This is the first photo of the 2000 rebellion leader, George Speight, after his release from prison as the police issue a statement reassuring the Fijian people about their safety amid widespread fear and apprehension about what happens next.
The Coalition government has clearly been stung by community reaction to the freeing of Speight – who removed the former prime minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, at gunpoint in May 2000 and brought the nation to its knees – along with Shane Stevens, the leader of the subsequent mutiny in the RFMF in November of the same year in which three innocent loyalist troops were murdered in cold blood.
Grubsheet examined what it might all mean yesterday. But after the public statement by Mahendra Chaudhry that we reported criticising the release, the government has embarked on a PR offensive, using its puppet, the Fiji Times, to make the risible claim in a front page story today that freeing George Speight hasn’t been a political decision.
Nonsense. Lasulasu-jhoot. It has been run out of the office of the Attorney General on Level 7 at Suvavou House – first by Siromi Turaga when he was AG and now Graham Leung. The Chair of the Mercy Commission which has freed Speight and Stevens is the AG himself. And when he was in office, the indigenous supremacist, Siromi Turaga, handpicked its members – Sitamma Venkatappa; Ben Hazelman; Brigadier-General Apakuki Kurisiga and Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne.
As Grubsheet explained yesterday, it is the AG who not only chooses the Commission’s members by submitting names through the Judicial Services Commission to the President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, for his automatic approval. The President is also obliged under the Constitution to rubber stamp the Mercy Commission’s decisions. So the anger currently being directed towards Ratu Wiliame for allegedly being responsible for freeing Speight is misdirected, though he could have arguably spoken up privately and evidently hasn’t, just as he hasn’t spoken up about the appalling injustice directed at the suspended DPP, Christopher Pryde (more on that tomorrow).
Yet as if the freeing of Speight and Stevens isn’t bad enough, the Fijian people are now being subjected to an avalanche of disinformation about how the process works. Right from the start, when the Prime Minister tried to pretend that the Mercy Commission is independent of government, it has been one big lie – a lie repeated by the Coalition again today in the barely veiled propaganda piece in its corrupt mouthpiece, the Fiji Times.
Guess what, Fiji. You’ll be less than surprised to learn that the Mercy Commission is no more independent of government than the Judicial Services Commission, the ODPP and now FICAC. It is an instrument to carry out the government’s wishes. And it has been Siromi Turaga first, and now Graham Leung, who have engineered the freeing of George Speight – the man who raped democracy in 2000 – and Shane Stevens, the man responsible for killing loyal troops in the RFMF.
It has been a shocking episode whose political consequences will only be felt after the horse has bolted. These are not old men who will quietly live out their years in retirement but relatively youthful fanatics completely dedicated to the cause of iTaukei supremacy who have already used force of arms to try to take over the country. And the notion that they are going to tearfully embrace the preposterous “truth and reconciliation” process and take up carving souvenirs for a living or lecture our young people about not emulating their treasonous conduct is a grotesque fantasy.
The more the police in any situation “reassure” the public that there is nothing to worry about, the more we can be sure that there is a great deal to worry about. Because otherwise, why say anything at all? The police statement can only fuel community anxiety.
The shock of George Speight’s release, in particular, is only just starting to sink in. And part of that shock is that we have always been assured that the RFMF would prevent him from ever being released. It was a specific undertaking of the former military commander and prime minister, Frank Bainimarama. And we can be sure that if it has taken almost two years since the election to secure Speight’s freedom, there has been a lot of intense argy-bargy behind the scenes.
It is now clear that the current RFMF Commander, Ro Jone “gimme a hug” Kalouniwai, has given this the green light as part of his naive support for the government’s truth and reconciliation efforts. But rest assured that many of those around him are extremely angry and dismayed that he has been party to the release of people who tried to seize control of the state and took the lives of loyal RFMF personnel.
This all has a long way to play out. But it’s a clear sign of community apprehension and fear that Saint Shamima of Ali has finally found her voice. She’s been silent about so many of the Coalition’s outrages – putting a domestic violence abuser in charge of the education of our young people, keeping a Minister for Women and Children whose own party found her guilty of drug taking and illicit sex. Plus a whole lot of outrages in the offices of state – of which the assault on FICAC is only the latest – about which Shamima Ali has kept notably shtum.
