So this week is set to be dominated by a burning question. Is the sacking of the 17 FijiFirst MPs illegal because Frank Bainimarama can’t be the leader of FijiFirst when the electoral laws specify that no-one who is convicted and jailed for the length of time he has can preside over a political party?
That’s the position of the 17 FijiFirst rebels who chose to defy the party’s directive to vote against the increase in parliamentary emoluments and which has evidently been endorsed by the Supervisor of Elections, Ana Mataiciwa . But the question for her is why didn’t she say all of this when on May 9, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum told the world that despite being sent to jail, Frank Bainimarama was still the party leader? Shouldn’t she have contradicted him then and publicly set the record straight if that was the legal position? Because doing so now just smacks of political bias.
Get set for a week in which the legality of the FijiFirst sackings is one of the main headline grabbers and on the other side of politics, the Coalition continues to tear itself apart as it responds to the unprecedented level of public fury at its own handling of the emoluments scandal.
But for the moment, today’s front pages again give us a clear idea of the parallel universe inhabited by our two main newspapers – the Fiji Sun at least trying to cover the news and the Fiji Times creating its usual diversion to avoid dealing with the story of the day. With respect to the gentleman himself, who cares what Edward Blakelock thinks about this crisis? Even fewer people than care what Mick Beddoes or Joji Kotobalavu think. Where are the mainstream political figures in all of this?
I don’t know about you, Fiji, but my head is starting to hurt. I have to say I really don’t care that the 17 FijiFirst MPs shouldn’t have been removed because of some legal technicality. They shouldn’t have voted for such an obscene increase in salary and benefits in the first place. And when they received an instruction from FijiFirst not to do so, it doesn’t matter to me whether it was from Frank Bainimarama or his cat.
Can we please focus on the gross inappropriateness of the FijiFirst rebels joining the PAP and SODELPA in voting to feather their own nests when a third of the population lives in poverty? That is the core issue here as far as Grubsheet is concerned and the rest is just static.
God help us if the FijiFirst rebels are able to cling on because Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum didn’t realise that Frank Bainimarama no longer had the legal power to remove them. It would be a triumph for self interest over the national interest and would render FijiFirst no better than the PAP and SODELPA in failing to take a stand for principle. The pay and benefit increases are WRONG whatever the legalities of how they came into being and every sensible Fijian knows it.
In yet another attempt to talk about anything other than the emoluments scandal, Fred Wesley talks about diabetes.
The mental health of the nation right now would be a better subject if Fred doesn’t want to talk about what everyone else is talking about.
Words of wisdom from someone other than GD who can’t return to his country of birth because his mouth is bigger than his sense of self preservation.
The latest adventures of the Queen of Tarts. Seriously. What hope is there for the Fijian media when someone of the stature of Stanley Simpson happily consorts with someone to whom he should be applying the blowtorch?
Totally agree GD. I don’t know how you manage to follow the bouncing ball that is Fiji. Your image is a precise depiction of what I’m like 99.9 percent of the time!!!
Get some sleep!
GD
Thank you so much.
How is the gazetting legal if the comments/ process by PM and those under him were at anytime inconsistent and incorrect? It would seem logical that the government had a duty to let the public speak first and pass later.
The government had to know there would be outcry and so therefore there is deception. If they didn’t know there would be outcry then that would be very poor governance and a new leadership is needed. How can any of this be legal GD? In any event a new government is needed.
Even if they could prove there was no deception, to make inaccurate statements should surely make the whole thing null and void in a normal world. Please tell me if I’m wrong.
To the 17 rebel Fijifirst MPs: We, the supporters of the party, don’t want you representing us anymore. It is scandalous for you to vote ‘yes’ on this issue when even a party in government refused to do so. You duty to us and the people of Fiji has yielded to your greed and self-interest. Do the honorable thing and resign.
