A great many people have been dissecting the statement by the President of FijiFirst, Ratu Jioji Satakala, that the 16 MPs who voted with the PAP and SODELPA for the controversial salary and benefit increases on Friday are to be disciplined.
As the statement makes clear, the Acting General Secretary of the Party, Faiyaz Koya, directed all FijiFirst MPs to either vote against the package or abstain. If they had followed that order, the combination of FijiFirst votes and those of the NFP would have been enough to see the Bill defeated.
It is reason enough for the FijiFirst President, Frank Bainimarama, and the real power behind the Party, foundation member Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, to be incandescent with rage. The Gang of 16 rebels have brought FijiFirst into disrepute and reduced it to the same moral level in the eyes of the community as the People’s Alliance and SODELPA – a crime for which the party leadership will make these rebels pay.
A reminder of what the statement says:
So what does the FijiFirst Constitution say about what will happen to those MPs, including the parliamentary Opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu, who defied the instruction?
First, there is no question that the MPs were obliged to follow the order.
And what happens if they don’t?
So there is now a very real prospect of the 16 MPs being expelled from the Party, which would automatically exclude them from the Parliament. The 2013 Constitution, as opposed to the FijiFirst Party Constitution, doesn’t allow them to cross the floor to sit with another party. They do as they are told or they are out.
So is that what Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum are planning? – to sack every single one of the rebel MPs so they are no longer entitled to sit in the parliament as MPs? It sure looks that way. Presumably the next 16 “cabs off the rank” – the FijiFirst MPs who didn’t make the cut at the 2022 election – would then move in to take their place, as the Constitution prescribes.
It would be an extraordinary move but the rebel MPs will have brought it upon themselves through their conduct on Friday. They must have known the contents of their own constitution before deciding to defy the party leadership. And rest assured that when Faiyaz Koya issued the directive, it was on the orders of Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum.
Suddenly, though, a potential complication is emerging. Elements of the military are restive about any moves to remove the former military officers in the front line of FijiFirst MPs – Inia Seruiratu, Viliame Naupoto, Iowane Naivalurua and Semi Korolavisau.
Here’s an email sent to Grubsheet during the night by a trusted source at the camp which suggests that at least some members of the RFMF are not going to accept its Gang of Four being removed.
A great many things don’t add up in this extraordinary story. But an order is an order – as the military knows more than anyone- and when you are told to vote “no” or abstain, you vote “no” or abstain.
Is Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum planning a purge of existing FijiFirst MPs to install a whole lot of fresh MPs loyal only to him and the ousted Prime Minister? Is this the way to break the military’s influence on FijiFirst and remove it from politics altogether? It sure looks that way. Because the RFMF haven’t done Frank Bainimarama any favours by failing to keep him out of jail and he and Aiyaz now owe them nothing.
So much for the old saying “Greed is good”. The Gang of 16 rebels could be about to pay for their greed with their political lives. Except that for the Gang of Four from the military, there is now an indication that at least some elements of the RFMF are intent on preventing that from happening.
The Gang of 16 FijiFirst rebels who look like being thrown on the street. Good one, fellas. Looking for sympathy? In the words of a famous retort, you’ll find it in the Oxford Dictionary somewhere between shit and syphilis.
And bet you’re copping a clobbering from the marama at home. All that extra money and everything else gone. Vakadua. Vanished in a puff of hubris and greed.
Was this the final straw for Frank and Aiyaz? Inia Seruiratu consorting and voting with the enemy?
Inia “Grab-it-and-run”. The extraordinary increase Seruiratu got that proved to be irresistible. Plus a house.
Inia Seruiratu’s statement today. Business as usual until the axe falls.
The message from the 16 MPs is loud and clear, that Aiyaz and Frank is no longer in control of FFP but the new leader Inia Seruiratu is and Koya whose instructions come from Aiyaz has also been told to let go of the old leadership and embrace the new and the 16 have basically said to Koya “you are now a toothless tiger”.
The 16 no longer has the moral authority to speak on behalf of the poor people of Fiji.
The problem for the Gang of 16 is that Frank and Aiyaz control the Party, indeed are the Party, under the terms of the FijiFirst Constitution, which Aiyaz ensured was watertight in maintaining that control.
They could resign and contest the next election wearing different hats. But without Frank and Aiyaz, they are not FijiFirst. And it is already clear that their rebellion isn’t going to fly. Breathtaking incompetence as well as greed.
