually purge politics of the curse of racial divide.
On the negative side, the Government’s imposition of press censorship and a blanket ban on public assembly were ill-conceived. They proved counter-productive as bloggers and other critics of the regime went feral on the internet and other social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The Government’s message, however positive or well-intentioned, got lost amid a sea of wild accusations, rumours and chatter that dominated cyberspace.
Belatedly, the Government has lifted these restrictions but still seeks to impose some form of control on the media. It must realise that a free and vibrant media is the fourth pillar on which the mansion of democracy rests.
RESPONSIBILITY
For its part, the media has a responsibility to be truthful, fair and balanced in its news reporting, and not assume the role of an opposition political party.
Fiji has been devastated by a series of natural disasters during the past three years which placed severe strains on the economy. The suspension and cutbacks in aid from traditional foreign donors have also hurt growth. Despite these setbacks, Fiji has not become a basket case. On the contrary, its economy is still growing at a modest 2.7 per cent.
As the nation begins registering voters for the next general election and the Constitution Review Commission undertakes the task of public consultation to draft a new Constitution, people should feel buoyed by the winds of change blowing over the country.
Prime Minister Bainimarama has demonstrated through his actions his commitment to return the country to parliamentary democracy and one hopes he will, like Jerry Rawlings, continue to serve Fiji and eventually win a similarly honoured place in its history.
FLASHBACK: Grubsheet referred to Jerry Rawlings in this article for The Australian in November 2006 entitled “Fiji army chief has a valid cause”. He was cited – along with General Obasanjo of Nigeria – as examples of military coup makers who eventually went on to become elected leaders.
Bula Graham
There you go, when it suits you, to break with tradition, especially if an Indo-Fijian seems to be endorsing your very own views; only a few days ago you told us why you dont reproduce the columns of Victor Lal and Wadan Narsey:
“You’ve correctly identified my basic problem with running their pieces. This is my blog. Wadan has his own too with all of his own stuff on it. But I think he uses 4.5 to get a bigger audience whereas I’m not so hung up about numbers than to mix with fascist spivs and thugs. You could say that’s because the Fiji Sun often picks up my pieces but they pick and choose as they like and I have no say over that.”
You are picking and choosing now! As for Vijendra Kumar, he provided the Fiji Times for Ratu Mara’s anti-Indo-Fijian policies to flourish. He refused to “rock the vote” and since leaving for Australia, what did he do – nothing at all – to fight for the rights of Indo-Fijians.
Now, in retirement, he has emerged, like so many Indo-Fijiians who drink from the Devil Incarnate’s coup cup – in the mould of that other Indo-Fijian Satendra Nandan.
Ghana is not Fiji – and both Rawlings and Bainimarama have blood on their hands.
Race is a camouflage in Frank’s case, to avoid prosecution and possible imprisonment.
Vijendra Kumar is no angel – he had buried his head in the sand when he was editing the Fiji Times, letting Ratu Mara run away with his racist policies.
Unlike the old Fiji SUN which refused to operate under Rabuak-Mara-Ganilau censorship, Kumar’s Fiji Times agreed to operate under partial censorship – one of his own journalist-cum territorial i-taukei Fijian soldier had been sent to bring the defiant Fiji SUN into submission – but the paper refused to give into Rabuka’s ethno-nationalist propaganda.
Kumar continued to edit the paper until his Australian papers were in order for him to join his family in 1991.
The apt title would not be “The Legend Returns” but “The Leech Returns” – that is what most Indo-Fijians are today – one leg in Australia and another half in Fiji – riding on illegality in the name of bogus persecution and oppression
Vijendra Kumar refused to use his paper to confront Rabuka; he decided to run away to Brisbane, where he comfortably sat in the office of the Courier Mail for the next ten years.
Welcome to Fiji – The Leech Returns.
Well, you know what? I knew this would happen. That someone would say, “well, you’ll run Vijendra Kumar but you’d never run with Victor or Wadan”. And you know what? That’s right!
The whole tenor of Kumar’s piece is what marks this out as different. No screeching adjectives, naked polemic and accusatory finger-pointing but sober, considered, measured analysis – opinion rationally expressed. No insults, no exclamation marks.
Vijendra Kumar is not trying to score political points. He’s not – like the other two – identifiable political players. In fact, after years of silence, he’s just emerged – the most distinguished of the Fiji Times editors of the past quarter century finally choosing to re-enter the fray.
