So the leak of the COI Report that Grubsheet readers have been digesting for the past week has “triggered a political reckoning” that has forced the Prime Minister into an undertaking that the government will release the unredacted version.
That’s what the Fiji Times is reporting on this morning’s front page at the same time as it carries an “in depth” full-page report that continues to cast doubt on the authenticity of the leaked version:
No, you idiots. It’s a new version of the Ten Commandments. WTF do you think it is? But never mind the doubting (Fred) Wesleyans at the Fiji Times. We are down the rabbit hole altogether with Siti and the rest of his crazy critters in the Coalition.
- There’s the whisky-sodden Charan Jeath Singh in one corner brawling publicly with Shamima Ali.
- “Wannabe prime minister” Manoa Kamikamica blinking in the headlights as he’s revealed as “Mr Make It Go Away” at FICAC . (More on that soon)
- and Biman Prasad trying desperately with yoga contortions to divert media attention away from the CID’s current investigation into whether he should (again) be charged with making a false income declaration to the Elections Office.
I don’t know about you, Fiji, but I’m just reeling from the madness of it all.
- The President , Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, reportedly still trying to save the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, from being suspended.
- The Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, unable to tell the President that he can’t save Temo because Ratu Naiqama is Rabuka’s high chief and he just can’t contradict him.
- The Prime Minister reportedly hoping the RFMF Commander, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, will step in and insist but, of course, he’s a chief too.
- Those around the Commander in the officer corps pressuring him to resist any move to reintroduce the 1997 Constitution because they will lose their immunity for the 2006 coup.
- And the media blissfully unaware of anything happening under their noses because they spent most of last week at the GPH at someone else’s expense bemoaning abuse against women journalists.
Hey guys! What about the abuse being visited on the rest of us? The whole place is crazy and few people are more crazy than Biman Prasad.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister has spent the past two and a half years doing nothing to stop the mass exodus from Fiji – the estimated 110,000 people who have fled for good, partly because they have witnessed him remain silent as they are cast as “vulagi“, visitors in their own country.
Prasad has also given a seven-year company tax holiday to Fiji’s biggest exporter – Fiji Water – on the recommendation of his own lawyer, Richard Naidu – the Chair of the Coalition’s Fiscal Review Committee – who strangely enough also happens to have been Fiji Water’s lawyer. (Where is FICAC in relation to this?)
So guess what, Fiji? The tax base appears to have now been eroded to the point that Fiji has no hope of living within its means. There are rumours circulating that the Coalition is seeking $350-million in budget support from Australia. $350-million? It surely can’t be true? But if it is true (and we will soon find out), we are in a much bigger financial rabbit hole than we thought.
Now, in today’s Fiji Times, Biman Prasad confirms the parlous status of the nation’s finances. Yes, we are going to have a bigger deficit in the coming budget. Yes the debt-to-GDP ratio is going to increase. But guess what, Fiji? The Great Betrayer pulls his usual stunt of saying it’s a lot better than under FijiFirst.
This guy has completely lost it. And he really is the Mad Hatter down the rabbit hole with Siti. He promised to tackle Fiji’s burgeoning debt crisis and what has he done instead? Made it worse. And he has the gall to point the finger at those he once blamed for putting the nation at risk only to put us at more risk.
If the current police investigation into BIman Prasad leads to criminal charges and a trial – and remember he was about to be charged by FICAC until the Coalition posse arrived to save him – the Finance Minister is staring down the barrel of a potential jail term. ( You can read all about it at Victor Lal’s Fijileaks and a Grubsheet article coming soon )
Yet whatever happens to him in the courts of law, this guy deserves the death sentence in the court of public opinion simply for treating us all like idiots – to be voted out of office altogether when the nation finally gets its say on these jokers come election day.
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Now the latest madness on the COI Report:
Que? Come again?
“Interesting”. Editor Fred Wesley‘s pronouncement about everything seems to have made it into the Fiji Times newsroom style book.
“Interesting”? About as interesting as it was for the people of Rome as they watched Nero fiddle while their city burned.
