The most corrupt relationship in Fiji is arguably that between the Coalition and its principal media cheerleader, the Fiji Times, which routinely ignores or distorts legitimate news unfavourable to the government and has become a strong advocate for its agenda to junk the 2013 Constitution.
This effort is led by the owners of the Fiji Times – the Motibhai family of Ba – through its corrupt “Chairman Emeritus”, Mahendra “Mac” Patel, who recently became the first fugitive in Fijian history to be given a presidential pardon without serving a single day of a jail sentence for abuse of office as Chair of Post Fiji, having fled to Australia while on bail.
That pardon triggered a furore that Patel’s own newspaper studiously ignored. But the scandal was canvassed in detail in an editorial in the Fiji Sun back in September that remains as relevant now as it was then in exposing the corrupt nature of the relationship between the Fiji Times owner and the Rabuka government. His case, the Fiji Sun said, had set a dangerous precedent – convicted criminals who abscond being pardoned without serving their sentences simply because they are wealthy and connected.
The Fiji Times tries to distance itself from “Mac” Patel’s opinion pieces with its customary absurd disclaimer that “the views expressed are his alone and not necessarily shared by this newspaper”. Rubbish. “Mac” Patel and his family OWN the newspaper, pay its editor and staff and have nakedly curried favour with the government with extravagant praise and opinion pieces that support the Coalition’s agenda. Of course it is legitimate to link these to his extraordinary pardon for a conviction and sentence he never served. A criminal who has got off scot-free.
Again today, the Fiji Times owner lends his weight to paving the way for the abolition of the 2013 Constitution with an extravagant denunciation of its provisions that are factually unsupportable to the point of being utterly bizarre. “At its core”, says Mac the Crook, “the Constitution is anti-indigenous” and is “a cancer that must be erased from Fiji with determination and speed”.
Oh really? And just how is it “anti-indigenous”? Of course, “Mac” doesn’t say, just as the Chair of the Great Council of Chiefs, Ratu Viliame Seruvakula, hasn’t told us precisely which 33 clauses of the Constitution he says disadvantage the iTaukei. It is a concoction and complete nonsense – extravagant and unsupportable hyperbole used to justify a position that neither can explain. It is the usual Fiji-style try-on. Oi, why should the Constitution be changed? Er, ah, because.
A rational justification doesn’t matter to either of them. It is about hammering away with their baseless assertions to set the scene for the government to proceed with its plans to alter the Constitution, irrespective of the merits of doing so. And in the case of “Mac” Patel, doing it to sing for his pardon like supplicants in other settings sing for their supper.
The man is a crook and a shyster who as Grubsheet has revealed, bought Sitiveni Rabuka‘s favour as long ago as 1987 by giving him a solid gold Rolex and continues to buy his favour now through the columns of his newspaper.
Some of our previous articles follow his latest rubbish with the real story about “Mac” Patel that you will never read in the miserable Fiji Times. We know that the government’s plan to alter the Constitution must soon be upon us – more chaos to add to its woeful failure to govern across a broad front. “Mac” is the messenger – the old crook with his pardon in his pocket as the harbinger of change. And as corrupt as the government itself.
POSTSCRIPT:
And how about this gem?
“Pluto will be in Aquarius for the next 20 years, beginning on November 19-20, 2024. This is a global event that will affect each and every one of us”. Oh really? (again). “Mac” the mystic.
On an adjacent page, the normally sensible Professor Wadan Narsey mounts a spirited defence of the Fiji Times. Oh really? (again). Delusion is clearly contagious. Or perhaps he too is singing for his supper.
On any reasoned analysis, the Coalition government is like a fish rotting from the head. And the Fiji Times under the Motibhais is barely worthy of wrapping rotten fish, set against normal journalistic standards anywhere else.
Mired in mediocrity and chronic bias and with its integrity violated by its current owners, Fiji’s traditional newspaper of record for the past century and a half has become a record of the nation’s relentless decline.
UPDATE SUNDAY:
In his apologia for the Fiji Times, Wadan Narsey insists on maintaining the pretence that the paper was unfairly targeted in the Nai Lalakai sedition case, describing them as “trumped up” charges. It is nonsense.
FACT: The Fiji Times had been warned that some of the content in its iTaukei vernacular paper was bordering on the seditious in that it was inciting racial hatred. In the absence of specific hate speech laws in Fiji, a charge of sedition was and is the only charge that could be laid.
FACT: Nai Lalakai then published an opinion piece that specifically cast Muslims as invaders, murderers, rapists and torturers. The Fiji Times was duly prosecuted and a judge found that the paper had a case to answer. That is not a “trumped up” process but a proper application of the law.
FACT: The case went to trial and the paper was acquitted on the basis that the prosecution had failed to prove its case. Yet given the anti-Muslim sentiments in the Nai Lalakai article, that doesn’t mean the charge should not have been brought. And to this day, there are still no hate speech laws in Fiji like those in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere and sedition is the only charge that can be laid under the circumstances.
I suggest that Wadan Narsey takes off his blinkers and reads my own account of what actually happened. The Professor and his camp followers who maintain the fiction that the Fiji Times was unfairly targeted might learn something. Nai Lalakai was warned and kept making racist references. Qori.
NOTE: I cannot find a copy of Wadan Narsey’s article yesterday on a Google search of the Fiji Times or Wadan Narsey’s own website. I will post a link to it as soon as I can find one.
The pro Coalition Govt bias of Mac Patel’s Fiji Times, campaigns for the trashing of the 2013 Constitution and a clear bias towards the Great Council of Thieves, oops, Communist Party Chiefs, and adulation for the newly installed sad sack of a President, Naiqama Lalabalavu, is actually worse in mad Mac Patel’s taukei vernacular weekly, Nailalakai. It is very open in its propaganda, and is worse than Chinese Communist Party rag sheets.
