Alone of the political parties and the media, Mahendra Chaudhry‘s Fiji Labour Party is demanding answers about the circumstances of the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, sporting a $150,000 solid gold Rolex watch and signing his signature with a $1600 gold-coated Montblanc fountain pen.
In doing so, Chaudhry has again established himself as the genuine opposition leader in Fiji – a man without a seat in the parliament yet who repeatedly uses his stature as former prime minister to hold Rabuka and his government to account.
It is deeply disturbing that despite the so-called new era of media freedom in Fiji, not a single journalist or politician other than Mahendra Chaudhry is asking how a man who was so hard up that he was collecting bottles can come, in the space of two years, to have acquired two luxury accoutrements that are usually the preserve of the very wealthy.
As Grubsheet has reported, the solid-gold Rolex Day-Date with the “President” bracelet has become known as the “favoured watch of dictators” who have plundered their nation’s wealth. And one is now on the wrist of Fiji’s Prime Minister who claims to be a “man of the people” yet is increasingly anything but.
Rabuka is clearly accumulating wealth at a rapid rate, which would be unremarkable if it was merely his $320,000 salary and super-generous allowances. But no-one can afford a $150,000 watch on two years of normal earnings. So the Fiji Labour Party, like Grubsheet, is now asking: Where did the Rolex and the Montblanc pen come from?
Grubsheet has already reported that the Rolex concession in Fiji is held by the Motibhai family of Ba, whose “Chairman Emeritus”, Mahendra “Mac” Patel, was pardoned by Sitiveni Rabuka last year to become the first criminal in Fijian history never to have served his sentence. “Mac” was convicted of abuse of office in absentia, having fled to Australia, but thanks to the Prime Minister, is now back in Fiji and travelling between the two countries without hindrance.
Did “Mac” Patel or any of the Motibhais give Sitiveni Rabuka a gold Rolex as a token of appreciation for his extraordinary intervention in the criminal case against him? That’s the question that Grubsheet, and now the Fiji Labour Party, wants answered. Because as Grubsheet long ago revealed, “Mac” Patel had already given Sitiveni Rabuka the same model of gold Rolex back in 1987 after he carried out his coups and Rabuka turned that watch into cash. It’s called corruption anywhere else in the world but Fiji.
Now the Fiji Labour Party reveals that Motibhai also have the concession in Fiji for Montblanc pens. Is that where Sitiveni Rabuka’s gold-coated Meisterstück fountain pen has also come from? Anywhere else in the world, this would be a major story. But the tame Fijian media are either too intimidated or too gormless to ask.
At 82, Mahendra Chaudhry is still asking the hard questions that the official Opposition Leader, Inia Seruiratu, appears too timid to ask. And while the former prime minister continues to do that, he is unquestionably the de-facto opposition leader holding the Coalition to account. Which means that he has a definite claim on the support of Fijian voters for another attempt next year to return to parliament.
For some people, 80 is clearly the new 60 and Chaudhry is in remarkable physical shape for an octogenarian. He is also as sharp as a tack mentally. A friend of mine who witnessed him speak in Sydney last month observed that he has the most fluid speaking style of any politician in Fiji. So he has demonstrated that he is more than capable of contesting the 2026 election and continuing to contribute to national life.
By demanding that the Prime Minister account for his Rolex and his Montblanc pen, the Labour Party leader is doing the job the formal opposition and the media ought to be doing. And just as Biman Prasad and the NFP will undoubtedly pay for their treachery to the minorities by failing to meet the 5 per cent threshold next year, it’s a fair bet that the FLP will get many of those votes and have a much better chance of doing so.
He has only one minor lapse of judgment in the following news release and that is to describe Grubsheet as “reputable”. Well-meaning as it may be, I have spent much of my working life striving to be disreputable. Because that is the proud badge of any journalist trying to speak truth to power. And especially to national leaders who sport gold Rolexes of questionable provenance when most of their people live in poverty.
A solid gold “man of the people”. Please explain.
——————-
The crook, “Mac Patel”, is back in his own paper today – the equally corrupt Fiji Times – with another of his anti- Bainimarama/ Khaiyum diatribes.
And so is the former Rabuka staffer and now Fiji Times “journalist”, Cheerieann Wilson, with her weekly propaganda free-kick in which she asks “Dorothy Dix” questions of the Prime Minister and he responds however he likes.
This is how Cheerieann the Toadying Hand Maiden kicks off her Q&A session this week.
Probing, huh? I’ll spare you the rest of it, except for this little gem…
It’s the local version of the last French Queen Marie Antoinette‘s notorious “let them eat cake”.
She, poor thing, wound up with her head removed from the rest of her at the guillotine.
So the man with the gold Rolex had better watch out. Because the clock is ticking towards the election and his own moment of truth.
Indeed. Mr Chaudhry has demonstrated his leadership and stateman qualities, someone who not only understands the issues but is fearless in demanding answers. His assertions are based on well researched and evidence-based data, and he gives confidence as someone who is knowledgeable, intelligent and well-meaning. His interventions are on behalf of the tens of thousands of our people who perhaps feel strongly about matters of national importance, but do not have the platform to voice it or even be heard.
