It is nearly 18 months since the Coalition came to power and they have had plenty of time to get their act together. Yet recent events tell us that the “three-legged stool” – which has been wobbly from day one – cannot be relied on by the Fijian people as a safe place to sit.
The conduct of government is chaotic and dysfunctional. Yet as we approach the point that the Constitution says the leader of the opposition can call a no-confidence motion in the parliament to end the chaos, we don’t even know who the opposition leader is, such is the chaos in FijiFirst. And we certainly don’t have a credible alternative government.
Again today, the FijiFirst General Secretary, Faiyaz Koya, insists in the media that Frank Bainimarama is still the leader of the party when the law clearly says that he can’t be. Koya “implores” the Speaker of the Parliament, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, to act on the letter co-signed by him and Frank Bainimarama requesting that the Speaker expel the 17 FijiFIrst MPs who rebelled against its directive to vote against the recent emoluments package. But that isn’t going to happen when the Electoral Act and the Political Parties Act are so explicit that having been given a year-long jail sentence, Frank Bainimarama cannot be leader and, in fact, has even lost his right to be a voter and have any part in the political process.
Faiyaz Koya can implore all he likes. But it is for FijiFirst to work its way through this mess and clarify the party’s leadership in accordance with the law, not the whims of the individuals who control it.
The blame for this entire debacle rests with Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who ought to know the laws he wrote or at least presided over, but seems to have completely lost his political mojo and judgment. Why did Khaiyum put Frank Bainimarama’s name on the letter to the Speaker in the first place? Surely he knew that having been sent to prison, the ousted prime minister no longer had any authority to describe himself as leader?
We now have a legal argument about who is really leader if it can’t be Frank. The 17 rebel MPs say that leader should be the parliamentary leader of the party, Inia Seruiratu, who was among their number in defying the Bainimarama/ Khaiyum/Koya instruction to vote against the emoluments package. But Bainimarama and Khaiyum effectively own the FijiFirst brand. So if the 17 have any future in the parliament at all – assuming the Speaker decides on legal advice not to expel them – it won’t be under the FijiFirst banner. They’ll be independents.
Here’s a question for Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum: Why didn’t you put the name of the Party President, Ratu Joji Satakala, instead of Frank Bainimarama as “Leader of FijiFirst” in the letter you sent to the Speaker co-signed by the General Secretary, Faiyaz Koya? That way, none of this would have happened. Ratu Naiqama would have had no choice but to accede to the request – as the constitution stipulates – and the 17 would have already been gone. Didn’t you know that Frank Bainimarama could no longer legally be “Leader”, having been sent to prison?
It has been one of the greatest political blunders in the history of Fijian politics. And it means that however bad the Coalition government gets, the chance of a “leader of the opposition” moving a no confidence motion in the government at the 18 month mark – as the Constitution permits – has evaporated. As things stand, there’s a very real chance that if the Gang of 17 are allowed to remain in the parliament, there won’t be an “opposition leader” but 17 independents.
What a mess. On both sides of the House. And it is specifically cast as “chaos” in a fresh article by the long-time Pacific commentator, Professor Richard Herr, in yet another Australian foreign policy journal. Read on…
The latest on the FijiFirst debacle in today’s papers (Friday):
The FijiFirst letter to the Speaker signed by the “Leader” who can no longer legally be the leader.
And a final word from the Wise Man of the West.
If only Wise Muavono was prime minister.
With the neighboring Antipodean concern about instability in Fiji and a possible overrun by Mexico and China and the indigenous criminal network, it’s only a matter of time before AUKUS will annex Fiji. Fiji is undoing everything possible for an Allied powers’ protection over the Pacific. Solomon’s will lead this change from democratic independent nations to being a state of Australia.
Where are we the voters in all of this chaos? In my group we question who is benefitting from this government other than those on unfair tax holidays and their advisers?
The answer is nobody as in 18 months:
Infrastructure worse
Racism worse
Costs worse
Crime worse
Drugs worse
Roads worse
Schools worse
But government pay better!
Government needs to give everyone tax holiday as tax is giving no benefits. Who can make this case for us?
Where do you think the money will come from then?
“Tax holiday please” – these are the types of people we have in Fiji. ANd then they all wonder why the country is the way it is and why they are where they are. There are hundreds of thousands of such idiots in Fiji. The place has no hope.
And I bet he/she is not paying any tax because he/she is most likely on less than $30k a year.
From the ATM or the sacred money tree! The prevailing mindset is that the government has an endless supply of money—a bottomless pit that the elected MPs are entitled to exploit as a reward for winning the election. Kana Nikua Raica Mataka (KNRM) characterises this well!
Fiji has transitioned to a unique form of government and governance, a model that serves as a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. It provides fertile ground for researchers to study this new style of disruptive democracy—Fiji style. By examining this model, we can learn from its weaknesses and any strengths it might have, to inform our future directions. The KNRM model, characterized by its disruptive design, is here to stay. It will become progressively accepted as part of life until we truly understand the values that define democracy in a practical sense.