The smart kaidia is not so smart, first he accepts the position as the LOP nominee on the Constitutional Offices Commission and losses his seat in Parliament and now he gets Frank to sign the directive when technically Frank is no longer the leader due to his conviction so now the directive from Frank to the party to vote against or abstain is supposedly not a valid directive.
History shows that ruling with a central command and with an iron fist is never sustainable but only when a party is grassroots and hears all voices and makes decisions collectively can survive the test of time to flourish and be successful.
Why is the gang of 17 complaining now ? They enabled this for past 8 years and never spoke truth to power so why complain now .
Ha! Ha, serves you all right and you all ( the 17 ) can lick your wounds and maybe retire from politics.
Serves you right Mr Usamate, all the big talk in Parliament about transparency and the rule of law but you never did follow this during your time in Government but blindly supported Frank and Aiyaz knowing fully well how transparent they were and how they always bended the law to suit their agenda.
Fiji Times is sliding into the realm of an ‘only good for toilet paper newspaper’. It seems their journalists don’t have any level of critical thinking, let alone a bone of investigative journalistic instinct, nor the ability to write articles with any in-depth thought into prose beyond ‘he said, she said’. They are ‘free’ now. What’s the excuse?
The debate about the validity of Frank’s leadership shouldn’t suppress the fact the FIJI FIRST PARTY seems to be the only Honourable party in that house.
Because the 16 seemed only too pleased about enriching themselves by defying party orders, this is evident when you understand the dubious means by which it was gazetted by the ruling party that the 16 seemed to turn a blind eye to.
NFP can’t take the high ground and claim this was a last minute motion when LYNDA’S tirade reveals this committee was set up in July 2023.
They’re all in it for themselves, but kudos to FIJI FIRST for remaining a force for the people no matter which side of the house they’re on.
For goodness sake, we live in the digital age now. A person can have his signature digitally stored and used by the party when he is temporarily indisposed. It would be a grave mistake if the Speaker were to heed the cries of the sacked FFP MPs and rake among dead leaves to find a shred of information to justify not going ahead with the party directive.
In such situations he should be guided by a higher principle, and this is found by asking What is the purpose of that piece of legislation?
It clearly was enunciated to prevent the farcical repeat of what happens in other parts of Melanesia, where members get elected under the banner of a party but once inside, they vote and act according to their own personal whims, ignoring the wishes and dictates of the party that put them there in the first place.
To try to question the authenticity of the letter they received is like a rugby side questioning the qualifications of a referee after he ruled against them. Hello, the game is already underway.
They should have done that before the game had started. In this case the MPs were informed beforehand by the president in a public statement, verbally by the acting General Secretary and by letter NOT to support Tabuya’s motion for a pay rise.
But in their own greed they chose to ignore this advice. They preferred to forage among the dried leaves on the ground than look up at the higher orinciple that lay behind the particular provision.
The Speaker must not make that same mistake,
A nation should be governed by principle not by narrow opportunism by its rulers, for that is what this whole episode is all about.
It is interesting that the SoE has never raised any questions about the FFP constitution until now. One would expect the FEO to be fully aware of the constitution of the registered parties, and ability to discern any anomalies in the constitutions, which would contravene the poltical parties acts or the Fijian constitution. Yet it appears the SoE has once again been caught sleeping on the job like the sloth she is, and only when the 17 rebels started making noises in the media, she awoke from her slumber.
The FFP constitution is quite clear on party discipline and anyone who has worked with the former AG, knows that he has not left any loopholes in the FFP constitution, given its very structure is similar to that found in Australian political parties. The 17 rebels knew very clearly what would happen to them for voting in favour of the pay rise, decided to go political whoring and take the money.