I think it’s cause for national celebration. And, yes, I laid my coat down in the fetid puddle that passes for much of the opposition commentary and did my little bit to amplify this distinguished journalist’s voice. I think he’s talking sense and I make no apologies for it. And If you don’t like it, go elsewhere.
When Victor and Wadan start speaking with the same reason, I’ll happily run their stuff too. But however much I admire their brains and their personal qualities, they are as just as partisan in favour of the “old order” as I am of the “new”. They’re propagandists and can sow their particular brand of propaganda elsewhere.
PS. I take great exception to your attack on Satendra Nandan. He could have turned his back on Fiji for repeated academic sinecures in Australia. In fact, they fall over themselves in Canberra to secure his services. Instead, he came back to Fiji to help establish a centre of learning in the West and is – as I write – taking part in the discussions on our collective future as a member of the Constitutional Commission.
I think he’s a bloody hero. They removed him at gunpoint as a minister in the Bavadra government in the coup of 1987 and he had every reason – like so many others – to leave Fiji forever. He didn’t. After a period licking his wounds, he came back. His health is uneven and is even more cause for him to take a back seat. But he’s still there fighting for his ideals and a better future for Fiji.
Vijendra was a fair, objective, wise, pragmatic much respected Fiji Times editor from what I hear. That’s why Fiji Times survived and Fiji Times jobs survived long after the 1987 coup. The paper continued to serve Fiji, expose scandals, including Rabuka and the NBF scam, while Fiji Sun became history. Nothing is gained by the closure of a paper.
After Vijendra left, we witnessed the paper’s gradual decline until it virtually went to the dogs. The worst period was during Russell Hunter and Netani Rika editorship, when the paper indulged in skirt journalism and was reduced to a tool for carrying out personnel and racist vendetta against Labour government.
The immature and strategically-challenged Netani Rika was in charge and played a major part in News Limited eventual loss of the paper. Poor chap imagined himself as some sort of crusading knight in shining armour with a myopic and simplistic understanding of press freedom. He just wasn’t ready for the job and the responsibilities he was handed.
Media editors need to have a vision, not just focus on the now. News Ltd would not have lost the paper if a smarter editor had been at the helm.
It is such a pity that the paper Vijendra Kumar saved from the 1987 coup was destroyed and lost to News Limited after the 2006 coup. Rika lacked maturity and strategic vision, but then he was widely regarded as a Russell Hunter side-kick. As a follower he never really grew or developed his own capacity
The Times editors were so busy playing politics that they and their journalists, right up to sub editors and editors, did not understand basic defamation/contempt law, based on the tone of the letters and stories published.
Both during Rika’s time and Fred Wesley, paper was fined for contempt of court for basic mistakes. What a shame for a national paper. At least Fred Wesley had the decency to apologise. Rika and company, when cited for contempt, tried to mask their incompetence by turning it onto a freedom of speech issue, which was both fraudulent and cowardly.
Vijendra Kumar was easily Fiji’s best editor from what I have heard and read about him. I have been an avid reader of the Fiji Times for many decades and it is a sheer fabrication that under Vijendra the paper kowtowed to Ratu Mara. The paper was Mara’s toughest critic through his term and that is the truth.
Whow, you call these propaganda?
http://www.coupfourandahalf.com/2010/10/biggest-pay-reap-off-in-fijis-40-years.html
I may not agree with Victor’s choice of words but facts speak louder than words
You can always put out a disclaimer! Anyway good luck with your Fiji project.
Moronic mama’s boy
I admire the likes of Victor Lal who, from day one following the 1987 coups, has stood up for Indo-Fijian rights with a huge personal and family cost, than Vijendra Kumar and others who are re-emerging now to talk about Fiji’s future. I do not know Victor at all but he has always stood up for the common Indo-Fijian against Indo-Fijian leaders, and his exposure of Mahend’s millions is a testimony to his commitment – maybe his problem is with coups. As Graham has noted elsewhere, who seems to hold Victor in good stead, maybe the regime should extend a hand to all its opponents, and if the likes of Victor Lal decline, than its another story!
Yes, I like Victor Lal and also admire his feisty attitude and reporting skills. But I’m puzzled that people like him, Wadan Narsey, Brij Lal, Imrana Jalal et al can have possibly seen their futures in the Fiji that was emerging under Qarase.
What on earth is the point of arguing for the retention of a democracy that’s not a real democracy in fact – no level playing field – and also produces disadvantage for any minority and especially your own kai vata?
Yes, I know. It’s the principle. It should have all evolved through the parliamentary process with Fiji’s elected representatives without military intervention. But it didn’t. Even with an ostensibly multi-party government which, in any event, was utterly dysfunctional, it was all heading on one direction. Disaster.