He makes the likes of Rabuka and Biman look like amateurs, and it is hardly surprising that he continues to be a source of irritation to these ‘school boys’. Biman is always so incensed with Chaudhry’s carefully crafted arguments for which he has no answers that he reverts to personal attacks. One will notice that MPC rises above all that.
It is refreshing to have someone like him still in our midst and continue to speak on matters of national importance.
Bravo Mr Chaudhry.
What crap. Chaudhry was embroiled in the same corruptive actions that led him to losing his Finance Ministerial portfolio in the Military government after the 2006 coup and plagued his short-lived PM administration in the late 1990s.
We need a new fresh breath of air of new leaders – ethical, upstanding incorruptible leaders.
Not just recycled corrupt people like SLR, Chaudhry etc etc.
Good morning Graham
Thank you for doing the job of protecting Fiji’s democracy. I sincerely appreciate your efforts and honesty in bringing light to many issues in this country.
Like many Fijians across the globe, I wake up to read Grubsheet first. It saddens me each day to read about the corruption this nation is going through. You have continued in your efforts to keep doing what Fiji media should be.
I hope Fijians in Fiji are reading your page every day. These are important topics and our country’s future depends on good leadership going forward. We have to stop voting for all involved in coups. This is the only way to move forward.
Thank you once again.
The Fiji Museum has numerous historic clubs and axes which reveal how the indigenous islanders governed Fiji for perhaps thousands of years – not by democracy but by MIGHT IS RIGHT. The potential imminent changes to the Fiji Constitution would effectively reinstate that. The trouble is, the world has changed and it is economic might that prevails. So the iTaukei had better upgrade their education, business ethics and accumen or be faced with an island of natives desperate for the baubles of worldly wealth like the PMs trinkets, else their only short-lived wealth will be by stealing from each other as the reputation elsewhere will deter tourists, their current easy money. Lift your game or be full of shame.
#rolexrambo
Fijian mainstream media – you are disgrace. Your job is to keep these politicians accountable. You actions or non actions are directly impacting all Fijian citizens. Remember one day your time will come.
I have stood as a candidate under 2013 Constitution and its Electoral system and its laws.
All candidates had to submit details of assets and liabilities, full financials, SO, it is an extremely simple thing to read and determine if his very valuable American, New Age, Christian, status symbols are listed.
If it is. he is free and clear, if not, then the whole purpose of the requirement for listing assets and liabilities by candidates serves its purpose of trying to stop corruption and if not, then at least trying to identify it and and maybe proving it.
No doubt he will slither out of this one.
There is no longer a FICAC and ODPP that is independent.
Where does that leave our Police Force?
Impotent! to conduct any investigation against corruption?
Ian, they are not “American” status symbols. Rolex is Swiss and Montblanc is German.
The watch and pen are further markers of the difference between what Rabuka preaches and what he is.
A vain man easily bought it appears, for I doubt he bought either of them.
The people of Fiji need to stop listening to this man. He is a charlatan who wants them to believe he has their interests at heart. Rabuka’s only interest is himself and the acquiring of wealth at the expense of Fijian people. He is aided and abetted by the likes of Mac Patel and company who promote him as the best thing for Fiji. What a joke!
At least Mahendra Chaudhry is willing to hold Rabuka to account! The opposition? Nowhere to be seen or heard!
The Fiji media are a lost cause. They can’t even ask a basic question, not a single one of them: “Did Mac Patel or any of the Motibhais give you a gold Rolex watch? Was it right of you to accept it? Doesn’t it make you feel beholden to the grifters? Isn’t it akin to, if not outright corruption, and also contradictory on your part because while in opposition you promised a clean government?
Even after these questions have been posed by both Grubsheet and Mahend Chaudhary. That’s how dumb the Fiji media are. They don’t even understand the significance of the question. Otherwise, they would have already asked it, without any prompting.
The Fiji Times is the worst, running weekly puff pieces on the Prime Minister. Naked propaganda under the guise of journalism. And Ms. Wilson I believe is a senior journalist in the industry. It’s beyond pathetic.
Not only are the Fiji media tame and gormless, it appears that they are quite dumb and stupid, to be frank. As I said, the question would have never even occurred to them in the first place. The Fiji media is totally incapable and a disgrace to the nation.
Rabuka is nothing but a sleaze bag.
Possibly a manifesting of the largely America originated prosperity gospel, where financial blessings and other trappings such as the ones on exhibit are rewards from heaven….. likely from gullible like minded followers or ( political manipulators). Not limited to followers of the gospel only but such thinking has broad appeal in some groups in society . Certainly in Fiji where easy money, vehicles, freebies and other status enhancing items are highly sought after “blessings”. Or just plain rewards for the gods like Rabuka…after all there is one rule for the elites and chiefs and another for the common civil servant who cannot accept any small gift tokens from a member of the public, like how a tip is accepted in a a restaurant or bar. But gifts offered to the elected power gods are obviously ok. Both the receiver and the giver should be indicted for corrupt activity.
Time has and time will bury every evil man.
