We continue to get reader feedback about the value of the comments section on Grubsheet, which isn’t offered by Victor Lal at Fijileaks and allows contributors here to say as much or as little as they like about my articles or whatever other issues might take their fancy.
Amid the customary scathing outbursts or expressions of frustration are some real gems, such as the following comment during the week by a regular contributor who’s adopted the pseudonym “Fiji Watcher”.
And boy, does this person have 20/20 vision, bringing the state of the nation into sharp focus in a week when as well as grappling with the challenges of nature, we are in an almost chronic state of dysfunction and chaos.
Our regular columnist, CommonMan, is wrestling with the loss of almost an entire plantation of freshly-planted pawpaw trees in the deluge of recent days and is having to replant the lot. So in the absence of his contribution, here’s “Fiji Watcher” with a comment from during the week that is well worth repeating in article form.
When it comes to Fiji-related material, nowhere else but Grubsheet can someone post something as lengthy as this. And in terms of intellectual grunt, it’s certainly in stark contrast with the usual glib one-liners on Facebook.
——————————————-
The country continues to lurch from one mess to another, almost on a daily basis.
There seems to be no leadership or concise directions from the current Government as the country moves towards an election, due by next February. So far……
The current President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, who prior to his appointment was the Speaker of Parliament, has been advised by the Judicial Services Commission to remove the acting head of FICAC which he appears to be ignoring. This is unsurprising given he appointed the then acting Chief Justice Temo permanently to the role without the advice of the Prime Minister, contrary to the Constitution (s.106(1). Perhaps he believes he has a ‘royal’ prerogative?
In his former role as Speaker, he also acted contrary to the Constitution when some FijiFirst Party members voted for an increase in the remuneration of MPs and failed to follow the direction of the party. Section 63(1)(h) says if you vote or abstain contrary to a direction of the Party the members seat becomes vacant. Ratu Naiqama ignored party advice and allowed those who failed to follow the direction to remain as MPs. Some whom then moved to join the Government ranks and accept ministerial roles.
He also toured the world in 2025 at the expense of the Fiji taxpayer at an alleged cost of $400,000. He is also in failing health and requires assistance to walk.
The current PM is the head of a coalition of PAP, NFP and SODELPA and following the demise of Fiji
First several of their members have joined the Government ranks.
The Government has a PM, 21 Ministers and 11 Assistant Ministers for a population of less than 1 million people.
The PM has the following issues:
• Two Deputy Prime Ministers suspended and subject to FICAC investigations/ charges;
• An Acting Attorney General who he fired from that position and has had to bring back as the appointed replacement (Graham Leung) was also sacked by the PM;
• A Commission of Inquiry that he instigated that is now mired in legal actions related to its findings and recommendations;
• His recommendation (as chair of the Constitutional Officers Commission) to the President of appointing Barbara Malimali as Chair of the Election Commission was flawed and due diligence would have discovered she would not qualify to be a judge, a requirement of the position;
• His recommendation to the President to remove the former FICAC Commissioner, Barbara Malimali and the ruling by the High Court judge, Justice Dane Tuiqereqere, that, she was unlawfully dismissed;
• His recommendation to appoint of Lavi Rokoika as acting FICAC Commissioner and the Judicial Services Commission’s demand for her removal following the ruling by the High Court judge, Justice Dane Tuiqereqere;
• A statement saying he would abolish FICAC when he has no legal basis to do so without a Referendum approved by the people;
• A promise to have a Referendum on the current Constitution but no timetable to do so;
• Another promise that there would be Local Government elections, now scheduled for sometime in September; and
• A growing belief by many, including those within his own party, that he is no longer capable of doing the job of Prime Minister and is missing in action when crunch decisions are required.
The current Chief Justice was originally appointed as an acting CJ. The President acting without the advice of the PM formally appointed him CJ, a position he can hold until he is 75. The holder of the position is head of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), President of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The CJ also acts as President during any absence or incapacity of the President.
Like the PM, the CJ has a number of issues:
• He and the JSC recommended to the President that John Rabuku, be appointed the acting Director of Public Prosecutions as Christopher Pryde had been suspended. This was despite Rabuku having been found and punished for professional misconduct. The CJ should have been clearly aware of this and chose to ignore it. And Rabuku was only removed after a Supreme Court decision that found he should not have been appointed in the first place;
• Having been removed as the acting DPP, Rabuku was appointed the Deputy DPP and no objection was raised by the CJ or the JSC even though this position has almost as much power as the DPP does;
• The conduct of the CJ in relation to the DPP, Christopher Pryde, followed a similar path with the setting up of a judicial tribunal under s.112 of the Constitution to try him for misbehaviour. The Tribunal found the allegations against Pryde not substantiated and he was exonerated. Yet within a week, the same charges reappeared under the banner of FICAC. There was no attempt by the CJ to hide his glee;
• The suspension of Pryde’s salary when there was no valid reason to do so;
• The allegations that the CJ threatened to ensure cases by FICAC under the acting deputy commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, would not reach any court in Fiji;
• The findings in the CoI report that allege that the CJ lied under oath to the Commission;
• The failure of the CJ and that of the JSC to carryout due diligence on the application of Barbara Malimali for FICAC Commissioner, which would have discovered flaws and omissions in her applications that would disqualify her from the position;
• The alleged statement to President and Prime Minister that if the PM appealed the Malimali court decision, he would acquit the former Attorney General and Supervisor of Elections on the charges before him; and
• Now failing to turn up for a meeting of the JSC!