We were set to see the Speight gang released, everyone paying to use coastal resources and having their land titled reviewed. Totally unacceptable, you’d imagine, in any other context anywhere in the world. Ergo, somebody needed to derail the racist train.
Pardon me, but how clear does it need to be for all these people with their Phds and other higher degrees to see what Blind Freddy on the street can see. That there was no viable future for anyone in Fiji except the i’Taukei in the direction that train was heading.
Well spoken Graham, no one any future under Qarese or Chaudhary.
Victor lal, wadan narsey and others have too much baggage. They have an agenda and they want to stick to it.
Well guess what Fiji does not need them, Even if FB is trying to cover himself because of the CRW soldier’s deaths, so what. They were not saints, but terrorist wanting to take over the army barracks so they got what they deserve.
Fak all the do gooders, let’s call a spade a spade, you fak with the army, you better be prepared to take the bullet rather than hiding behind democracy skirts. I fully support the military, let the so called intelligent dogs bark all the way from England to Canberra to Auckland, RFMF will do what is good for Fiji as a whole because that’s what is important.
Bark as much as you want with any reason, the change is going to happen in Fiji. The leeches up the hierarchy will have to work hard and level out with the other members of the society.
No more free lunch, no more Gujjis lapdogging, no more lets forget it because some ones dad is a high chief from so where. The clock starts know.
Every time victor lal comes with something negative about FB, maybe he is corrupt, or he is this and that etc.
Guess what indo Fiji Fijians on the ground don’t care, they feel safe with the army in power, I did not hear any complaints from these people when qarase was in power, the final years of qarases power, it was impossible to leave you home alone in , because of the rise in crime, it was getting unbearable.
Security of day to day living is paramount for people in Fiji, then other things follow, not every week somebody blocks the road to your farm because the mataqali wants more money from the farmer because they have a celebration and they want a good will even if you have paid your lease.
All this kind of things was becoming very regular during qarases time; I was personally involved with my uncles land negotiation.
So come up with any amount of allegations against FB, does not matter.
i thought Frank Bainimarama was protecting Indo-Fijian rights – now they cant even share a bowl of grog?
Former Labour MP and four others arrested
[posted 12 July 2012, 1730]
Police barged into a private residence in Vaivai, Lautoka last night and arrested former FLP Member of Parliament Vyas Deo Sharma along with 14 others.
They were arrested at 10pm last night while sitting around drinking yaqona. The group was accused of holding a meeting without a permit.
The men are still in Police custody in Lautoka. No charges have yet been laid.
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry said the arrest and detention was “outrageous”. “It seems the Police are targeting FLP members and our supporters. Similar incidents have taken place in the past.
Mr Chaudhry said he received a call from Mr Sharma at around 10pm last night saying that they were being arrested by the Police. He said he had been ordered to switch off his phone. “Our conversation was terminated as the Police took away his phone,” he said.
“I was not able to speak to Mr. Sharma again until about 9.45am today. He told me that they were kept at the Lautoka Police Station last night and that their statements were being recorded.
“I myself was arrested with four others in Ra in October 2010. We were charged with holding an unlawful meeting but the charges were withdrawn by the DPP six months later,” Mr Chaudhry said.
“I was again accosted by the police in Ba two months ago. They said they were acting on information that I was having an unlawful meeting – nothing eventuated.”
Mr Chaudhry said it was clear that the Police had special orders from the top to keep FLP activists under surveillance and harass them from time to time.
“This is to break our resolve and demoralize our supporters. But the regime is wasting its time.”
Vaivai is a hilly rural settlement about 8 kms from the city of Lautoka. The residents are cane and vegetable farmers. It is a FLP stronghold.
Yes, I agree with you. This kind of thing is totally unacceptable.
If they’re worried about “political meetings” getting out of hand, they should set an attendance limit of 100 or whatever for people to get a permit. But this just makes the government look over-defensive and repressive.
This is a mahen stunt.
Mahen actively sought to derail the SDL-Labour unity govt and ardently supported the coup before military kicked him out for alleged tax evasion.
mahen is trying to reinvent himself so that in the eyes of Fiji and the international community, he comes out looking like a champion of democracy.
This a strategy to boost labour’s tarnished reputation as a party of ‘yes-man’ ruled by the Chaudhry father and son, not to mention chaudhry in-law Sachida, sneakily and nepotistically appointed senator by mahen, even though at best, he is qualified to clean senate toilets only.
mahen is trying to reinvent himself and deflect action from his tax evasion charges and for pocketing $3million falsely raised in the name of poor farmers.