Hi Graham,
There are so many named individuals in the CoI report whose professional standing and reputation has come under firing but instead of them being suspended they continue to perform the the same duties as before and making important decisions and issuing judicial judgments. As though all is well. But what happens after the police investigation and those same individuals are charged as suggested in the CoI’s fact finding investigation? This applies to the current Chief Justice, the Chief Registrar and those other named individuals in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution, the government ministers et al.
The Prime Minister’s decision not to suspend those named individuals makes a mockery of the justice system.
Wait a minute.
The COI was an ‘investigation’ and conclusions were made on the balance of probabilities rather than on the rules of evidence.
Those so named can seek resolution in a Court of Law if they wish.
Ordinarily, in a civic society, after a fact-finding investigation, those who have been been criticised as a result of their conduct, capability or behaviour which brings into disrepute or undermines their professional standing – they either stand down on their own volition, suspended or dismissed. Just like an ordinary disciplinary grievance investigation followed by the hearing and its outcome.
But this was a “JUDICIAL” investigation led by a Supreme Court Justice and his findings are very damaging to those named individuals, irrespective of the rules of evidence or natural justice. The allegations against them are VERY serious indeed and the evidence and criticisms against them are there and for the people to make up their own minds, of their innocence or guilt.
Frankly, I can’t imagine those appearing before the Chief Justice are likely to have any confidence in him because of the criticisms labelled against him by the CoI’s findings. The judicial office holders have to be “SQUEAKY CLEAN AND ABOVE ANY KIND OF SUSPICION”. The same principle also applies to the other public office holders – whose reputation and professional standings have been either tarnished or tainted by the adverse findings against them in that CoI .
Just a way for the PM to dilute the contents of the report by muddying the waters surrounding its release.
The public has the right to view the report. What’s the delay? Do the people concerned have something to hide and may be charged for corruption and financial abuse?
What’s so secret in the report ? My guess is due to top officials involved they are using delayed tactics.
No matter what, the truth will come out today or tomorrow.
What a shame how the government has fallen. God save our beautiful Fiji.
The PM and the President are proving with every passing second how incompetent and untrustworthy they are with their words and actions.
They used our Fijian taxpayers funds to pay this COI and drag their feet with the release and decisive actions on the findings and through this chosen path they have taken – prove once again how they are not fit to lead the nation.
Leadership is not just about positions .. it’s about chosen behaviors .
And these 2 at the helm make the nation look like corruption , collusion and control are the virtues or currency which they condone, trade and celebrate in , in order to feather their nests and stay in power a day longer .
Time has a way of revealing everything
And what an unraveling we see !
As usual, outstanding tracking of all that is wrong with our beloved Feejee by GD.
The best part of this post is ‘No, you idiots. It’s a new version of the Ten Commandments. WTF do you think it is?’
Hahaha! We all need some relief and GD delivers again by ripping off Fred’s Rat’s Tail so he needs to grow a new one 😂
Yes, another day in La-La land with the Flip-Flop PM.
How amazing that the release of the report may now be held up due to a printing problem (resources and finance). What a joke! There are any number of printing firms in Fiji who could print and bind the Report. As for money, just stopping the Government Ministers from traveling for a week will well and truly pay for it!
As for the PM only being given a ‘soft copy’ one could speculate that was very deliberate by the Commissioner so as to prevent alteration or erasure.
The Fiji Times continues its role as the Government’s protector as it tries (and fails) to paint the leaked copies as not being authentic with another poorly researched and written ‘in Depth’ article.
The budget is due to be announced this Friday, and we are now seeing the Fiji people being softened up with announcements of an increase in the deficit. The reasons being economic downturn and increases in Government spending allegedly to look after the people.
I don’t believe that for one minute! The Government has grown despite the exodus of over 100,000 people and has increased its number of Ministers and Assistant Ministers yet again, not forgetting the increase in salaries and allowances to MPs. At the same time the Government is asking for increased ‘budget support’ from countries like Australia and New Zealand, with the Australian Government allegedly being asked for $300 Million(AU) alone. All this from a Finance Minister who professes to be economic smart!
