We know that Biman Prasad is under intense pressure when he threatens to use Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s law making it a crime to “undermine or sabotage” the national economy against the Unity Party leader, Savenaca Narube. But that’s how paranoid the NFP leader and Deputy Prime Minister has become as the noose tightens around his political neck in the election lead-up.
Like Khaiyum in the same position, the Finance Minister is incensed by a speech Savenaca Narube gave urging Australia to reconsider its financial aid to Fiji to avoid wastage and mismanagement. And like Khaiyum, Prasad is muttering darkly about sabotage and threatening the Unity leader with a possible 10-year jail sentence under the draconian Public Order Act.
The difference is that Biman Prasad won office promising freedom of expression and a new era of transparency and accountability. But all that has gone out the window two years into the Coalition’s term, along with Prasad’s respect for the nation’s institutions and the rule of law that has seen him, and some of those around him, thwart an attempt by FICAC to charge him with abuse of office.
The NFP leader is looking increasingly harassed as the Commission of Inquiry into Barbara Malimali‘s appointment as FICAC Commissioner threatens to expose an alleged conspiracy at the top of government to avoid that charge by parachuting Malimali into FICAC to quash investigations into Biman Prasad and a number of other ministers.
Depending on what Justice David Ashton-Lewis decides – and speculation is mounting that he could well recommend that the charge against Prasad be reinstituted – the NFP leader may find himself before the courts and unable to contest the 2026 election. So his position is suddenly extremely vulnerable, which undoubtedly accounts for some of his obvious testiness and petulance in recent public appearances. Which won’t be helped by the suggestion that Sitiveni Rabuka might have engineered the whole thing.
But with Savenaca Narube, there is an added reason for Biman Prasad to be anxious. Because Narube plans to do a pre-election deal with Mahendra Chaudhry – the Labour Party leader – to cooperate and if Unity and Labour make it over the 5 per cent threshold into the parliament, to try to form government or at least be part of any Coalition.
What does this mean for Biman Prasad and the NFP? The prospect of electoral armageddon. Prasad and his party are already on the nose with their traditional constituents in the minorities for betraying their fundamental interests by not standing up to Sitiveni Rabuka‘s racist agenda.
Prasad’s failure, for instance, to speak out against the description of non-indigenous Fijians as “vulagi” – visitors in their own country – has been a disaster for his electoral standing and that of the NFP. And while publicly supporting changes being made to the 2013 Constitution, he has glaringly failed to insist that the common and equal citizenry and common identity provisions that protect the minorities are non-negotiable.
Biman Prasad is on the ropes. He knows that Mahendra Chaudhry and Savenaca Narube are coming for him in the election lead-up at the same time as the Malimali Commission of Inquiry shines a spotlight on how Prasad was allegedly able to beat a FICAC charge. And getting over the 5 per cent threshold – assuming that he isn’t knocked out of the election before that – is suddenly looking a lot more difficult.
So right now, the NFP leader is like a cornered rat. And all sense of judgment seems to have deserted him as he threatens the Unity leader with the harsh legislation introduced by his predecessor as finance minister (wearing his simultaneous hat as attorney general) and makes a mockery of the supposed new era of free expression that the Coalition promised.
Biman Prasad is no better than Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum in having a thin skin and authoritarian streak. And if by some miracle he can beat a reinstituted FICAC charge when the Malimali Commission of Inquiry details precisely what happened last September, Savenaca Narube (and Mahendra Chaudhry) are going to be waiting for him with baseball bats come the election to exploit the widespread disaffection with the NFP.
Ignominious defeat and possibly jail-time beckon. Which is why Biman Prasad is showing increasing signs of desperation.
POSTSCRIPT:
Grubsheet’s description of Richard “I have the means” Naidu appears to be catching on. He will regret using the phrase in his intemperate letter threatening to sue me in November 2023.
Naidu too has had the blowtorch applied to him at the Malimali Commission of Inquiry and faces the possibility of an adverse finding, along with a brace of lawyers who have reportedly come to Justice Ashton-Lewis’s attention.