No one should fall for the cunning tricks of a politician who used his position in the party to enrich himself and his family at the expense of the poor.
@ Pro-Bainimarama Licker ,
Thanks for the news but you got it wrong by saying that ” i thought Frank Bainimarama was protecting Indo-Fijian rights’. No he is not. He is protecting all Fijians rights. You see Licker, you should broaden your thinking and not just see and believe in things the way you want to.
If those Indo Fijians (Fijians) think that they can get away with these sneaky meetings then they have broken the law and should be aptly punished….this coming from Chand, an Indo Fijian…a Fijian in the new world.
Strange but not surprising though that people still see things from the race perspective…….and this is what FB is trying to get rid off.
@ Chand
Right on brother. People still cant get rid of their race coloured glasses.
Its a mindset that has been ingrained over 100 years on the Fiji population.
We have to work very hard to get rid of it. It will have to start at schools so that the next and successive generations can clean it out once and for all. It is a hope that is worth aspiring to bro.
Ni vakacegu
You know brother, the fight has begun with or without the naysayers..it may not please some but the good work has to go on…and believe me it is going to be a struggle in the begining but the coming generation will see the fruits of this work.
Keep up the good work..and god bless
Gali GALI MEIN SHOE HAI, MP CHAUDHARY AUR FIJI LABOT PARTY CHOR HAI
M P Chaudhary should explain to the indo fijian farmers of Fiji, how he has accumulated more than $F3.5 Million in his Australian Commonwealth Bank account.
The money was collected as donations during his many overseas trips after the coups to raise funds to resettle displaced farmers in Labasa.
No wonder the farmers of Fiji are singing GALI GALI MEIN SHOR HAI, M P CHORdhary AUR FIJI LABOR PARTY CHOR HAI.
If flp want to have meetings, get a permit. Follow the rule of the land. Everybody has to follow, sdl are made to follow so flp have to follow. Dont go crying and playing racial games of being victims.
Mr chodory has gone past his use by date, so give it break and enjoy what ever days are left in this planet.
Vijendra Kumar, pliz just bugger off to Australia
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and conveniences, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”
@ Patriot-…whatever,
Oh yea.. as if its gonna happen…dream on boy and there will be those who will act rather than dream.
And some where in the blog did I see you say that you stood up for the the rights of the real i-taukeis and other targetted Fijians????… Did I??
And did I also read that you were a victim of the Qarase and the previous regimes…did I???
Oh you’re a champ mate…a real champ.
And sorry mate..for the benefit of the readers could you please repeat what you did?
Hear, hear…say that again please…oh you were reading Victors column and nodding in acknowledgement…I admire your contribution (clap, Clap)
And what…..Oh you were the collector….
And sorry, what was your real name…maybe a family name…maybe where you come from…maybe your cousin’s name…nah
Here’s $4.50 get your self some chicken soup.
For your effort mate…
Its very simple, Chand, you seem to be hiding or enjoying an overseas passport
We will never be protected the day native Fijians rise up against us – what you are saying is fine, and I dont deny some of your complains about Indo-Fijians, but if we get these privileges from Frank, than for us to enjoy them we will have to have Frank for ever protecting us – its like posting a guard outside your house permanently for the thief not to keep returning?
Why drag Victor into this debate? His point is simple – that Frank has shifted the goal post now – since 2003 he wanted his contract renewed, stole thousands of dollars from army’s regimental funds, was involved in the killing of mutiny soldiers etc etc etc and as police began to close on him he carried out the coup – and looked around and came up with this stuff – “I am doing all these stuff for the good of the Indo-Fijian” – you should join the army, Chand, so that there are more like you in the army the day Fijians come after us, and it wont be long. Frank should begin by opening up the army to Indo-Fijians – who I bet will run away miles? Like you seem to be – anyway, you have never revealed your identity – so go and get a life, coolie, and leave us Indo-Fijians to sort ourselves. This is what the Fijians were sounding like when Rabuka carried out the coup – the Fijians believed him that the coup was for their benefit. God help you!
Admire the diamond that can bear the hits of a hammer. Many deceptive preachers, when critically examined, turn out to be false.
Bainimarama is a false prophet for Indo-Fijians -a coward and a criminal – if he is clean why he is not revealing how much he is paying himself, Khaiyum and others while we Indo-Fijians are sinking further into poverty.