Graham, if the Fiji constitution is clear in that if an MP goes against party directive on votes then the seat is deemed to have been vacated?
If that is the case does the speaker verify this from the party and then declares that the 16 seats are now vacant?
If that hypothetically is what happens then Koya will likely be the LOP and since he dances to Aiyaz tune, FFP will then be in Frank and Aiyaz full control despite their own issues
Constitutionally, the Speaker cannot take any action against those MPs (on his own initiative) but he has a duty bound to act once approached by the officials from the FFP.
The sooner these 16 are booted out from parliament, and replaced by people who put Fiji first rather than their own narrow interest the better it is for the country.
The Fiji Times reporter Anish Chand made this observation on his FB page, with documentary evidence. What is happening? Is FF pulling wool over our eyes?
“ Fiji First President- 16 who voted for pay rise to face inquiry for defying directive, including Seruiratu. But what boggles the mind is the party made a submission to the Emolumets Committee, proposing pay increase.Didn’t the Fiji First party hierarchy know what was being submitted?”
It is entirely possible. But having issued their directive to vote “no” or abstain, that should have been complied with. It is there in black and white in the FFP Constitution.
We know that Frank and Aiyaz have had their hands full with other matters. Like staying out of jail. So they had every right to expect that Inia Seruiratu and those in the parliament could be trusted to do the right thing. Alas.
Agree with GD
It was blatantly obvious how Seruiratu was being bought off by Rabuka. A trip to Dubai last year to watch Dubai 7s under the guise of COP28, trips to Canberra, Geneva and Singapore as part of Speakers’s team for Parliamentary meetings. And did we not notice how weak and gutless, void of any analysis, his responses on Coalition policies have been . The man has no principles or values and is as thick as people can be. One doesn’t even need big $$s to buy such people off.
You mean they were directed to vote against a motion which was based entirely on their party’s submission? Haha. People are not stupid and Kai’s overtures to say, “wait we told them not to vote for it” is not going to cut it when everyone knows they proposed it in the first place. For a supposedly smart kaidia, he is getting exposed very every other day as not being smart at all.
His press conference to proclaim that Bai is still the leader when that is illegal under the Political Parties Act will now get Bai into more trouble ????
The law is the law, whether it is the FijiFirst Constitution or the national constitution. So your point is interesting but irrelevant.
Never mind what happened at the submission stage. It is about whether they supported the increases at the time of voting when there had been a specific direction not to do so. And disobeying the order is going to put the whole lot of them on the street.
Will there be a tide of public opinion in their favour? Hardly. The worst possible issue on which to defend themselves. Opportunism and greed.
And therein lies the problem with Kai’s law, more law, less justice. The problem of drafting laws thinking about yourself and not the interest of the nation.
FFP is looking at political survival and making a comeback in the next general election so FFP needs its members to vote against it so that they paint good pictures of the party. It would be a good political campaign in the next general elections at a time when the general public was economically suffering at the hands of the Coalition Government, the coalition government increased the VAT and increased their pay and FFP took care of the people by not voting for their payrise and took into consideration the plight of the people however this grand seller was tarnished by its 16 greedy MPs thus political points cannot be scored hence they need to go.
@sharma. agree, FFP should have vetoed this bill, for the people, for 2026. As GD lamented, ‘alas’.
Bula Graham, What a sad state of affairs for Fiji. Really, we have grown from bad to worse. My question though is, With all these corrupt parties showing their true colors, Is there any party left with the desirable qualities that can lead Fiji out of this mess post 2026? It really feels like we need to dispose of this coalition government, current opposition and everyone involved in politics in fiji for the past 20 years. We need new leaders. But I’m afraid its slim pickings at the moment. The only positive come 2026 is that we will get rid of Lynda Tabuya and her fakeness. And also finally kill off the snake Sitiven Rabuka. Good riddance! God bless Fiji.
Bula, Spot on Tui.
Fiji Islands has terribly regressed in every field except Rugby since 1987.
The recycled politicians with the likes of former General Stiveni Rabuka, the father of military coups in the Pacific must end for good .
He should have happily retired from politics 20 years ago! Rabuka definately did not improve the lives of any ordinary Fijian his first term as PM in 1990s nor is he doing it in his current term as PM. The brain drain from the Islands continues to this day .