—————————–
And it’s a red-letter day when the Fiji Times carries the following headline:
Answer: Plenty.
And for once, an abject humiliation for the Coalition government is plastered all over the Sunday Times front page.
It is all too much even for Editor Fred Wesley, who seems to have finally found his voice about something that, for once, is way beyond “interesting”. It is a “major concern” and “must never be tolerated”. Go Fred!
Yep, even the Coalition’s propagandists can no longer hide what Grubsheet highlighted yesterday – that the entire country is unravelling.
The test of the Coalition’s integrity and character has continuously failed, as evidenced in its individual slip ups which we don’t want to belabor the point on from day 1.
Top it off with a lack of competency and experience. They have been unable to get the engine room of the country firing as it’s been distracted on serving itself first before its citizens and then whinges continuously about the past without bringing or designing and delivering realtime solutions.
Biman PRASAD unfortunately deserves whatever is coming to him like the rest of the pack . He now knows the reality of sitting as a Minister and aside from his childish rhetoric and passing the buck – focusses on international aid rather than domestic revenue mobilisation.
Fiji is a nation that can and should be able to fund itself … cut the cloth to make it fit ! Stop begging around like panhandling fools ! Focus inwards … tax policy , review concessions issued , encourage efficiency and productivity, segment the population demographics and industries and develop strategies accordingly.
The government has one time wonders all strutting to make themselves look smart and competent and as a result they are not coherently working together because they are all too busy trying to outdo each other .. and as they do, they only reaffirm how undeserving they are to hold office.
There is no “I” in Teamwork !
Fiji, its government , its accountability and its credibility is embarrassing . We the people hang our heads in shame as the reality of the incompetence and worse lack of character and integrity of our leaders are exclaimed and exposed from the rooftops for all to see …. Every day as evidenced in mainstream media is evidence of the failure to provide basic public goods and services to us the people.
Enough with the talk and blame game Coalition Government.
We the Fijians deserve way better than this.
Bring on the 2026 elections !
Or better yet resign already and call a snap election to put us all out of our misery.
With the exodus of trained electrical workers going overseas for better working conditions and pay, one could expect to hear the old saying of ” will the last person leaving the country please turn off the lights” being resurrected.
Given the recent debacle at the CWM hospital, clearly that won’t be necessary.
The back-up generator did not turn on at CWM. That is a national and regional shame for Fiji given CWM is a teaching hospital for FNU.
If I was the PM of Samoa and other countries in the Pacific I would be having some hard talk to the Fiji government. PICs send their students to Fiji to learn and contribute to free labour already in the hospitals. Now putting this workforce under pressure and risk is highly worrying.
Fiji had this coming anyway. Sharpen up or lose the regional students. Back to 1987 with Rabuka’s leadership. No surprises.
What rubbish, most of these PICs depend on Fiji for their services. If they don’t like it then flock off to NZ and Australia which are ten times more expensive including education such as medical schools. Most of these PIC’s budgets come from Australia and NZ anyway.
No, they don’t. They have already started building their own universities. Time is not on Fiji’s side.
In terms of better workforce development, they definitely are sending their managers to Australia and NZ for career advancement opportunities. What has Fiji done in critical care settings? Nothing. They train at home and learn from their own. That shows you why your health sector in Fiji is miles away from other countries.
Well good on them. Then they don’t need Fiji then. Wish the other PICs all the best.
https://www.facebook.com/100064515677819/posts/pfbid0uevfMKCDhAmXLCtkNehe3RRCsj9RDdWsu25YXsCtkuVSecCy5WBKnazTgG5eUkSLl/?app=fbl
The CWM hospital administrators were too busy holding the traditional functions in Tailevu to worry about the failure of the back up generator in the main hospital in Fiji under their care.
Incompetence after incompetence. Somebody should be held liable for this incompetence or maybe it will be swept under the rug as usual, judging by the Malimali COI saga and with the Pryde fiasco.
