Never a dull moment in Fiji, that’s for sure, with the shock announcement of the removal of the Attorney General, Siromi Turaga, and his replacement from outside the parliament by the veteran lawyer, Graham Leung.
The move has long been mooted but Graham Leung continually played down the speculation. But now he moves into the AG’s Chambers at Level 7 of Suvavou House and Siromi Turaga is shunted downstairs to remain as Minister for Justice.
The Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, has finally succeeded in removing someone in whom he had lost confidence long ago. He tried to remove Siromi Turaga last October in his abortive cabinet reshuffle and replace him with Filimoni Vosarogo. But the move was thwarted when the Fiji Law Society rebelled against Vosarogo’s appointment on the grounds that it was unconstitutional in that Vosarogo had been found guilty of professional misconduct.
Well now Siromi Turaga is gone, replaced by a “clean-skin” who is expected to have far more respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. Leung is highly respected as a lawyer and while eyebrows have been raised by his participation in the recent controversial report on the Great Council of Chiefs, we can expect the appointment to be welcomed by most of the legal profession.
More analysis tomorrow on the likely fallout.
I guess the Minister of Finance now has to find an additional $500,000 for the new AG, his car, driver and all the other perks that go with it.
The whole thing is just ridiculous. May be the PM can get some more advisors from outside while his incompetent ministers go on drug fuelled sexapades.
But one thing is undeniable, this government is made up of a solid coalition. The PM and hs coalition partners have said so.
Is this the start of the reset by Rabuka to take charge and show leadership to get things done? A good choice and a good reset.
Any other lawyer either in public or private sector not performing, would have been sacked by now. Siromi the shithead should have been sacked for his incompetence rather than being an added burden on the tax payers. Now we have to pay for this incompetent imbecile and add to the burden already faced by us taxpayers.
Next to go should be Ropate “the f#$kwit” Green. Siromi and Ropate have proved that the itaukeisation of the public service and their appointments were not on merit or intelligence. The appointment of Ropate over Preetika Prasad – a more worthy candidate for SG’s post, was clearly an anti-Indian agenda.
The question everyone should ask as they do for any other legal practitoner – are Siromi and Ropate “fit and proper” persons to hold the posts that they do. Clearly NOT.
Graham’s head is clouded with hate and revenge against the FFP. Don’t expect miracles to happen under Graham – he is just another puppet appointed to advance the racist agenda of PAP. There is no rule of law nor are we living in a democratic society – where the govt fills its pockets and then asks for public consultation after a public backlash. WTF!!!
Surely his true colors (not the rainbows) will be revealed in due time. Let’s see whether Graham is truly a man of principles, values, and ethical conduct. If he doesn’t stop the pay rises, then you know he is in public service to fill his pockets too. After all, he has been unemployed and untouched by various employers. So this is his time to also milk the cash cow. Let’s also see if he reverses some of the policies and decisions made by the govt. More importantly, the greatest test for Graham would be to review the appointments of the CJ, Judges and ADPP – so let’s see if Graham had the “balls” to do it.
This Coalition is f#$ked and so is the country under their leadership.
Excellent stuff
Graham stood by his principles after the 2006 coup
Hopefully things can get better for this coalition government
It is very important for any government to have a very competent person to give legal advice.
I do not believe that the new AG is all that competent knowing his history and his prejudices. In my opionon, anyone who joins a well known and well documented crackpot from 37 years ago is as dodgy as a shit sandwich.
That will be revealed sooner than you think.
Dodgy ,
Can you name one who is clean
It takes a thief to catch a thief
He will do a excellent job
Wait and watch
Don’t forget to fasten your seal belt
Welcome move.
Finally a rainbow.
Hope the storm is going to clear slowly because the shit show was too much.
So what does this mean now for the alleged rabuku and the clown suited Temo.
Are they celebrating this or buying their one way overseas plane tickets?
What a great choice as Attorney General! The credentials of Graham Leung are impressive and set out below:
Mr. Leung is an accomplished and highly qualified Barrister and Solicitor with over 30 years of expertise in constitutional law, administrative law, international law, diplomacy and justice at national, regional and international levels, with a strong background in governance and human rights. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, policy and programming and advice delivery.
He a former Chairman of the Fiji Electoral Commission and a former President of the Fiji Law Society. He has also held the role of Secretary for Justice and Immigration of the Republic of Nauru.
Prior to that Mr. Leung was Director of the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Switzerland.
Mr. Leung started his career as a State Law Officer at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Suva where he rose to the position of Deputy Solicitor General. He was also Counsellor/Deputy PRUN at Fiji’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York before he joined private practice as partner at a prominent Suva law firm.