Be grateful, coolie, for the alleged Fijian racism, otherwise, you wont be in Australia, claiming unemployment benefit to sit in front of a computer, which you m=never owned in Fiji
@ Patriotic….my arse…Kaindia na Sona
Ok lets identify a mongrel for what it is…..tail between the legs…..yeh ok…and then?
Analize this:
“…native Fijians rise up against us….” …..
ok against “us.”……sorry who again??
“..you should join the army, Chand, so that there are more like you in the army the day Fijians come after us…”….
ok..after “us”…….who again??..umm
“Frank should begin by opening up the army to Indo-Fijians – who I bet will run away miles?…”
..ok “who” will run away…..you mean “us”
“…..go and get a life, coolie……”
ummm ok me coolie…..and you’re Indo-Fijian right (us)?
“..Bainimarama is a false prophet for Indo-Fijians…. ”
..you mean “us”…..the coolies…right
“…Be grateful, coolie, for the alleged Fijian racism, otherwise, you wont be in Australia…..”
Umm…ok..your point being
Raica boci…waiko uluna sa ca…totobata na kuli…sa kila….na mongrell. Waiko seini cakacaka…sa butako chiko…….sa bia kana na toa….soup for $4.50
.Kaindia na sona
@ Chand
Baya, strange one Indo-Fijian calling another Indo-Fijian a “coolie” – that derogatory racist term of the 18th century.
Sounds like a case of a kettle calling the pot black!
Maybe his ancestors were not girimitiya?
Which possibly makes him a Guji businessman with an axe to grind over Frank upsetting the cosy set up many Guji’s had with the Mara, Rabuka and Qarase governments?
For example, Mac Patel had a 15 year lease for his Prouds outlet at Nadi Airport terminal. Patel was able to build his wealth on this.
Frank now says all business outlets at Nadi terminal to be renegotiated on an annual basis and they pay rent at normal market rates.
No more honeymoon deals for the select few.
Oh yes Brother that is one of the possibilities I had in mind and the other is one of the key 4.5 supporters….but you have hit it right on the head..
I will for he moment live the i-taukeis who benefitted form the Gujjis aside…
If we are talking of Gujjis…ok Mac Patel is just one drop in the ocean…..and why do you think Wadan Narsey is jumping up and down…..do you think he has us the common people at heart…….
And this is why it is a necessity to strongly support FB….I mean to me it’s a do or die situation now….and I will be coming down and hopefully meet with some of you to work out strategies and means to weed out corruption…and believe me brother….I can walk any street in down town Suva and point out as to who is who and who did what….so be afraid, very afraid
Am I a which hunter…no but I am someone who will seek justice….call me a coolie and when the coolie chases, you will have nowhere to hide…..believe me.
Moce brother
Patriotic-Indo has a chip on his shoulder, and some sort of vendetta against Vijendra Kumar.
For your info, anyone who has the talent and means to choose where to live and work should be able to exercise this freedom.
The same freedom applies to you. If you choose to live in Fiji, fine that’s your right. It’s nobody else’s business to tell you where to live and work, get it? Because nobody puts food on the table for you and your family. You do.
In communism, people were prevented from crossing borders. we have never been a communist country. we are part of the free world. Besides, the Fiji and Pacific Diaspora are supporting families back home and helping prop up economies.
They have every right to be concerned about and to comment about their countries of origin, where their friends and families reside. Neither you, nor anyone else, has the right to tell them shut up.
You accuse Frank of being a dictator, but you have several dictatorial traits yourself.
Who the hell are you to criticise me for my choice of where I should live and work, or to tell me to stop commenting about my country of birth? The king of Fiji?
Talk about inflated sense of worth and ego. Get real guy.
Vinny, Chand, Moronic Mama’s Boy etc etc etc
Stay out of Fiji’s problems – now you have dual citizenship
We have survived four coups and we will sort ourselves – keep your long noses out – we live happily with our Fijian neighbours and other races – its the politicians and military – Frank has joined their club
@ Patriotic my Ar$!, You just don’t get it you moron…a pretender and a coward.
You can dream on buddy…scared now…I’m a Canadian,Ausie and a Fijian Citizen….how about that……dream on you coward hiding behind Patrotism..so called Indian….oh please come with another trick….now go on ……go back under mumma’s skirt…where you belong…..there are soldiers around……
This is why we need to be there, supporting changes whether you like it not…
Weed cowards like you out of the system….Patriot Indian…my Ar$!…you coward
“Fijian soldiers will be chasing us….” my ar$!……..how dare you demean the brave soldiers…..you coward…how dare
And when was the soldiers running around chasing Indians…you moron….people like you not only bring shame to the Fijians but the noble i-taukei population as well.