Campaigning is all it is.
At tax payers expense.
Disgusting how they all try to demonstrate totally false humility by starring into the ground. Whay do they see? A pile of sh1t same as what’s seen everywhere.
The dunderhead minister must learn to how to order medical supplies like the rest of the world routinely do.
Instead of engaing in primitive practices heavily favoring one group at the tax payers expense–who paid for the plague–sorry plaque? The carving of names? The construction of the stand? The tabuas? The kava? The kana magiti?
The time and related expenses? Throw away the time book indeed.
But no, screw CWM.
Screw the generator.
Screw the patients.
Screw medical supplies.
Screw the nurses (who all voted for this well deserved change and will overwhelming do so again and again.)
All the money wastefully expanded could’ve been directed to fix the gdamn generator or order some supplies.
This campaign trip to tailevu will garner 💯% votes from all of Wainibuka. Totoka dina.
The government and the indigenous nurses treat their Fiji Indian nurses as second class servants. Look at those obese matrons and charge nurses. They cannot even walk. But look at who works the hardest and get the least promotion. They are the Fiji Indian nurses. Thank God they are leaving for better opportunities abroad. They work hard and will do well anywhere.
They can anticipate their dwindling votes as many nurses have left the profession and migrated.
How many other cases of incompetent workforce and infrastructure failures are there in Fiji’s health system? Many, everyday!
Their doctors are full of self pride and nothing else.
Fiji is a broken country and a health system in crisis.
This is what Fiji gets for years of aid dependency too. Narube is right in asking AusAid to stop and do their checks because Australia has ineffective aid progress in the health sector. It has been a complete disaster and the failure is seen everywhere. The health managers rely on AusAID workers to make all the decisions for them.
Gone to the dogs as we know. A failing and crumbling sector that has little hope under the Coalition and was already destroyed under FFP.
Brent Hill claims that Fijians are returning home to work in Fiji. This guy can tell any lies to make himself and the Coalition look good. He knows too well that is not true but anything goes at Fiji Tourism.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brenthillfiji_fiji-activity-7292050944890937344-Iw2T?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAABHVi7MBHvB9ZMOwl1BRdi7JSQ3frb5FGWg&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link
The exodus of the brainy and experienced workforce had begun the day Rabuka came into power. No amount of apologies will bring these Fijians back home for good.
Fiji deserves what it dishes out. Racism and discrimination hits you all back in your faces. All Indians are leaving. I guess the itaukei better start graduating faster to now provide and take care of their own.
Brent is bent on wagging the dog to keep his job.
Before Blinky catches on Brent is palagi and must be replaced by a native (preferably by Blinky’s nephew or niece).
Narube is right to ask these questions.
The aid sector has failed and continues to fail Fiji.
Too much carrot dangling tactics and look at the condition of the hospitals and the calibre of the workers.
It is time aid effectiveness is measured in Fiji and all checks are made on donor funds.
Remember how Tabuya asked Chinese Aid to provide for her village directly. So yes, all aid must be scrutinised or scrapped.
Imagine operating on a child and it goes pitch black. No light. And a visiting surgeon from Australia is at the operating table!
Well, Rabuka, remember the atrocity of what you planned for Palestine kids who were in hospitals and dying?
Now, your God distributes the same back at you in a funny way.
The lesson is never to hurt children.
Now fix your useless self and the hospitals of Fiji. Useless pig.
Rabuka has the numbers for him to discard the NFP. Baiman sees the writing on the wall.
They should sack the CWM admin for incompetence starting from the CWM Medical Superintendent and the Hospital Administrator.
Too much holding traditional functions somewhere in Tailevu and not related to CWM Hospital operations.
The CWM chief medical
Officer is the most useless person at the helm of the hospital.
Why? Ask the aid donors. They have never truly given Fijian the right to learn business and health sector management.
The fluff continues. Australian Aid is back in the picture with more of their consultants.