That she has chosen to speak out on this means that her constituents in the women’s movement and the wider community are genuinely worried. As well they might be. Because as will soon become apparent as events unfold, the freeing of George Speight and Shane Stevens is a national disaster.
Now evidence for the above, starting with today’s front page Fiji Times story that is pure Coalition propaganda – the big lie that all this has been independent of politics. It is only a veneer of independence. As its Chair, the AG is the Mercy Commission because it is inconceivable that its other members would defy him. And he also tells the President what to do.
Then what the Prime Minister said about the Mercy Commission last year. A big lasulasu-jhoot. A big lie.
Nonsense. The Chair of the Commission is the Attorney General and the Mercy Commission is run out of the AG’s office at Level 7 of Suvavou House.
It is where this announcement came from on Thursday. You’ll notice the first reference is a pardon for the owner of the Fiji Times, Mahendra “Mac” Patel. Incredibly, three days later, the Fiji Times is still to report a single word about its boss. It is a newspaper as corrupt as the man himself.
And then the official photographs. Bizarrely, the Fiji Times today only publishes the one of Shane Stevens. Why would it not publish the photo of George Speight?
The last time we saw George Speight in his prison garb…
And the 2000 rebellion leader now…
The Police tell us there is nothing to worry about…
Yet in the way of these things, the more reassurances there are, the more cause for concern.
Suddenly, guess who has found her voice?
The Coalition’s latest gift to the nation. More worry. More uncertainty. And they wonder why there is a stampede for the exits.
A reported 130,000 since the election. How many more now?
And a reminder of how the Mercy Commission works – the extract from the Constitution we published yesterday.
We are all looking forward to his rendition of Copacabana and I like Pina Coladas in Suva’s Pink Flamingo nightclub
I hope you’ll ultimately decide to remain everyday Fijians’ public voice..there really isn’t another.. many trust your confidentiality and reporting…. Appreciation and gratitude your way 👍….
VTLewa
I agree with you. We would be forever in the dark if GD hung up his boots. It would be a sad day indeed.
The guy has been used, abused and incarcerated for decades and has chosen to remain silent. Why destroy ones life? Maybe he is afraid they will liquidate him if he opens his mouth. My hope is he does not take his secrets to his grave if he has an iota of decency in him. Most likely he is just a selfish prick. One has to be if one has chosen to remian silent. Or more likely the guy is just a first rate coward.
I for one am cutting all ties with Fiji. No more sending of money to idiots who voted a change to supremacy of the itaukei at the expense of the way the way the world should be. No more tourism trips, there are much better places to go enjoy and support. No more supporting of the national rugby team who have taken coup grandfathers request to heart and sing only the itaukei national anthem now. God bless Fiji represented me, you threw us all non indigenous people out of the team bus deliberately by choosing your new national anthem.
Enjoy your government Fiji and fend for yourself for the decisions you made and make in the future.
Maybe that self proclaimed smart (phd)senior economist from Sydney with high school economics ideas gets to visit Fiji again in his mandraji blue suit. Tell Fiji govt about GDP growth predictions inclusive of the Speight/Stevens release from jail factor. What does his theoretical modelling say now?
Mr Grubs, I now understand how you may feel about giving up raising issues of national importance that the Fijian media and journalists don’t give a toss about.
Though many of your readers understand that this has torn you apart emotionally and the part of you wanting to give up and just get on with your life is screaming loudly, it would be a great loss to Fiji for your voice to be no longer heard.
You are allowed and have earned that right to just focus on the simple things in life and enjoy time with your family without the stress of trying to awaken Fiji. Who wouldn’t want that?
If you do decide to stop or take a break – all the best and know you’ll be dearly missed by many and leave a void no one else can fill! Thanks for all your efforts Graham :).
@ Chairwoman.
