Shocked to the core by his near defeat in the November 2018 election, the Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, summoned the people he trusts most – his military colleagues who helped him seize power in 2006 and who are still the ultimate authority in Fiji. They are the members of the Military Council - senior military officers still in uniform … [Read more...] about #THE MILITARY’S SECRET BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
#HIS MASTER’S VOICE
The Fijian Government's Facebook page has reached a new height of absurdity with a post today that treats the Fijian people as complete idiots. "Please avoid falling victim to fake news", it says. "Only trust it if you see it on the Fijian Government page first". I cannot recall a single instance in four decades of reporting throughout the world … [Read more...] about #HIS MASTER’S VOICE
#GRUBSHEET IN THE NEWS
The best piece of advice my Qorvis boss in Washington gave me when I made the transition from journalist to communications adviser in Fiji was beautifully simple. “When the shit hits the fan and is flying everywhere, stand still. Because if you wave your arms around, you get covered in more shit and spread it even further”. In the Fijian context, … [Read more...] about #GRUBSHEET IN THE NEWS
# INSIDE THE 2018 FIJIFIRST ELECTION DEBACLE
Bad weather on polling day is the enemy of any government seeking re-election and the FijiFirst government was out of luck as the heavens opened across the Fiji Group on Wednesday November 14 2018. Fijians woke to torrential rain and flooding that would eventually force the suspension of voting at 26 polling stations until the following Saturday. I … [Read more...] about # INSIDE THE 2018 FIJIFIRST ELECTION DEBACLE
#FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
The great cigar-chomping American comedian, George Burns – with the wisdom of someone who lived to 100 – once said something that applies to the Fijian civil service as much as it does to far too many bureaucracies the world over: “Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair”. Add to that … [Read more...] about #FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
# DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH AIYAZ
“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date”, laments the White Rabbit to Alice in the Disney adaptation of Lewis Carroll's 1865 classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. At 7.30 pm on the evening of Friday, July 17, 2020, Fiji’s Attorney General and Minister of Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, had a very important date with the nation to deliver … [Read more...] about # DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH AIYAZ