Biman never threatened Narube though? Seems like it was written by whoever wrote the article. Everything else in the article was already on FBC and FijiVIllage days ago.
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/…/dpm-prasad-dismisses…/
https://www.fijivillage.com/…/Narubes-statement-in…/
Yes. This is the second article where Fiji Times has implicated Biman in something he didn’t say. And when did this start? When Cheerieann Wilson joined Fiji Times. Coincidence? I doubt it.
When Cherry-Picker Wilson got the nod from her shagger to go hard out on Biman. I mean as in bad publicity. That’s when it has started. Can’t you guys tell already. FijiLive and Times are hard out getting low at Biman.
If so then why did NFP copy and paste the entirety of the FT article on their FB page, including the first paragraph referencing the Public Order Act?
Chaudhry and Narube forming a coalition is highly unlikely. They will not get close to the numbers needed to form government together and might not even make the threshold as separate parties unless Narube joins Labour which will not happen and there is no way Chaudhry will join Unity.
My understanding is that they will sign a pre-election MoU that they will join forces after the election. Assuming, of course, that both parties cross the 5 per cent threshold, which axiomatically has to be more likely with the collapse in support for the NFP.
Australia has over 40 million dollars to fix CWM Hospital, and funds gone missing?
How much money has Australia been giving and the hospital is in chaos. How could this happen? I am surprised Australia isn’t asking for accountability for its funds. Australia is just a bank for Fiji. & I wonder how long it will take to fix the hospital. What Australia needs to do is take its own contractor, hire locals tradespeople and labourers who charge reasonable rates so that the contracts aren’t given to mates to undertake the work for an inflated price.
How amazing, the man who at every opportunity criticized ASK now threatens to use the same tactic as ASK to attempt to silence Savenaca Narube a well-qualified and credentialed critic!
The promises of transparency and openness soon disappear when Biman is faced with the reality of a Government who has engaged in spending beyond its means, allowed the Civil Service to expand by several thousand and doesn’t practice financial responsibility.
There is growing evidence of a lack of investment in infrastructure with failures across key services. Not surprising given at the last budget the estimated increase in Capital expenditure was a measly $7,235,900. This investment is not even close to inflation, so no surprise why key services are failing.
And now the begging bowl is being placed in front of the likes of Australia, New Zealand and the USA seeking funds to prop up a Government whose members are more interested in lining their own pockets!
What Narube and others advocated 2 years ago in trimming Government is now proving correct and the theorist Finance Minister is now being exposed.
If FICAC does get Biman then Rabuka surely will as it is clear his administration of Fiji’s finances has been abysmal.
Oh dear…that ‘vulagi’ word issue again.
“Isa, isa vulagi lasa dina”
Like it or not, it will not go away as it is the i’taukei description of someone who is not indigenous or is away from home.
And how apt that it is in the national farewell song. Which suggests axiomatically that “vulagi” eventually leave. In other words, they don’t belong. Which is why non-iTaukei Fijians find the use of the word so offensive.
WD50 is so prejudiced that he is blind. Who in Fiji is “away from home”?
And I do not give a f*ck what the iTaukei description of anything is.
Do you mean the iTaukei describe things the right way?
@WD50 it is not as simple as you trying to make it sound. The word ‘vulagi’ and the next issue is equal citizenry. If you are not aware, the biggest concern of this coalition government and GCC is all citizen are called ‘Fijians’.
Generally speaking, there are some intelligent iTaukeis. The have either migrated or are working towards getting out of Fiji. So by your difinition they will also become ‘vulagi’ soon.
Please note ‘vulagis’ are not gullible like your majority, I mean the blessed ones.
WD50 is a racist prick. It is just that he does not know it. There are hundreds of thousands in Fiji like this racist idiot who all do not know that they are racist dumbos. Someone has to tell them.
Hey dumbos, there are no vulagi is Fiji…….understood. Dickheads. This is especially directed at the dickhead PM and the pedo President.
So f*ck your description.