Yes, La-La land is an apt description!
If, as our beloved, honest, truthful, never-tell-a-lie PM says there is a “printing problem,” why does he not reach out to our trusted NZ/OZ for “budget support?”
Our beloved, honest, truthful PM can put Honest Abe to shame any day.
Please let’s back off beating up on the Fiji Times. They are doing their best under very trying circumstances to report as best they can.
Unfortunately,…another poorly researched and written ‘in Depth’ article is all they can manage with the dearth of depth they have.
The Wesley fella can only go 2 inches in depth. And no, this is not referencing his skull.
The perils of a stagnant and rapidly eroding tax base is now becoming apparent and it will continue as around 400 or so migrate or leave Fiji for work each month. The sunset clause that ethnonationalists talk about as the reason to remove the 2013 Constitution and save Taukei from cultural extinction is not from any document or smart ass ASK. It is from bad governance, corruption and a total failure of leadership compounded by lack of measures to counter crime drugs HIV as well as NCDs that is threatening the existence of all Fijians and especially the Itaukei. Time to get off the mana of entitled indigeneity and smell the rot and shake ourselves to the reality of what we must face.
Bula GD, on Saturday afternoon in Nadi, I saw a speeding convoy of at least 5 police vehicles, escorting a Government VIP (very idiotic person) to Suva. The first vehicle had siren blaring and the last, had a hairy arm out the window shooing drivers off the road.
I felt such rage. The VIP and politicians have lost the plot. Never enough vehicles to get to crimes and people in need but certainly available for whoever the idiot was!
The same “escort” protocol is used for itaukei funeral processions from CWM for example.
Two motor bikes and at least one four wheel drive, all with blaring sirens and flashing lights “escorting” a corpse-that is in no hurry to go anyplace. Going past traffic red lights like nobody’s business.
During rush hour traffic. Police driving on the opposite lane while for everyone elsse traffic moves at snails pace.
Excellent use of scarce police resources. Six policemen occupied for the next 6 hours and the public is told “no transport.”
Nice, Tudravu. Vinaka saka ofisa.
Fiji is now a free country. This is their country and they have every right to be an idiot in their own land. To choose to be stupid is a basic human right and more and more people are making that choice.
The Alleged leak of the document which is Alleged to be a genuine copy of the Coi report.
TFT (The Fiji Times), allegedly, cannot distinguish between fiction and the real thing. Or is it just indiscriminate use of the word Alleged.
This CoI must have been a strategic move by PM…every bit of it. The inquiry rakes dirt on potential leaders making them unpalatable in the upcoming elections to challenge the sitting PM.
The esteemed judge also throws shade at previous government in the report.
Stalling the release of the report was deliberate because blind Freddy knows it was a matter of time before it was leaked. PM keeps his hands clean because he has not thrown his mates in the cesspit under the bus.
The report also provides sound groundwork to disband FICAC. It shows so much power with one or two people in the organisation is unhealthy.
It also strengthens Fiji’s begging bowl for aid investing in governance…meaning money to be made by some at the top and more scholarships for itaukei.
PM know the commissioner of police is impotent and their investigations into coi findings will result in nothing. We haven’t seen any outcome on the importation of large quantity of ammunition by a high profile Ratu so fat chance eminent itaukei will be charged in this instance.
Meanwhile the judge and his sidekick, both mates of PM personally chosen by him, laughing all the way to the bank with Fijian taxpayers money.
The PM achieved a lot by doing nothing….that is genius.
Meanwhile, common Fijian struggles with day to day living and access to good government services.
…ammunition by a high-profile Ratu, so fat chance eminent itaukei will be charged in this instance.
The high profile ratu will use the gun and ammo to rid his island of bekabeka.
Tudravu lamu to get in the way lest the high profile ratu do a Dick Cheney on him.
Then Tudravu will see for real what taken to task really means.