Given that parliamentarian salaries is always a major discussion topic, despite how much we all hate Rabuka, he’s done something which he knew would cause the FFP to implode. The fact that FFP’s own committee members signed off on a salary increase for both sides of the house has shaken the usually uniform front that FFP likes to present. Rabuka knew FFP’s members, particularly Inia, would not say not to a massive salary hike. For $8.1 million, Rabuka has managed to buy some members of the FFP. Those that have breached the FFP party instruction will no doubt be facing the music as already indicated by one of the party’s founders ASK.
In breaching the party instructions, the FFP rebels have clearly put their personal agendas first but they have also shown the country that they are not shackled to the instructions of the party which is a cause for concern within the FFP. These members will suspended but the question being asked internally already is whether this is the beginning of the end for the FFP? Many a party in Fiji has slid down this slippery slope and into oblivion because of infighting. With FFP’s leader currently in prison and its founders quickly losing their iron grip on the members, the lack of discipline and refusal to tow the party lines are becoming obvious. The leader of opposition must certainly change and despite his belief that he has the caucus behind him, I suspect his demise is at hand. Faiyaz Koya will likely replace Inia and despite what anyone is saying that the military isn’t happy, nothing will be happening from their side.
The NFP is already gloating because they strategically voted against the increase, knowing their voices would be drowned out by the majority. They’ve come out looking clean but they get to enjoy the benefits of the increase, regardless of their views. Well played, Baiman and Co.
So, all in all, a good day for Rabuka as he’s managed to become Mr. Popular and at the same time, blast a canon into the solid foundations of the FFP, leaving major cracks which will result in long term damages.
I find it hard to believe that Rabuka somehow deliberately engineered the crisis that is ensuing within Fijifirst. Granted that the PM has developed a reputation of a Machiavellian tactician behind the scenes, while deceptively presenting himself to the public as an affectionate and smiling father figure. But I think increasing their own salaries was nothing but an exercise in greed and self-enrichment.
Up until the statement by Fijifirst last night, there was no indication that the opposition would not support the motion. The party’s submission to the emoluments committee recommending a pay rise lends credence to this, as do the very positive arguments adduced by its MPs during the debate on the motion. Rabuka had no way of knowing that the leadership outside Parliament was against the move until the very last moment. By then, the events to approve the pay increase were already in motion.
Even if he did know, it doesn’t make sense that Rabuka would engineer the potential expulsion from parliament of a pliant and tame leader of opposition when the prospect of a vote of no confidence and snap election is still on the cards. Seruiratu has been cozying up to the government for some time now. He has accompanied the government contingent on multiple overseas junkets and remained dead silent on a number of issues of national interest. Rabuka et al has quite obviously been nurturing the relationship with Seruiratu and the LoPs silence has now been rewarded with a major pay rise.
The implosion of Fijifirst, if it does happen, looks to be an unintended consequence of the country’s latest coalition government-led scandal. And most voters in Fiji would agree that it’s not just FFP’s 16 who deserve the boot, but that the entire government needs to go for gross betrayal of trust and a dereliction of duty to the citizens of this country.
Graham, your source appears to be an outlier. The Constitutional provision that provides for the suspension and/or expulsion of MPs from parliament for not following party directives is clear as day (See Section 63(h) and (i)). As you yourself have pointed out on many occasion, the 2013 Constitution is the RFMF’s baby and they are sworn to uphold it. The RFMF stood idle when a former commander was jailed for what many consider an unjust conviction on a charge of an administrative nature. They should and probably will remain on the sidelines yet again if the rambling Inia Seruiratu and his military colleagues in Parliament are rightly removed from their posts.
NFP Namu(machar) didn’t know how to vote in Parliament after almost year and half
Now to save his seat and face , he has advised speaker to vote against ,after public outcry
Whiskey and junglee murgi Namu with his friend’s Bidesi and others must have had a hang over from free bees
This is the caliber of politicians we have in our country
Inia’s the man Watch how things will unfold soon for FFP
He can hear the smile from far distance.
“What is the role of the Republic Of Fiji Armed forces in Fiji’s Governance ”
The reoccurring chatter of the Military intervening in various situations..
The role is in the current constitution but is it ambiguous ie is it a traditional role to protect the population if a foreign nation declares war on Fiji or attempts a military type invasion. Or is it to intervene in other scenarios when injustice or threats occur of a different nature.. like a former commander being unfairly jailed.
If a private local mercenary group with bigger guns than the RFMF decided to uphold the law in Fiji as they saw fit what then…is it a case of who so ever having the biggest destructive weapon calling the shots in Fiji? Or is the weapon a Colt Peacemaker, like in the American wild west.