Maybe all the i’taukei living anywhere apart from Fiji, should be stripped of their citizenship as they are vulagi in other countries
The only competent people in Fiji are all in the judiciary. The people in the judiciary are setting very high standards. It must be true because some investors from Kiwi Land are very happy with the situation in Fiji that they are lining up to invest $4billion in the tourism sector. There is so much confidence in Fiji and in the Fiji government. Just ask the CJ, the PM, the DPMs, The President and the AG.
The rest of the world should learn some lessons from Fiji and how things should be done.
Baimaan Prasad is a beacon of light for the Indians of Fiji. He has learnt all his lessons from Jai Ram Reddy, who went to bed with Rabuka and got his arse whipped and who long ago abandoned Fiji to live in NZ where he died.
Baimaan took Jai Ram Reddy’s formula and went to bed with Rabuka as well just so that he could be used and abused by Rabuka. And from all we can see, he loves being used and abused by Rabuka. According to Baimaan, Indians in Fiji are most fortunate people because the iTaukei have allowed them to stay in their country. Just ask Rajesh Ishwar Lund, Dewan Chand and Sashi Kiran as well.
The most incompetent, the most useless, no charisma and no idea person.
They all are an embarrassment but they are so proud to be incompetent and useless. And that is a big problem for Fijians.
One thing is crystal clear that Biman Prasad will be held to account for his multiple breaches of law revolving around corruption charges and long arm of the law will eventually get to him. There is no two ways about it. And likewise his days are numbered in politics together with his party, the NFP.
As of now, they will both most likely be in opposition if they achieve the 5% threshold. PAP is the only likely party that has a chance of forming government and if they need either the seats of Unity or Labour to do so, I will bet that they will approach Unity. Narube will certainly abandon Chaudhry for a Cabinet position. So Chaudhry is a loser in every scenario but one: where he wins with an outright majority which will never happen.
Biman is shagging the most deprived and poorest Fijians and filling his and his friend’s pockets.
The so-called professor has no freaking idea how to run an economy. Once he’s moved everything overseas then devaluation will come.
Money given by Australia to fix CWM has been used to hire more ministers and give pay rise and big allowance to ministers.
And dont forget Bimans new Prado, that too is from CWM money.
Siphoning the poor to fill his pockets, I hope these people rot in hell for eternity. Bloody leeches.
Baimaan is still basking and trying to get credit of all that Aiyaz (FFP) achieved. The Airport Fiji, Aspen Hospital, Fiji Airways, infrastructure, etc.
Baimaan’s (Coalition) achievements .
– increased 2 billion borrowing, adding to Fiji’s debt.
– increased the VAT and made life more expensive for poor.
– pay increase for parliamentarians.
– outright corruption.
– racial discrimination.
– drugs on the street.
– hospitals in pathetic condition and deteriorating.
-begging other countries for financial assistance.
– minister involved in porn, nude movies for whomever.
– behind door dealings with Chinese companies for personal benefit.
– cronyism, failed convicts being given government positions, people from confederacies given prefential treatment. High chief, low chief, kaicolo?
How long will he blame FFP for mismangement?
ASK was no saint. Let’s be very clear about that.
How did he not see the conflict of interest in Fiji Airways, Tourism Fiji, Sanjay Kaba?
Don’t be fooled.
They were all there for themselves.
Same as Biman now.
Biman is Labasa ke Chokah (Smoked Eggplant from Labasa).
Bro, you are grilled and roasted already. Time to run as they say. Your days in politics is so badly numbered. You are not going to be around next election, leave alone contesting it. Time for the back bench soon with Tabuya and then go bush.
Re Vulagi:
Those of the vanua (indigenous) who claim to be descendants of of one or some of the lost tribes of the Northern kingdoms of Israel are technically vulagis as well. Because their claimed homeland is ” By the rivers of Babylon; not by the Ba, Wainimala or Dreketi rivers!
Shalom and Bula then to all the vulagis, whether Isireli or Inder.