If its good enough for the pakeha and Maori to sing the NZ national anthem in Maori and for the South Africans and other nationalities to do the same, why do you wish to deny true Fijians the right to do the same?
Would you be happy if we all wore dhotis and and sang the Fiji national anthem in Hindi ?
If you wish that then you are in the wrong country and you should migrate.
True Fijian ?inmate at Wacol tells me that you have left the country.Fiji needs patriotic people like you in Fiji,so you need to migrate back and sing the national anthem of your preference.I am sure your contribution would be highly valued in Fiji.Mahendra is right,Fiji is a beggar country,always relying on other countries to bail them out of trouble.People like yourself are worried about Indians and dhotis,not building the country but obsessed with owning it.Why are Fijians worried so much about Indians progress and make excuses of their own lack of progress.Ratu Mara was a true leader and lead the country well,but what was more important to people with your mindset is that he was from Lau and will only help his ‘own’ kind.Read on how progressive a brand new nation was under his good leadership and how well fiji progressed under his leadership.And you name suits you,a lot of preparation would have taken place for you to finally become an inmate at wacol
A simple google search it was Fiji Times that published a story in Oct 2022, Rabuka promised to release Speight if he formed government.
Independence trashed, absolutely none left with state institutions including the men and women in green, lawyers are not that far out, the media too except FS. And we can easily predict Fred’s editorial tomorrow – Fiji beating Japan!
As above, my sentiments entirely. Many thanks for your enlightening reporting in the past and best wishes for whatever you decide to do in the future. Good luck. You’re a good man.
Is that really GS. A shell of a specimen he was before. His sins have caught up with him as it will others. May God’s will be done. For he will face him alone without his cronies and supporters on earth .
I’m not as disturbed to see him released as I’m to see that there are many Fijians who think that what he did 24 years ago was in the best interest of Fiji. It is shocking to read comments blaming “indians” for his actions. It is equally disturbing to see him being compared to Nelson Mandela…some even backing him to be the next PM. While I strongly believe that the only way we can see a change in Fiji is to be the change ourselves, it is perhaps time to pack my bags… I’m too old to deal with this shit now.
@ODR
You are talking nonsense. Not all i’taukei think George did rhe right thing back then. You are mirroring GDs demonisations of the i’taukei to validate your own prejudices. You must therefore be an ass’
-kissing’ kai India. Did you also plsy soccer? Lol
I am not “demonising” the iTaukei. It is about good governance and this government fulfilling its pre-election promise to govern for all. Instead we have blatant racism, nepotism and corruption.
We have been betrayed by the whole lot of them from the Prime Minister down. The government is far worse than its predecessor and nothing short of a disgrace.
I am the one demonizing the native Fijians.
Haha. Go Slacker.
Natives conveniently forget (selective amnesia?) that they’ve have been and continue to be the protagonists perpetuating Fiji’s racial schism.
The “devout christian” natives have long demonized, marginalized, hated, vilified, robbed, and pillaged the Fijian Indian communities for more than a century now.
The natives have had free reign to terror kill, terrorize, steal from farms, home invasions, and bullying others. They are world class shoplifters too.
No, I disagree with your statement. The country has been ruled by two people. Is that alright for you? You know a lot about Bai and Khay, but you hide them.
Your writing is more like expressing anger to the readers and adding bad words beside the names of leaders that you hated. That is not good and unprofessional.
This was the result of anger while writing….garbage in garbage out!!
Thank you for the compliment. Anger while writing is my speciality these days. Nothing drives my fingers over the keyboard more quickly. I belt these things out in record speed. And the only time I get writer’s block is on the rare occasion when I am not angry. You should try it.
Get ready because he is already planning to contest the next election under SODELPAs banner.
Have you seen the half arse legal analysis by many of these so called lawyers. I mean these people get their ‘phds’ and ‘professorships’ from fnu which has become a joke under the new vc and also from usp.
Then there are the lawyers who now hold positions that they don’t qualify for or don’t have the requisite acumen.
Look at john I love myself rabuku’s post regarding malimali’s appointment. The guy is thick as 4 planks. And all these others are like oh wow or the other lawyers have no balls, think about how they can masi polo and perhaps get some govt work or simply get invited to cocktails.