While the better men also die, it’s the evil that will face the time’s wrath before laying down to sleep.
Special room is reserved in hell for men like Rabuka.
The top masipolo in Fiji Pramesh Sharma stoutly defends PM on the watch and pen saga on his FB page:
“ There has been considerable debate and discussion surrounding Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s possession of a “Rolex” watch and the circumstances under which he acquired it.
Hon. Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, being a public figure of significant standing, is in a position to afford such luxury items, and there is no compelling reason for him to disclose the origins of the watch. He may have purchased it using his personal finances or received it as a gift from family or friends, possibly in celebration of a milestone such as a birthday.
However, it seems that those seeking to criticize the Prime Minister may have selective or short memories. For instance, former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is known to have an extraordinarily expensive European SUV, a Range Rover, valued at over $500,000. Questions were never raised about how he acquired such a vehicle. Was it purchased, or perhaps given as a gift by one of his affluent associates from Denarau or the UK? Should this be considered acceptable?
Furthermore, there has been little scrutiny over the immense wealth and properties accumulated by the former Minister of Everything during his tenure overseeing the nation’s finances. Those who now question the Prime Minister’s Rolex seem to have conveniently overlooked this issue.
Over the past two decades, Fiji’s national balance sheet has seen the erasure of hundreds of millions of dollars and resources, yet there has been little outcry or investigation into these losses.
In the grand scheme of things, a Rolex watch and a Mont Blanc pen; luxury items that many public figures likely own multiple versions of; seem insignificant. It is time for the public to refocus their attention on the far more pressing issue; the substantial financial losses sustained by the country, rather than the personal possessions of the Prime Minister.
Let’s get real on the bigger broader issues of those that made the millions from the public purse rather than the instrument on the PM’s wrist that actually tells the time!”
So he doesn’t think the public deserve to know where the watch came from, including whether it came from Mac Patel as a thank you for his pardon.
Talk about an own goal. Pramesh Sharma has actually added fuel to the fire and guaranteed more attention being given to the PM’s bling. Idiot.
Another act of masi polo by Pramesh Sharma – an extraordinary attack on the COI. Not only is he casting aspersions on the Judge and the administrator, but he’s also calling for the dissolution of the inquiry. This guy is aiding and a betting corruption in the country, clearly in the hopes of a position in a government board or some other lucrative appointment, or he’s hoping to secure a contract for himself or his business interests. His insertions are clear also desperation to be photographed with government ministers in order to appear to be important in the eyes of the public.
These types of attention seekers vying for influence in the government are the worst kind of people. They are settled overseas and just because they might be sending some money back to their families every now and then, they feel a sense of entitlement to interfere and make comments when they live and pay taxes in another country. No-one questions their right to comment on national affairs, but when they try to pervert the course of justice in this manner, red flags should go up. Earlier he was trying to deflect questions about Rabuka’s Rolex watch. Clearly a disturbing pattern here.
QUOTE:
“The ongoing Commission of Inquiry (COI) has, regrettably, deviated from its established Terms of Reference (TOR), and its continuation is poised to impose a significant financial burden on the Fijian taxpayers, potentially exceeding one million dollars.
As the inquiry progresses, it appears to have become a costly and unresolved drain on public resources. Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding potential conflicts of interest. The presiding Judge of the COI has reportedly expressed his ambition to be appointed Chief Justice of Fiji, a matter that raises important questions regarding impartiality and the perception of bias while he continues to chair the Commission.
Additionally, the COI’s administrator, who also serves as its spokesperson, is facing reported financial solvency issues with her law firm in New Zealand. This situation, widely reported in the media, suggests that the firm may be in need of financial recovery. Such circumstances could present a conflict of interest, as there may be an incentive to prolong the duration of the COI in order to generate additional funding.
In light of these concerns, it is urged that the Hon Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka recommend to His Excellency, President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, the dissolution of the COI, allowing for the judiciary and the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption – FICAC to continue their vital work of holding accountable those responsible for actions that have significantly harmed the nation over the years.
Moreover, a review of the appointment of FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali by an independent local body could provide a more efficient and effective resolution than the current approach under the COI.
An additional issue to consider is the potential harm any adverse findings from the COI could have on the reputation and integrity of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), which is composed of respected and eminent Fijians. Such an outcome could undermine the public’s confidence in one of Fiji’s most critical institutions.
It certainly is imperative to halt the financial drain caused by the ongoing COI and redirect efforts toward tangible, meaningful actions that can better serve the interests of the Fijian people!”
UNQUOTE
I agree that this is outrageous. Pramesh Sharma should be charged with contempt. A low-life of the worst kind trying to derail a judicial inquiry that is our only hope for justice to prevail against the barbarians who have taken over the criminal justice system under this corrupt government.
The Pramesh Sharma in question, just seeing his social media posts, comes across as a classless charlatan. And nausea initiating.
His hubris is breathtaking. A self proclaimed authority in Fiji, behaving as if he is the chief herald of the kings court!
Now he keeps his camera rolling All the time, not just partial clips like of the abusive taxi driver…in case he captures some celebrity gold dust that he can sprinkle and associate himself with – for his fame and glory.