And its only Friday!
———————————–
Yep, and as sure as the sun rises, by Saturday there was more mayhem.
Seriously. How much more dysfunctional can this government get?
———————————–
“The highest standards of integrity”? Yeah right.
Refer to our previous story, Dear Readers.
And Prime Minister. Pull the other one.
Quick. Pass the sick bag, Lynda!
Moral pygmies. Both of them. Plus a good proportion of their political colleagues.
Seriously again. The election can’t come soon enough.
Barrow boys from the Suva market could do a better job.
According to the all wise Richard ‘I have the means’ Naidu all is superb with this government. See the following text on his Facebook page. He is still singing praises of this government through his arse hole.
Remember this is the same clown who had said that this government on its worst day is better than the previous government on its best day!
For Richard and his firm, of course it is. This government gave his law firm Munro Leys’ client Fiji Water a 7 year tax holiday in addition to the Aspen Hospital contract and many other contracts — for selling out the interests of Fiji Water resource owners.
Richard Bastard Naidu was laughing all the way to the bank as he and his equally bastard finance minister Baiman Prasad gifted ordinary Fijians 15% VAT for supporting them in the election.
Baiman got the kick in the arse that he deserved and Richard should be next. What is the finance minister waiting for?
This is the wisdom of Richie Rich;
“Things might not be fantastic now, but at least our government is taking the blasts from its critics without complaint – and without bolstering its Facebook posts with fake likes, as its predecessor did. Here’s a post from four years ago…”
Please send best wishes to CommonMan for the recovery/replanting of his farm. I’m sure all (or at least most) of us look forward to his return!
Vinaka. I know he will be very grateful for your kindness.
And to think that the PM had the audacity to tell people to plant crops to avert the cost of living crisis merely hours after many farmers had all their crops washed away by heavy rain and wind.
Could he be any more disconnected to what’s going on?
Nuniless Naidu with apologies to others with the same surname, a shameless whore just like Lynda Jungle Pussy Baimaan Lamp Chops and Choron Jhaantu along with Susi Fat Face And Hagni Deo…line up for the ages…M. N…Naidu…and others must be writhing in the fires 🔥 of hell in punishment for the sins of this lot.
Fiji Watcher has put together an honor roll of the most ineffective, most inefficient, most inept, most immoral, and most corrupt imbeciles ever to attempt governance of our beloved nation.
To say they have failed and betrayed the nation wouldn’t just be an understatement but also an incomplete, even dishonest summary of the high jinks and highest levels of dysfunctional ever seen.
Our clowns, and they are ours-we voted them in- puts to shame every banana republic and failed states anywhere. The low levels of intelligence, even lower IQs, and overall dirth of knowledge to form a worldview intellectly are painful to witness from every high office.
There is a shamefully dire shortage of clear thinking, decisive leadership and little ability to string together a coherent, to point explanation to address any situation short of using the same old clichéd Fijian English lines amounting to jibberish.
Even the so-called academics and civil society groups, the NGOs, and private citizens find it hard to not be so blatantly partitioning in their commentary. Each have their own agendas to advance and further make thing –to paraphrase GD, as clear as mud.
In such governance environment and everyday chaos it’s no wonder readers and Fijians at large feel only disdain, hopelessness and helplessness as they are left on their own to face myriad social and economic woes on their own. Hopelessness, too.
Cue the disintegration of social cohesion, lawlessness, violent crimes, rising murder rates, drugs, HIV, unemployment, corrupt public officials aiding and abetting illicit substances proliferation, selective use of arresting powers, selective use of the judicial system and two-tiered sentencing practices, two-tiered access to legal redress for the common citizens, indiscriminate targeted arrests of online ‘offending’ parties, and worse, a corrupt compromised media industry bereft of intelligent reporting let alone deep dive investigative journalism.
And people complain about the need for polite commentary by the citizenry writ large. There’s nothing – too little, if at all, positive or worthy polite praise. So we live with snide, crude remarks, short succinct commentary reflecting the disdain, despair, and betrayal and by people that promised better. At the very least, good governance was expected
Instead, the mother of all rots has set in.
The stink is most pungent (not including the sluice at cwmh) in the judiciary, executive branch, law enforcement, prosecutorial and civil service, media, medical care and safety, well being, and sanctity of people in their own homes, places of worship, even.
Drugs, ah the drugs, in every neighborhood. Protected by police. Day time street crime. The resulting violent crimes, open brazen violent road rages directed at one segment of the population, vile racism, daily harassment, home invasions, vandalism of personal property, even tourists are getting mugged — with impunity by perpetrators from one section against the rest.
All this and more is happening, while traditional leadership, civil society, law enforcement, and government leadership have their eyes wide shut.
Add to the equation the inherent misplaced sense of entitlement, and the recipe for disaster is complete.
Unless and until a strong, iron fisted approach is taken to cut the heads off the venomous drug snakes, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala type executions beckon.
To the Israelites and cheerleaders of the murderous zionist regime-the so-called lost tribe in Fiji and the cheering squad of kill the ‘mullahs’, get ready to dig deeper into your pockets full of holes to pay more for fuel and the imminent rise in prices of everyday living costs. Israel will gift the lost tribe free gas and oil henceforth.
The ‘mullahs’ have oil. We have qoliqoli and goli.
Bravo. Another tour de force.
How shamelessly incompetent are this mob. The worst thing is they do not even know it.
They are too busy being proud, arrogant and basking in glory. It is a uniquely Fijian thing, I guess.