I see the media no longer gets comments from ASK who used call things as they were last year and beginning of this year. But no more. By the way I hear his health has really deteriorated but he puts up a front when in public.
By way GD we hear that he has lodged a number of complaints, have you come across them. Maybe it’s worth writing about because this guy won’t do something like that unless he is on solid ground like his letter to Katonivere which you published.
Anyway we digress.
The legal fraternity is useless and the only voice you hear now are from twits, who dangerously but tragically think they are smart.
So we will as country have to go further into this age of ignorance.
Isa viti
Maumau
Ask the countless and silent thousands who have suffered under these cowards reign of terror with Rabuka being behind it all.
Who gives a shit as to who was behind it. The fact remains these low life so called God’s chosen people chose to rape, torture, discriminate and continue to systematically ethnically cleanse Fijians of Indian descent. They chose to do what they did and now they want “mercy”? F#$k that. For 6 days out of 7 they preach hate and do the work of the devil. Every Sunday they dress up in a white man’s clothes with a book in their hand turning up to church and pretend to be God fearing and loving people. Seeking repentance, preaching so called love, and peace. Don’t like what I’m saying, it is the truth the though.
Any person can be a “man” if holding a gun. Any coward can torture and abuse a community with this gun with the backing of a another community which has deeply entrenched racism and hatred in its blood. Yes that’s what it is otherwise there would be a pouring of outcry at such a release of criminals. But no these guys are celebrities. Just look at the release of Takiveikata.
Trust me, there are countless thousands who would love to ABUSE the F#$K out of Speight and Rabuka if given a chance. Unfortunately we don’t have the guns nor the power. We have however patience and our faith in our own God that one day Good will overcome Evil.
May God NEVER have mercy on their souls. May God give them a long painful death confined to the bed. May those involvled in the 87 and 2000 coups and those currently involved in these shennanigans targeting a particular community die a horrible excruciating death in our lifetime. I for one cannot wait to see these cowards on their deathbeds lying in pain and dying a very slow painful death.
This government is playing with the law and people who support decisions of forgiveness are so blinded by the lies that have been fed to them over 37 years and so.
You do the crime, you pay for it with time behind bars. Not about mercy, not about forgiveness.
I can’t wait to see karma do its job.
No one escapes what the universe has in store for them.
Look carefully at Speight and what do you see? A younger version of Rabuka, with the same arrogance and belief in the iTaukei supremacy.
I believe Speight will seek to get back what he has lost, whilst taking revenge on those who he has perceived as being responsible for his initial downfall. Reformed and a changed man, I don’t think so!
He will join the PAP and Rabuka will welcome him, and he will be a candidate promoted by Rabuka and the PAP at the next election, his aim, like theirs being for PAP to win re-election and govern in its own right with no other parties.
Those within the PAP who contributed to his downfall will be removed and those in the former Fiji First he will go about persecuting at will, as a member of the Government. His ultimate aim is to be PM, finish what he started in 2000, and remove those non iTaukei from any influence or position in Fiji.
To those in the NFP and SODELPA your time is over! You will fall victims to the racist mantra of the PAP and be swept away. Which will be ironic given your willing participation in the current Government and in releasing Speight.
Its not people like Speight who are the cancer of the Fijian society. Its people like Shamima Ali, Biman Prasad, Nirmal Singh, Sashi Kiran, Agni Deo Singh, the very people who have lied to and contributed to the election of this coalition government that now runs like a wild pig on a farm, destroying everything in its path.
For once I dont regret moving away from Fiji after the last election.
If anything, GS should be allowed to be outside just like the treasoner who leads the current government.
People of Fiji even the apologists to this very racist government should remember that a tree that grows from a seed of another and in its shadow is just going to be the same.
When you choose to have people like GS and Rabuka as your childs role model, dont be surprised when they grow up to be just like them.
Its a really sad day for Fiji and it should be a sad day for all Fijians. Our government is on a path of no return now….and its the people who enabled them to be elected and those who supported them are to be blamed.