Oh I know rats like you ….for sure…but you see Rats have limited tricks…
Rats are rats but some times they think they are someone else….
You morons are bringing Graham Davis site into disrepute, like some on C4/5 so bugger off!
@ Patriot…my Ar$!
Oh yeah…this coming from a coward…….
And since when cowards talk abut disrepute…..but you are welcome you moron…we can take the heat.
We have seen many cowards off….
My name is Chand and I am your nightmare…so dream on ok wilson
@ Patriotic Indian
First you cannot be an indo Fijian whose e great grandparents have toiled the land when it was all jungle, may be you are a misfit itaukei who is racist to the core or a gujji who came on via plane to do business. You people cannot do business fairly as corruption is the only way you know.
Let’s start, I have all the right to talk about Fiji because all my family is still there, I have a house there and I plan to go back there. Who are you to tell me to stay out, do you own Fiji.
You don’t call people coolie because if you are an indo Fijian you will never say that about your ancestral past
So go and fak yourself for hiding behind a fake name.
Caisi tamamu.
Vinny (Minny me meow) and Chand (First Name) I am coolie to the core like you but we dont want you here – why are you hiding abroad – hiding to see what happens in 2014 – so you can come back as “new Fiji citizen” – and as for Chand – so you have Aussie and Canadian passports – and now Fijian – you must be a collector of passports or an opportunist, to make sure these passports are safety net – gosh, you must be collecting a lot of unemployment benefit in the two countries – stay where you are, both of you, Fiji doesnt need you. They might have toiled the land but can you provide me statistics to support your discrimination claims – there is one which you dont have to – in the military, for your Great Dictator will never take you too in the army – too thin, lean and Indians – he will stay! Chand, as for you, maybe you should go back to school and improve your English instead of sitting in front of the computer collecting unemployment benefits. Vinny what are your families doing – all persecuted and shut out of employment in Fiji? As I said, bugger off – we dont need you chaps in Fiji. Coolie means labourer, you Indian – remember that Amitabh Bachan movie of the same name – Coolie – did you see that movie, and if so, why didnt you boycott it because of the name.
@ Patriot …My arse…..too bad you are a lamu sona….and too bad you don’t have the priviledge that Vinny and I have…and you can shout all you can…I travel to Fiji a lot and I will……how pituiful you are…how pitiful and pathetic…and you some English Lord…me learn english…..ok how about this….my limited english got me to where I am today…and what about you…lamu sona..
Oh how you despise us the smart ones…oh you lamu sona…you can shout all you can…go shout out to the world that you do’nt want us…..oh you pitiful soul..a nameless coward…
Be afraid…very afraid for we are coming and coming right to your door step….you coward…people like you sell their mothers and daughters for personal benefits…you scum…….a nameless coward.
Yes I am Chand and that is my real name…..come on coward what is yours……
Like I always said, brave enough to hide under a skirt and hurl insults and coward enough not to come out….oh you grime…hide while you can….you scum
“..let us solve our problem…” aare you are a coward man…just a coward and what problem a coward will solve…besides hiding and hurling insults…..
I haven’t addressed the coolie issue as yet, but I will…….you lamu sona
Vinny, so Gujaratis are not Indo-Fijians or do not have the same rights like us coolies because “a gujji who came on via plane to do business”
Look at you, blaming Fijians of racism, and given opportunity, there you go, no better racist than the Fijians you accuse of being racists – you hypocrite, stay where you are – we dont need racists against Gujis in Fiji
@Patriot…my arse….
“us coolies…” oh you nameless and faceless coward…you don’t deserve a debate…some nameless coward…pretender…..
The noose is closing in on you guys…eh
Be afraid….very afraid
My name is chand and a proud decendant of a coolie……..what about you a moron.
Patriotic Indo-Fijian
Your smell gives you away !!!
I am not racist against gujjis, what bugs me is there manipulation of the political system to do corrupt business practice.
They have been doing it from ratu maras era via Mack Patel, rabukas time and finally qarase was sucking Bacchu Baha’is balls.
now i have a job in Australia, property and make a good living, I’ll eligeable for aus pension , will still move to Fiji , enjoy Fiji, support the military.
What can you do about it dog, bark as much as you want. Your voice sounds like Mahend chodos balls are stuck up your throat or a disgruntled qarasona support or finally a gujji business man who can’t get his way in the government know.
