Grubsheet has no inside knowledge of what happens in FijiFirst, having fallen out with Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and having campaigned against them at the last election. But I know the inside workings of Khaiyum’s mind almost as much as I know my own having worked intimately with him for six years. And I certainly know how intolerant he is of both dissent and disloyalty. The same applies to the ousted prime minister.
The two have been presented with a unique opportunity to remould their party – and it IS theirs legally – with the decision by 16 MPs – including the parliamentary Opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu – to defy a party directive and vote with the People’s Alliance and SODELPA to increase parliamentary salaries and allowances.
I may be wrong but I will personally be astonished if these guys – and they are all men – aren’t executed, which is perfectly permissible under the both FijiFirst Constitution and the nation’s Constitution for their breathtaking act of disobedience. In fact, it is a very simple procedure, almost a quick as what used to happen in the old Soviet bloc with dissenters – a symbolic trial, an invitation for last words and then banishment or the bullet.
How easily the 16 can be dispensed with from the parliament is outlined in the following piece of advice from our constitutional advisor here at Grubsheet about the precise legal position. Read on and then think about how stupid the Gang of 16 have been – seemingly unaware that they have no right to determine anything that the FijiFirst leadership doesn’t want and how easy it is for them to be permanently sent to the local equivalent of Siberia.
It has been an act of monumental folly for which they will pay an extremely heavy price. We now await the announcement. Tick, tick, tick.
So if the Gang of 16 are executed, who steps up to take their place? The next 16 “cabs off the rank” from the 55 FijiFirst candidates who contested the 2022 election but didn’t make the cut. Here they are:
While PAP is shocked and haven’t been able to come to terms with the reaction of the population at their fast tracked money making scheme- how to become a millionaire by August.
SVT as expected are waiting for their cheques to arrive unbeknown to what’s going on.
Agni (means fire) Deo ( means giver) is busy contacting the speaker, great council of chiefs, president whom ever he can contact for help to douse the fire he lit under himself.
Agni would be drinking whiskey at someone’s house
He doesn’t miss any invitations
Curiouser and curiouser!
Stocking up on pop corn and ‘hila hot, hila hot’ as the drama unfolds.
What happens if they are all removed? Does that mean a fresh election takes place?
Or other members from FF come into effect?
The next 16 cabs off the FijiFirst rank – those who contested the election but didn’t make it – would step up. Just posted their names and photos above.
Do it, Aiyaz. Pull the plug on these self serving 16, do it for Fiji. We need fresh elections to bring in a fresh team to govern in the public interest.
For Khaiyum this is the absolute perfect opportunity to get rid of his opposition in the Party. Through their stupidity and avarice the 16 have sunk their political careers. If they are expelled from Fiji First, and try to form their own Party for the next elections, who will vote for the them? Perfect time to kick them out. The quality of the next 16 in line of course is questionable, but most of the current MPs come from the same section of the barrel anyway.
All I seem to be reading since the Coalition came into power is more examples of Ministers not knowing the Fijian Constitution, nor having read their own party Constitution. There seems to have been some contagion of this ailment now with a substantial portion of Fiji First members also not having read their own party constitution. So many examples of Rabuka announcing decisions, then others pointing out such decisions breach the constitution. Are there any decent leaders in Fiji of any party who can actually read?
Just do it.
It is not these pollies who are stupid, it is the people of Fiji who are idiots.
Per capita, there are more idiots walking the streets of Fiji than anywhere else in the world. In fact Fiji is full of idiots and they best thing is they are all proud to be idiots.
But they are not aware that they are idiots, therefore they cannot do anything about it.
To fix the problem, awareness is needed. That is where I come in!
No use you coming in , IDIOTS .
If the next new 16 comes in for FFP then best person here I see to be opposition leader is Adi Selai.
Very knowledgeable.
She was the proof reader for FFP.
Oh,she was proof reading all script Aiyaz used to write
Has to go through her office first before released
She has done Masters in broken English and PHD in Copy ,write and read
Graham, do you think Inia Seruiratu did not know about this provision?
Definitely a power struggle within FFP where he perhaps wanted to finally bury the demons of the past ie Frank and Aiyaz.
And the so called best constitution of Fiji , and that is exactly why it’s a flawed constitution designed to look as one men one vote but in reality an undemocratic one.
It is more likely that Aiyaz wants to bury Inia and the other three military figures and install people loyal only to him. And their flagrant disobedience would have given him a once in a lifetime opportunity to persuade Frank to cut them loose. Provided he can beat the current legal proceedings against him, the avenue will have been cleared to enable him to make a comeback and fulfil his ambition to lead.
Yes whatever it is definite cracks now publicly appear within FFP which was always contained and under lock and key during the past 8 years they were in Government.
Inia is somewhat of a smart and reasonable person but certainly not 100% clean, if he can’t win the power struggle then he is better off retiring or joining another party as he does have ( I assume) some political capital left.