Judging by the responses on social media, the original i’taukei are for forgiveness and for moving on.
On the other hand, the vulagi Indians and other unChristian and self-serving palagi types (aka the uncircumcised pullbacks) are against forgiveness. Such is the shitty world we live in..isa Viti.
The uncircumcised “pullbacks”…Ha ha ha reminds me of my old days at school in Veiuto when the soccer team took to the showers!
Another twat obsessed with foreskins. You’re definitely iTaukei!
And the circumcised shall behold be called cutterbacks
No muslims in the soccer team?You must go to the showers to look at male genitalia?what a knob
Native are prone to “forgive” because back in the day it was a strong incentive to stay alive, lest you end up in a lovo eh. Soro se mate eh. Rape, lewa’ fault wh for being attractive or dress “provocatively” if taura vale na marama (like chatels)
Simples.
Now, same strong incentive to “forgive” because you don’t want to piss of the chief eh. Otherwise he boot you and your out of the koro-otracised. Even though chief rape under age girl, or anyone else that perpetuates violent sexual crimes eh.
Even if family member is raped, impregnated and/or beaten to death. Except now in the last 150 years the vulagi god demands you forgive, turn the other cheek, 70×7.
But you never forgive the kai india eh. No love of neighbor then eh.
In a civilized world, in all civilized societies with functioning, fair, transparent justice system, you do the crime you do the time.
Forgiveness has nothing to do with it. Murders/rapists/thugs seek forgiveness because they can.
The murdered dead, raped person, aggrieved and traumatized victims cannot seek forgiveness. The hurt and damage is permanent. Like death eh.
Here’s (hopefully) a appropriate “meme” for the 130,000+ leaving
https://indianmemetemplates.com/wp-content/uploads/bhaago-1024×575.jpg
There is a lot of emotional twadle coming out of Speight’s release from prison.
First, some say he will be standing in the general election. He can’t Under the 2013 Constitution. He has to wait out 2 elections before he can stand.
Second, some condemn him for his silence. The fact of the matter is everything that needs to be said has already been said in public by Maciu Vakasuasua and others.
Speight was just a front man, called in 24-hours before the parliamentary take-over to lead the action.
The military man who was supposed to take over from him changed his mind and left Speight high and dry.
All the main players like Duvuloco, Konataci etc served their time. Most are now dead and a few underlings served their time and moved on in life.
The Mercy Commission, his excellency the President and the Commander did the right thing.
Speight and Stevens served their time and should be given space to reintegrate into civil life.
You said ” He can’t Under the 2013 Constitution. He has to wait out 2 elections before he can stand.”
That is not true.
The Constitution at s.56(2)(g) says ‘(g) has not, at any time during the 8 years immediately before being nominated, been convicted of any offence under any law for which the maximum penalty is a term of imprisonment of 12 months or
more; ‘
The key words are “during the 8 years immediately before being nominated”. He was not convicted within that time. George Speight was convicted of Treason that was more that 20 years ago!
So Mahendra and FLP are the only opposition left against the government.
This is the TRC that they have been cooking in the background. Another huge mistake.
Does this government ever run short of shit things to do!
Just watch GD. This will be a nail to some coffins. They will all fight each other. Last time it was mahogany and power. This time it is their elite supremacy.
Fiji Rugby Union administration allegedly did not pay the players on time:
Just forgive the FRU, forget and move on!
Fiji First allegedly disenfranchised the i-taukei in the constitution and other instances: Just forgive Khaiyum, forget and move on!
Once again it saddens me that anyone could have expected any better of a leader who did not respect the law in 1987 and beyond and repeatedly fails to respect the rule of law whilst leading the country.
Our beautiful country Fiji was doomed in 1987 and has remained so since then. Only a miracle from God himself can turn this illegal mess around but clearly not possible in our lifetimes.
It is a country that could be heading towards partial totalitarian government where the legal framework is disregarded and abuses of power and violation of human rights is rife.
What would it take to STOP LOOK LISTEN and RE-INVENT? Fresh and new leadership that is not tainted with the coup culture.