I wonder what the The Republic of Fiji Military Force is doing. Under the 2013 constitution, the RFMF is mandated to be the guardian of Fiji carrying out the mandate of the people through our National Administration. Why are they not intervening?
It is high time people of Fiji stop asking military to intervene
Be professional about things rather than asking school dropouts to come with guns on streets in green uniform to fix Fijis problems
Problems will only be solved with honest and bright minds with ink
Well said
School dropouts with “basic recruitment training ”
Running, crawling ,jumping,playing touch rugby and eating dalo with canned beef
They become custodians of Fiji
The idiot who put this in the constitution is the king of all idiots
What a joke.
Stupid Rabuka just said that the payrise is not official yet.
Seruratu, you are the stupid lamb sacrificed. Time to go.
You swallowed the hook, sinker and your soul with your greed and wants.
Fiji First isnt the Army all those men notwithstanding.
To couch this as a purge against former top Army brass is both mischevious and inflamatory.
Just goes to show that the rascist itaukei still insist Khaiyum is a bogeyman.
The conspiratorial speculation junkies are working overtime.Heard a few whoppers myself..That Qorvus was a proxy for the USDemicratic Party and Mr Bainimarama’s leadership in COP23 was a boon from the Amerixan government for letting Qorvus dictate public government policy.
If it wasnt true id laugh…Some peoples kids i tell you.
Much ado about nothing.Theyd miss the forest for the trees.Woryimg about Khaiyum.When they should be worried about the blatant and criminal overreach of the Exexutive and Judiciary.
Thats more of an existential threat to us then these horsetrading 16 men…
Looks like both parties are imploding and finally the media are starting to step up. I can’t help but wonder if even the Coalition had grown some awareness that they won’t be in government for much longer, which fuelled this desperate ill-researched and extravagant salary increase. They’ll need to save for their flights and life outside of Fiji.
After Aiayaz rule ,this is the first time I saw FFP members voted freely according to their conscience
All along they were in Parliament as hands up boy’s for 2 man rule
Well done the 16
If anyone can remember FFP parliamentarians voting against FFP bills or motion in last 16 years, apart from Dr Sharma,who later was asked to go home
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why the instruction was to oppose the motion:
1. 24 members of PAP/SODELPA would’ve voted for the motion
2. 4 members of FFP abstained from voting.
3. 22 members of FFP to have voted against the motion, not voted or abstained (but 16 voted for).
4. 5 members of NFP voted against the motion.
Would’ve ended in a tie or the motion passes fully by way of PAP/SODELPA votes, depending on FFP against or abstain/not voted.
FFP and NFP get the positive media while PAP/SODELPA get dragged through the mud like what’s happening.
Had all the members of FijiFirst and all the members of the NFP voted against the motion, it would have been defeated. It might also have been the start of a beautiful friendship. Alas.
True, but none of the parties wanted the motion defeated. Only one was cognizant of the public opinion and will now face SLR’s wrath!!
GD the devil is in the detail! The MPs of Fiji First were given the directive to vote against or abstain. That is according to the statement by Mr Satakala!
If they abstained, the Coalition Govt even minus NFP who were going to vote against, would still have won and the Bill to increase salaries passed! FFP MP’s would still get their pay increase and would have abided by the Party instructions !
So why did they vote against? Is it a public relations exercise to create havoc for the Coalition Govt image ?
Come Budget time will FFP vote for the budget that contains their supposed pay increase ?
I believe FFP just played the Coalition Govt Isa ….????
Why did they vote against? Maybe because it was the right thing to do. The consequences of MPs voting for this package are much more serious than merely the obscenity of fat cats getting fatter.
Today’s Fiji Sun front page confirms my own warning of a wages explosion in the wake of this vote – teachers now threatening to strike on top of airport security guards and USP staff. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum would have understood this more than most. So it is less about political advantage than a clear and present threat to economic stability.
The nation’s MPs are meant to set an example of restraint. Instead, they’ve indulged in an orgy of self gratification. So who can blame other sectors of the economy for wanting to join the orgy too?
If all FijiFirst MPs had voted against, combined with the NFP 5, the motion would have been defeated. Because of the greedy self interest of the 16 + 4 they missed the opportunity to deal a potential knock out blow to the Collision Government for the next elections. They still can do it when the Bill is brought to Parliament to amend the 2014 Parliamentary Emoluments Act. Seruiratu said recently “there is no place for adversarial politics in Fiji.” Bullshit. What is the point of an “Opposition” then? Fire the bugger.