There is nothing in the 2013 Constitution to stop anyone of any race in Fiji from getting ahead if the are prepared to work hard and invest wisely. In fact, the 2013 Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to a job, education, housing, health and hygiene, the basic necessities for a decent standard of life, that no previous Constitution does.
Why change it now? All right thinking citizens must oppose the change.
Funny you should say that there is widespread support for the 2013 Constitution.
A National Security Review team just recently released its report on the results of itd public consultations and it reported the opposite of what you are saying i.e. that there is public concern in the way the Constution was drafted by 2 people in a smoke-filled back room and then shoved down peoples throats at the point of a gun.
All this talk about anyone can be a PM or President is meaningless if the people were not consulted about it in the first place.
The people of Fiji dont want it.
By “people”, did you include the sampled voice of the taxpayer base, or is it that of the kanaloto brigade?
@uluiqalau. the common man does not give a rat’s *#*: about the 2013 constitution as there are bigger more pressing matters, food on the table, savings etc. It is the crooked politicians with their misinformation and corrupt selfish individuals like patel who has trashed the iconic Fiji Times by tasking the workers with his hate agenda.
Because if this crook doesn’t sing to rabuka’s tunes he will go to jail and piso the chakki (grind corn on the grindstone). Rabuka has evidence on him. The GCC chair in yesterday’s Fiji village is saying chiefs have not been looking after their people hence the problems. Oi but the oldies and him included were blaming the constitution. He is so confused or perhaps dementia is affecting him as well. Or is it the past and current sins catching up with all the old man ruling Fiji now.
The only people who think the current Constitution is wrong are the Fiji Times, the GCC and the ethno-nationalists of the Government!
The Fiji Times being the mouthpiece of the Government, at any cost. They are willing to prostitute themselves for favour by Government and its racist agenda. A Government that is mired in continuous acts of stupidity, with incompetent Ministers whose only agenda is self-interest.
As for the GCC, the unelected, unrepresentative and largely ‘old men’ they are not relevant and as I have said previously should go and sit under a mango tree and drink grog. They contribute nothing to ordinary Fijians.
Rabuka wants to finish his 1987 coup agenda and the Patel family, owners of the Fiji Times seem willing to support it!
#The only people who think the current Constitution is wrong are the Fiji Times, the GCC and the ethno-nationalists of the Government!#
And the donkey. The donkey from Savusavu. With one stale idea.
@ Fiji Watcher
When it comes to the 2013 Constitution, you are wrong and the people of Fiji are right.
The problem with the Constitutiin is that its backroom authors made it impossiblle to change. It encourages a revolution to change it. They were not careful what they wished for.
The threshold for changes is quite high. This is not abnormal in such matters, and not only in Fiji. It’s so that the tail does not wag the dog.
Wadan Narsey is greasing the Fiji Times/Motibhai balls because of its pro government stance. He is also arselicking his buddy Biman and Rabuka who have thrown him a few scraps. Wadan was shouting and flailing against FF every other day, but has suddenly lost his voice despite Baimaan’s betrayal of voters and his pathetic management of the economy, including the biggest junket in Fiji’s history, the Baku debacle. If it was ASK Wadan would be screaming blood murder. So as far as I’m concerned, Wadan is a hypocrite speaking from his arse.
Warden Narsey is an embarrassment not just to himself and his family but to the whole academic community and to the whole of Fiji. The self-serving and self-preserving hypocrisy is not only sad but unbelieveable. He suffers from religious prejudice, clearly.
People like these should make full disclosure of their agenda. It is like another dickhead in the letters column in Fiji Times, Rajesh Ishwar Lingam. Another masi polo who should make full disclosure as he supports the government and everything they do because he wants a promotion in the education system. And I think it has worked. I understand he is a principal of some school.
But to think that these types teach our children is unforgiveable.
Does anyone want ball greasers and masi polos to teach our children?
Our children have no chance as they are brought up to be dickheads.
That is exactly what is happening and then they all wonder why Fiji is where it is!!!
Not a week goes by without Lingam (which by no coincidence means Penis-like in Sanskrit) either thanking, pleading or effusing a rehash of the previous day’s article. He’s the metaphoric clown who likes to tabetabe the right people just for self promotion. Typical of some Indian people from the north, they say.
Lingam should perhaps let go of Rambo’s “ling” because sooner or later, the demented fool would need to go for a pee.
Rajesh Ishwar Lund, that is the proper translation of his name. Why is he allowed such open slather by Fred Wesley to write the rubbish he does everyday. Someone is sucking someone’s c*ck. Why else?
Well, it is because this star letter writer says everything that Fred Wesley and his bosses want to hear/read. No need for anything else.
Not only Mac Patel family, but many gujis.
“Pluto will be in Aqaurius for the next 20 years” – I am flabbergasted. What the fcuk does that mean. I mean we would never know, we are just paupers – this is something that only the rich can understand or is it the case that it is something that only idiots will understand? I suspect that Gujis (and may I add many others) have all these endless superstitions about dates and when things should be done – from marriages, opening business, taking trips and the list goes on. I think the Chinese are worse when it comes to superstitions, but their rubbish does seem to work – why else would they all be so successful? I think “successful” needs to be defined in context.
But the musings by this gentleman is full of hot air when you think about it. Changing the Constitution of Fiji will solve exactly none of Fiji’s problems and that important point was was left out of his rubbish.
I think the main point he was making was that he is not happy that Bai and Kai sent him inside for a while and made him go into exile. I think he forgot to say that.