Evaluating the current state of affairs through the lens of progressive democracy, it’s clear that the adopted style is a failure. However, within this failure, there might be the seeds for a new, contextualized, organically grown democracy for the future. This is a wishful thought, but much prayer and guidance are needed as we navigate the evolving dystopian state of affairs in the interim.
Our current leaders, and those aspiring to lead, need exposure to what democracy truly means and how to respect and embrace it. Democracy does not begin and end with the KNRM model, nor does it reside in the ATM.
Yeah Coalition Governments are always shaky anywhere in the world but hey Fiji has gone through worse (1987,2000,2006 coups) and the missteps by the coalition government will pass, people will have their say in 2026 and let them be the judge if team Rabuka deserves a second chance.
The biggest loser here who is self imploding is Aiyaz, and to your point of he should have know better as he wrote the law is testament to all the chaos he has put Fiji through for past 16 years, a flawed constitution, economic mess, collapse of infrastructure, health service and the drugs.
This is Fiji. It is a unique place.The people are very special and unique as well. There is no other place like it. It has recently only realised that they are all actually Israelites living in the Pacific. The Lost Tribe of Jerusalem. They are actually beginning to believe it because they are now celebrating Jewish events like the Feast of the Terbanacle, not to mention their support of the genocide in Gaza.
They do seem to have an identity crisis because of these vulagi relions and vulagi holy books and vulagi systems and influences, including vulagi democracy.
It is either all this or more likely they are just a bunch of f*ckwits and nutcases.
We already have a “Wiseman” as the prime minister. One nutcase has already wreaked enough havoc on the country, imagine what two could do?
Chaos is a good description for the current political turmoil in Fiji.
Whilst the fate of the 17 Fiji First members of Parliament continues to play out the Government is in no better position with the Minister for Weed and Bonking attacking the DPM Prasad and the PM decides enough is enough and sacks Siromi Turaga as AG and appoints an outsider to the position. And we are to believe all are happy in the Government and everyone gets along? It to me is more likely what’s or who is next?
The fate of the 17 will be decided and hopefully by 28 June, when the Parliament sits for the Budget address. Parliament will sit that day no matter the position of the 17. It is a ‘set piece’ sitting with the Budget being the only item.
Whether any of the scenarios suggested by Professor Richard Herr come to happen will emerge in the next Parliamentary sitting in July. The session is to debate the Budget but I would not be surprised if there was a motion of ‘no confidence’ in PM Rabuka.
If that were to occur, I suspect that there would enough votes for it to be successful. A motion like that would be supported by the opposition, whoever that comprises, probably some disaffected members of the Government lead by the sacked AG and the NFP who have been betrayed by Rabuka.
The likely replacement? The DPM Manoa Kamikamica, why him? He has support within the PAP, the opposition would vote for him to rid them of Rabuka and so would the NFP. Where is SODELPA in all this – nowhere!
Yes, it is a scenario, and we shall all see in the next month what transpires, if anything! But people are watching what is happening!
They have an outsider as the A-G. The immediate former AG was adamant that they have more than enough locals to fill positions in the judiciary. Of course there are plenty of dodgy local lawyers who have ALL fiddled their trust accounts.
It is like saying that only locals can coach the rugby 7s team, only a local can be COMPOL and only locals should take up certaain positions. Of course, we have all seen what happens when we have locals running the joint.
“This is Fiji and we do not need the vulagi telling us what to do”. ” This is our land and we decide how we live”. But then they do complain a lot and there is this attitude of entitlement and arrogance.
I reckon the solution to this whole circus is that Fiji should once again be ceded to another country. Most appropriate would be Australia.
Because it is clear “locals” are a bunch of idiots. That is a proven fact.
They are so proudly setting such “high standards” in their minds. Just look at the PM and the Minister for Bonking. Very proud to bask in all the glory. The glory is all theirs for the world to see. F*cking backward looking despots.
“… this entire debacle rests with Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who ought to know the laws he wrote or at least presided over… ”
Just confirms what I’ve been saying all along… ASK’s really just another two-bit dumb-!#*% bush lawyer !
ASK should be under surveillance 24/7
The challenges of running a coalition government in a corrupt and flawed system stem from the need to balance diverse interests, overcome entrenched corruption, build trust, and implement reforms within a weak institutional framework.
The Speaker did send the letter to FFP party leader, Frank, as outlined in billet 12 of FFP’s letter to the speaker. Secondly the law says that during ‘registration…’ someone serving sentence of 12 months or more cannot be on the voter roll.
But it’s all up for interpretation, with one racist and religious bigot now being replaced by another in the AG’s chambers. At least a smarter one at it.
Let’s go throw a discus and shotput.