The venerable Times of London does what the Fiji Times refuses to do – report the sex and drug scandal involving Aseri Radrodro and Lynda Tabuya that has enveloped the Coalition government but is being mostly ignored in the Fijian media.
Nothing illustrates the hollowness of the so called new era of media freedom in Fiji more than the fact that it has taken Britain’s most prestigious newspaper to inform Fijian readers – and the entire world – about a story that they deserve to know.
This scandal can no longer be shoved under the collective mat and there is no way that the current PAP inquiry into Lynda Tabuya’s conduct can produce a whitewash. If it does, then this is a story that will haunt the Coalition government all the way to the next election and cruel any chance of Manoa Kamikamica, or anyone else, being able to create a “fresh start” for the PAP.
Read on, Fiji, and be amazed that it has taken a respected global media outlet to give you facts that your own media is withholding from you. And if you wonder about the credibility of The Times, consider this:
The Fiji Times continually boasts that it has been around for 153 years since 1869. The Times – whose nickname in Britain is “The Thunderer” – goes back 239 years to 1785. One is a credible media outlet and the other is a rag. Guess which one?
Belatedly, the Fiji Times reports today on the PAP investigation after Grubsheet accused it yesterday of journalistic corruption. But guess what again, Fiji? The paper carries quotes from Lynda Tabuya but doesn’t ask her if the allegations against her are true. And having been given the opportunity to comment to the Fiji Times, Lynda herself doesn’t take the opportunity to issue a denial or even maintain the pretence that it is “fake news”.
Why? Well, because it is true. The leaked text messages are genuine and the PAP’s Disciplinary Sub-Committee better believe it or it too is going to be exposed to allegations of a massive cover-up.
The chronic hopelessness of the Fiji Times is underlined by its headline on yesterday’s big win in the High Court by the ousted solicitor general. The rest of the world knows him as Sharvada Sharma. The morons in Butt Street call him Sharvada Nand.
Standard of journalism in Fiji despite so called media freedom has gone down to gutter levels. There is no investigative journalism, nor govt critiqued on breaches of constitution, abuse of office and blatant racism. Fiji Times is showing clear bias towards govt and providing platform to coalition ministers to cover up and hoodwink people into believing their lies. People are better informed through Fijileaks, grubsheet and social media on issues affecting Fiji and governance.
I think we’re all losing sight of the big picture here.
Will there be a page 3 layout? Another venerable British institution to which many are called but few are chosen
I miss the like buttons and laughing emojis from the Facebook pages…don’t hear much laughter from the official circles though. Very unusual for Fiji….
How ironic that Lynda’s speech at the Fiji Law Society Annual Convention was on Digital Anonymity. This woman is deluded and her fans and followers are the same. Firstly, any other person holding her post wouldn’t have accepted to speak at such an important convention after the alleged affair surfaced. Secondly, no one caught in a marital affair utilising digital platform as an enabler to meets etc would have had the “balls” to pick and speak on that theme. Jeez not only is she deluded; you have to give it her with the size of her nuts used for the wrong reasons. ONLY Lynda and ONLY in Fiji. All those lawyers that sat and listened to her need to hang their heads in shame.
The funny thing is many of her deluded supporters who are men are sharing those images of her around the grog basin and laughing about it.
Lynda is not an honest and honorable person so she wont resign and the PM is too blind to sack her.
@ Truth Only
Indeed, only in Fiji are the vile duo entertained – their PM is also deluded and in denial. The scarlet minister for women has turned out to be a little mafia queen in a small pond trying to bully every one around her into submission. Pffftt! Right-thinking lawyers would have immediately boycotted the minister’s session at the convention and if they were mandated to sign up for the session for their CLE points, they would simply have turned their chairs around to have their backs facing her and block out her BS with earphones plugged in their ears. There are many ways to stage a peaceful and silently LOUD protest. Sadly, not with this crowd of spineless lawyers who sat through Lynda’s speech looking like petrified penguins without a brain!
It’s quite interesting how the global media has picked this up, named and shamed them with sordid details of what happened in the hotel room but Fijis media chooses to tread lightly on this, pretending nothing has happened.
And here we all thought a change of government meant freedom for the media to report TRUTHFULLY and ACCURATELY without fear of recriminations.
It is an absolute disgrace that this government has ignored the plight of everyday ordinary Fijians and continued its shambolic spending, increased taxes, and now this sex scandal and that too all within 1 year.
If this is how they plan to run Fiji for the next 2-3 remaining years, there will be nothing left in Fiji. Lynda and Radrodro need to resign from their respective positions effective immediately.
Their portfolios either need to be redirected or the PM needs to call for fresh elections.
Otherwise, this train wreck of a government will destroy Fiji beyond repair.