It says a great deal about the sorry state of the Fijian media that it has taken 10 days for the shocking details of the story that Grubsheet broke on January 24 – “The Crime of Being White” – to make the mainstream media, not in Fiji but New Zealand.
In that story, we detailed how the illegal Acting DPP, John Rabuku, dismissed his Assistant, Elizabeth Rice, during her conduct of the trial of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum by telling her that the reason was because she was “white” and he wanted an iTaukei in the job.
In the meantime, the Fijian media has carried stories scandalously prejudicial to Ms Rice in which John Rabuku falsely claimed that Ms Rice had failed to meet performance standards and the Attorney General, Siromi Turaga, went public to support him by saying that Fiji didn’t need expatriates in senior positions in the judiciary and offices of state. These statements were clearly defamatory of a prosecutor with an impeccable reputation and now form part of her action against the state.
It has taken Radio New Zealand to finally tell the story Grubsheet reported close to a fortnight ago – that Elizabeth Rice is suing the State for unlawful dismissal on the grounds of race. It promises to be a trial in which the spotlight finally falls on the workplace ethnic cleansing that has been taking place in Fiji under the Coalition. And that spotlight will be particularly damaging for the nation’s reputation when much of the interest will undoubtedly come from the British media – where Elizabeth Rice is a citizen – and the New Zealand media, where her family lives.
How much longer is the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, going to allow Fiji to be portrayed in such a poor light? It isn’t just the racism but the hypocrisy of a leader who preaches adherence to the Constitution on the one hand while agreeing to the appointment of an Acting DPP who the Constitution specifically prohibits from holding the position because he has been found guilty of professional misconduct.
Grubsheet understands that the Prime Minister assured the Fiji Law Society before Christmas that he would act on its call for John Rabuku’s position to be reversed because it is unlawful. That was more than six weeks ago and ticking. Why hasn’t it happened? Because as with most things, the Coalition government is in a chronic state of paralysis. Lots of blah, blah,blah yet incapable of making the big decisions and even staying within the law.
It is now ten months since the substantive DPP, Christopher Pryde, was suspended for being photographed talking to Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum at a Japanese Embassy function. Yet the Coalition still hasn’t obeyed the Constitution and set up a judicial tribunal to hear the case against him. And all the while, Christopher Pryde has been on full pay so that the Fijian taxpayer has been funding two DPPs in the same way that it is funding two police commissioners. Where is the media spotlight on that?
In ignoring Elizabeth Rice’s story and being blindly spoon-fed by the Acting DPP and the AG, the Fijian mainstream media continues its wilful journalistic negligence. The facts that Grubsheet outlined 10 days ago were there for the asking. All journalists had to do was to contact Elizabeth Rice’s legal team in Suva. But despite telling the Fijian people that they are now free to report without fear or favour, the Fijian mainstream media is demonstrably in a conspiracy with the Coalition to cover up stories unflattering to the “new order”.
Read on to appreciate the extent of that betrayal of their readers, listeners and viewers – a media actively conspiring against the Fijian people to conceal the truth.
One thing that makes no sense to me is to sack people left right and centre for not being the right race but give a tax holiday to white billionaires who are taking your valuable resource
This is why we need investigative journalists to tell us how and why it is happening.
Be careful Fiji or we will end up like Haiti.
Fiji , where happiness finds you.
There is a great deal of suspicion around the independence of the judiciary in Fiji, especially given the wide range of very public coverage of the AG involving himself directly with the judiciary via the CJ and in cases, directly with the judges, etc.
I sincerely wish Ms. Rice all the best in her case and if the system is truly independent, the outcome would be in her favour, given the overwhelming evidence of racial bias against her by the DPP.
If, as the unconstitutionally appointed DPP says, her work was below par, can her work be independently assessed by the FLS or independent international legal professionals, to determine if it is indeed below par?
And, what scales or metrics were used by the unconstitutionally appointed DPP to arrive at this judgement, given his lack of experience?
If only pigs flew…
Racism is rife in Fiji. A friend of mine was not even shortlisted for the position of CEO of Post Fiji Limited as their Board wants only itaukie CEO though my friend met MQR and was for Executive Management of Post Fiji.
And yet Rabuku was seen talking to a known drug dealer, justin Ho.
Talk about the independence of the office of public prosecution. Public perception is that Rabuku’s office is no longer independent and by extension so is the Attorney General’s office Siromi Turaga.
The prime minister certainly has his work cut out for him. The solution is very simple though, however it may constrain Fijian politics. Both Turaga and Rabuku needs to go and while they at it so does Manoa Kamikamica. Bill Gavoka’s coat tails need to be trimmed because of the Israel trip and to ensure that no public funds are used to pay for that trip.