Changing the party constitution simply to allow the 17 rebels to gorge themselves on taxpayer funds isnt something ASK will be doing. Such a move will not only weaken his power over the party and its followers, but it will throw FFP into the same bandwagon as the coalition – a group of money grabbing racist, drug taking thugs. ASK will never bow to the SoE’s demands he change the constitution as it means that party leaders no longer have the authority to excercise control over their party members. Why then would a political party have officials and disciplinary provisions when anyone could simply bypass it by lodging complaints with the SoE whenever they’re not happy? A political party is like a club. The rules apply to everyone and if you dont like the rules, you either need to consider leaving.
In this instance, the FFP management were fully within their rights to expel these 17 rebels. These individuals have sold their souls for the gold saqamoli and they are clearly not in parliament to fight for the rights of the ordinary Fijian. They are there simply to fill their pockets and make devlish deals in secret with the coalition to fuel their own financial greed. For a country where the average salary of an individual is anywhere between 12k – 15k annually, how do these 17 justify their reasonings for having this massive salary when their current one was more then sufficient?
The 17 rebels should be barred from entering parliament as of Thursday, 30 May 2024 as they are no longer parliamentarians. The Speaker of the House must act as per the guidelines and immediately issue a directive to have the 17 replaced with new candidates as per the advice from the FFP. Failing to do this is indicative that the Speaker does not intend to honor the Fijian Constitution and this should raise questions about his ability to remain in that position.
I have a feeling that this is Khaiyum and his group commenting. Nice try.
Definitely a better read than by the numb supporters of the Queen of Bonking and Weed, her navel-gazing sugar daddy Rabuka or the two clowns themselves. Rabuka must be sitting in his teitei, scratching his balls, fervently awaiting God to talk to him again.
Even if those 17 Remains, no ones voting for them next elections.
The current government operates through deception, exploitation, and cunningness, resembling a wily snake. It lacks the knowledge and capacity to lead in a democratic, fair, and transparent manner, failing to create opportunities for all citizens. Urgent introspection is needed, as failure is imminent and a potential catastrophe looms.
The government’s obvious strategy is to cling to power until the next elections, even if it results in a Pyrrhic victory, resorting to unethical and immoral behavior. The leadership exploits the emotions of the people for their self-serving interests, showing a blatant disregard for the welfare of the populace and the future of the country. This is a significant failure and undermines democracy, illustrating why it is often seen as an imported concept, ‘foreign flower’ – manipulated for the benefit of those in power. All the right processes, systems that underpin our democracy are now confusing and failing and hence, our future will no doubt be seriously compromised.
The current political maneuvers, which undermine and desecrate democracy, will have severe repercussions for the country long after the perpetrators are gone. They will neither be forgotten nor forgiven. It is time for NFP and the people of Fiji to wake up – a genuine plea for action. Worse is yet to come if we do not act now. There’s ‘no other way’!
Thank you, Graham, for your incisive analysis on the current political turmoil. Your piece effectively highlights the critical issues that are fueling public frustration and disillusionment.
The legal ambiguity surrounding the sacking of the 17 FijiFirst MPs certainly adds to the complexity of the situation. However, as you rightly point out, the core issue here is the MPs’ decision to vote for a substantial increase in their own salaries and benefits, especially when so many Fijians are struggling with poverty. This action reflects a troubling disregard for the public’s trust and the ethical responsibilities of elected officials.Your critique of the media’s role in this crisis also deserves attention. The disparity in coverage between the Fiji Sun and the Fiji Times suggests a broader issue of media bias and the need for balanced reporting to ensure the public is well-informed.
It’s disheartening to see political leaders prioritizing personal gain over national interest. This behavior not only undermines the credibility of FijiFirst but also erodes public confidence in the entire political system. The principle of serving the public should always take precedence over self-interest, and this incident starkly illustrates the consequences when that principle is ignored.Your call for a focus on the ethical implications of the MPs’ actions, rather than getting lost in legal technicalities, is a crucial reminder of what truly matters. As citizens, we must hold our leaders accountable and demand that they act with integrity and transparency.
Thank you for shedding light on these important issues and for your ongoing commitment to promoting accountability and good governance in Fiji.