Vinny
Yes agreed but the same Gujjis have transferred their skills to Frank, who has heartily embraced them – Tappoos, jacks, Punja etc etc etc. Again, as I told you and that foul-mouth Chand (who still has not disclosed his first name – coward) stay where you are, we dont need you racists in Fiji. Our Fijian brothers and sisters have always been generous to us – how many of us have been slaughtered at their hands since the 1987 coups?
Please, enough of this Indo-Fijian shiyt!
It does not advance the analysis one little bit!
Coz the guy at one end is a racist twit!
And the other guy, Chand,
Is being such a grist!
@ Chand, keep it up brother!
Oh, this scum bag just gets better…..where else do we find these begging grubs…a coward who does not wan’t to reveal his identity….oh boy just enough of this piece of begging shit…just enough…some people are so shameless…but boy this grub takes the cake…
Frustrated….can’t prey on the gullible…can’t pinch money off the innocent……you lamu sona
Chand, Vinny, Annoymous – stay out of Fiji you shit heads – we have lived with Fijians for nearly two centuries – and let us sort ourselves and our problems with them – the last thing we want is the likes of all of you coming on dual citizenship and taking away our jobs – from all of us who have remained in Fiji – and that is why my blood boils, you gits. We also not want our Fijian brothers who mistake us as “foreign kuttas” coming back to chew on our bones – bugger off, stay were you are, and leave it to us to sort our problems.
We have enough crimes and disorder, triggered by coup related poverty – we dont want another Jamaica
Jamaican returnees warned of violence by High Commission
By Rajeev Syal
12:00AM BST 02 Jul 2000
BLACK Britons returning to Jamaica to retire or to visit are being targeted by murderous gangs, the island’s High Commission says.
More than 30 returnees, some of whom came to Britain on the SS Empire Windrush in the Fifties to work on the buses and in hospitals and factories, have been killed in the past three years. The fatalities have led the Jamaican authorities to draw up guidelines warning returnees to hide the trappings of wealth and seek security advice before planning a Jamaican home.
Yes, anonymous, you are right, I dont want to discuss with these Indo-Fijian racists who are speaking out because now they have dual citizenship. Jahaji doklas, stay away from our island – enjoy overseas lives and let us sort our mess here. Ram, ram, coolies brothers
@ Patriot …my arse..
Coolie and jahaji doklas…we know who you are you piece of shit
And how did you come to Fiji …..you piece of shit…oh you such a coward..we know who you are….little scum bags…you not worth the discussion …but we will get you… dogs…believe me….
Yes a jahaji…that’s how our forfathers came to Fiji…by boat…and how did yours..you scum bag …leeching grub….doklas are you guys who prey on the vunrable and the weak…who sell their daughters and mothers for monetory gains….oh yes I know you guys…the scums of earth…..
Yes like Vinny said…your corrupting ways are over…you doghla…take you kins elswhere…..there’s no market left for them in Fiji…you scum.
Ram ram, jahaji doklas – stay where you are – as for Chand, keep on collecting your unemployment benefit
I need to go and work my sugarcane fields – and drink grog with my Fijian brothers and sisters, which we have done for two centuries
Jai Ho Fiji!!!!!
Oh, Chand and other Jahaji Doklas
We you do visit our island, make sure to protect your mothers and daughters from your new-found protectors – Frank’s soldiers:
A 26 year-old army officer appeared at the Nasinu Magistrate Court this morning charged with rape.
His plea has been deferred to allow his lawyer Aseri Vakaloloma to go through the disclosures. The man has been bailed for $2,000 with surety.
The case has been transferred to the High Court due to the seriousness of the case and will be called next Monday.
It is alleged the officer raped a 15 year-old girl between January and July last year. The incident came to light when the victim was absent from school and when questioned by teachers – she relayed the incidents.
Ram, ram, jahaji doklas, and take care of yourselves. I must go and tend my sugarcane farm – taking with me my loyal “kutta” for company, who has remained with me in Fiji
@ Patriot…behen chod,
Aare behen chod take your mother and bahini and your daughter to the sugar cane field and what will you do at 10.33pm in the night Fiji time in the cane fields.. …..behen chod….
What do you call a coward and a behen chod at the same time……..whoever you are……you can have a go as well…behen chod sala…kutta ke aulad……
@ Graham
Jeez, do we have to put up with this Indo-Fijian scrap on this site?
It is demoralizing and does not advance the analysis.
Its like the proverbial Indo-Fijian canefarmers dog fighting continously with its neighbours…..