Mr. Leung read law at the University of Adelaide where he attained his Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) (Hons.). He also holds a Master of Laws degree (LL.M) from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law.
As a volunteer, Mr. Leung is a former Director of Greenpeace Pacific and former Board member of the Fiji Rugby Union.
His experience will, one would hope, steer the Office of the Attorney General in a more concise and professional way. The question many will ask is can he counter the obvious bias in the Government and which many have suggested has also appearing in the Judicial system.
He is also a well known ethnonationalist sympathizer. He is no saint.
You will forgive my skepticism, but bringing in a ‘clean skin’ (should have happened at the outset) in he midst of the many ‘bad eggs’ is not necessarily a hope for the future.
The PM is grossly inept and unsuitable for the role he is in. He did not get in by ‘merit’ or sound experience or formal credentials etc.
He only got to be in that role because..
1. he is itaukei
2. he brought the country to it’s knees in 1987 and impacted so many lives negatively
3. ensured that ‘fijians’ (itaukei) marginalised ‘indians’ to the extent of harm to them
4. went around the world to apologise to those he removed at gunpoint in 1987 (lol they believed him)
5. NFP and Sodelpa allowed the Coalition
6. he is the snake in the Garden of Eden
Thank God for professionals like Grahame Leung – however – such personnel are in the minority
The Vulagis to the rescue??
PS Mr Leung is also a ‘vulagi’ in the eyes of the itaukei – does this mean that they are realising that the vulagis should not have been marginalised, tortured, treated with disrespect, or does this mean “lets use them to prop us up”???
Prime Minister Rabuka has got a number of things wrong. This one is not only right but long overdue.
Wonder what wannabe Richard Naidu thinks ?
Seems like ST case will be called up sooner than later. Another distraction from the current salary increase. Let the show begin.
Siromi has every right to feel aggrieved . The PM hasn’t acted evenly, he should have done the same for Tabuya, but, no, she gets away without even a slap in the wrist, while Siromi has to suffer the indignity of a demotion. I mean only last month he took the Police brass band with him on a tour of the Lomaiviti islands, where he hails from. How can he face his voters now? What great loss of face.
Graham Leung is far more experience and has more depth than Siromi. As long as he declares his interest in Cabinet whenever matters to do with the Great Council of Chief report is discussed, being a member of the report drafting team, he should go OK.
His first role in office should be to point out that the pay rise motion for MPs is inconsistent with the Govt’s Fiscal Framework that Parliament passed in its last sitting , and there by order of precedence applies over the latter motion therefore it was illegal.
Two wrongs don’t make a right, but only in Rabuka’s Fiji it does.
BUT and this is the BUT – will GL continue down the same path as Turaga and flaunt the constitution or, do the right thing and stand by it, advising the PM/ministers correctly as per the constitution?
GL is a man who stands by principles so this will hopefully be the yardstick which brings this government back into check.
Next step is for GL to abide by the constitution and remove the DPP, magistrates, etc. who were appointed by Turaga contrary to the constitution.
There is so much in the American about how Joe Biden is incapable of stringing a sentence together. What the the Fiji media circus should be highlighting is the fact that Rabuka can hardly put a true sentence together. Isa Fiji, how were we fooled by this man and his party in 2022.
Welcome, but I fear too late.
While the constitution isn’t perfect, it’s not the devil iTaukei frame it to be. To put much of the coalition’s energy and resources into changing the constitution (when the likelihood of success of achieving the threshold necessary is indeed very very low) rather than into grassroots programs to make a difference to everyday Fijians seems misplaced to say the least.
Rabuka and his cronies are still too focused on fixing perceived slights from the past to put the work into assisting Fijians living in the now and into the future.
But at least Mr. Leung may stop the Coalition from making fools of themselves so often in the public eye by not knowing or understanding the constitution and judicial process.
What’s the key difference between the Roles and Responsibilities of that of Attorney General and Minister of Justice ?
Yeah right, isn’t this the guy behind GCC report blame-shifting to monitory races for the situation of the iTaukei?
Can’t expect any level of objectivity from him. Rabuka planting his pawn in the position.
Rabuka doesn’t have the balls or inclination to sack the nationalist Turaga, so create more positions and add to the cost of already one of the most expensive Government machineries in Fiji’s history. It may only be another $1m!! Not his money after all.
Everything is ok again in Fiji. Vinaka vinaka PM. Amen
First move for GL is to prove the 2013 constitution is a farce drafted by few for their benefits
Once that is done ,his work will become more easier
Till to date I haven’t heard any legal mind saying we should challenge the 2013 constitution and thrash out it’s legalty
Nazat Shameema to be on dock for cross examination