So sad….and unproductive
@ Anonoymous,
I apologise to you and the rest of the do gooders on this site……
I will therefore cease responding to that “Indo Fijian”….in fact I am more determined than ever to further the cause of the ordinary people of Fiji……
I hope you will realise my determination to fight the corrupt..and I will…believe me I will…. to me as a son of a coolie…..a true indentured son…..the fight is on….
I will get in touch with you through Graham and let you know of my capabilities and what I can offer….there will be surprises…and no turning back..In God we trust.
Thanks once again for the wise words and support and God bless.
Can I just make the point that it isn’t an “Indo-Fijian” scrap, it’s a scrap between individuals who happen to be Fijians of Indian descent. I know all this is a work in progress but it would be very helpful for people to start thinking along those lines rather than stick to the old racial paradigms.
Thanks very much Graham
It just revels how divided the people of Fiji are – Indo-Fijians against each other and Fijians against each other – our efforts should be made to reconcile these groups into one harmonious people. As an overseas Indo-Fijian who is yet to decide whether to apply for dual citizenship, I do understand Patriotic Indo-Fijians insensitivity towards us, its a fear that is ingrained in many settled communities. Brother, we will never be usurpers of your jobs etc – we want to enrich our former beloved Fiji. Many of us have not left because of racism and discrimination – we wanted to give our families a better life abroad. As far as Chand is concerned, I do feel that you ought to restrain the tone of your language, although Patriotic Indo-Fijian has been calling us jahaji doglas (loosely translated brotherly traitors), which we are not. However, I do understand hi feelings, for some of my own family members dont us to meddle from abroad, fearing it might inflame the i-taukei, as one told me: “My Fijian friends think we Indo-Fijians want to take over the country from abroad”. Graham Davis is right, and dual citizenship is a highly divisive issue, I am sure even among i-taukei trapped in their villages while their kinsmen and kai vatas are living abroad. They want our money but not us, and we have to assure them that our intention is to enrich and not rob their jobs – it is also on us not to flaunt our new found wealth, for many Indo-Fijians are living below poverty line. Long live Fiji! We are mere strangers in this world.
@ Citizenship Doubter ,
Thanks for a different perspective and it makes good reading and I think you are a cool brother.
Me nah….I don’t sit on the fence and doubt about issues…..I get on with it because it’s not about me…..I have provided employment opportunities to a few people and I am a doer……
I don’t take kindly to identity-less people calling me a coolie and a Jahaji Dhokla (dogla)…especially from the so called Indo-Fijian.
And I know a true Indo Fijian will not call another by that name…..yes we may quarrel and fight but we will not get to that level…
I have lived through a couple of coups and in my lifetime I have never heard an i-taukei calling us such names….yea, some would say..”kaindia go home…..kulina etc etc” ( I understand my friends calling me kulina etc….but these were light hearted comments to be a joke than anything else). I-taukeis will never stoop to that level.
We know each others sensitivities.
So suddenly we have an Indo Fijian ( not a coolie and not a jahaji), championing the cause of Indians……from the other side of the fence!!!!
You don’t have to be smart to work that out……
Thanks but no thanks “Citizenship Doubter”, I am who I am and that is my language.
Chand is my name and I am a Fijian and I am moving forward even that means alone
I agree with Citizenship Doubter. While the dual citizenship will make it easy for us to go and leave Fiji at will and pleasure, a vast majority of Indo-Fijians, native Fijians and other Fiji citizens will not be able to do the same – and the problem is the Embassies and High Commissions of US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc – they rarely give these people visas even to visit us, forget about emigrating to our parts of the world. We need to exercise insensitivity towards the likes of Patriotic Indo-Fijian – I dont know if he has ever applied to leave or is content to fight his corner in Fiji, and presumably when he says he is Patriotic (which Chand says “my ar**) he means he is roughing it out. Dual citizenship decree is a one way ticket for us abroad, but those in Fiji will never experience the same privilege unless they manage to emigrate and join us. So, we need to be very sensitive with the privilege which the regime has afforded us, which the likes of Patriotic Indo-Fijian seems to be against – or is frustrated. I dont see anything wrong with his position – he is merely letting off his steam against us. We need to win him over, we we are to enjoy our dual citizenship. I would only go and wave my newly acquired Fiji passport in a market if I am convinced that the likes of Patriotic Indo-Fijians have no truck with it – for I would not want to return to Australia spotting a ten-inch cane knife scare. Lets be rationale, as Graham Davis has suggested, its all part of the debate.