It has taken less than a month for the newly-commissioned pride of the Fiji Navy – the patrol boat, RFNS Puamau – to run aground In Lau on effectively its maiden voyage.
How the Navy could be so incompetent as to ram a brand new Australian-supplied vessel with state-of-the-art navigation aids onto Fulagi Reef is astonishing. If this is the performance of those charged with keeping our maritime borders safe, then God help us.
The Head of the Navy, Commodore Humphrey Tawake, and the Commander of the RFMF, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, have a great deal of explaining to do. Was there a failure of the Puamau’s sophisticated systems or was it human error? Because either way, it is a severe embarrassment to the armed forces and the Fijian public deserve a transparent and thorough accounting.
It is a matter of grave concern that the Puamau was only commissioned by the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, on May 18. Yet running it aground so quickly is an unfortunate metaphor for a great deal of what is happening in the country as a whole right now.
For a start, FijiFirst has run aground and sunk. The biggest political party in the parliament has self-destructed and we no longer have an effective opposition. The “renowned” Professor Steven Ratuva – the favoured political commentator of the Fiji Times – even uses a maritime analogy today to describe the FijiFirst implosion. He says the Party’s founders – Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum – “not only abandoned ship, they scuttled and sunk it”. Quote: “The political field is now rife for horse trading and creating new political alliances which we hope can serve all ethnic groups and improve things”, he said.
Wrong. The effective loss of the opposition is a disaster. It has arguably been grossly ineffective under Inia Seruiratu in holding the Coalition government to account on behalf of voters. But now a weak opposition has given way to no opposition at all. We no longer have a plausible alternative government, just a gaggle of self-serving politicians whose votes are for sale to the highest bidder.
Nothing is going to “improve” because the brake on the system – politicians paid by the public to keep the government honest – has failed. The Coalition’s excesses are now going to snowball and at the worst possible time.
The government keeps painting a rosy picture of the economy but it is an illusion. The nation’s politicians have treated themselves to an orgy of spending on themselves with their increases in salary and benefits. That is already triggering demands across the board for pay rises in other sectors – teachers, nurses, airport security workers, the list goes on. And with the threat of strike action if workers don’t get what they want.
The example our politicians have set for everyone else is appalling. Wage rises trigger increases in inflation. Inflation triggers higher prices and pushes up the cost of living for all Fijians. The annual inflation rate in April went up a staggering 3 per cent in just a month to 7.1 per cent before falling back slightly to 5.8 per cent in May. But this is before any of the imminent wage rises kick in. Everyone is already complaining about higher prices but it is going to get worse – potentially a lot worse. And it is the poor who will suffer the most.
Biman Prasad, the Finance Minister, knows the gravity of what the country is facing as wage discipline disintegrates. That’s why he led the NFP in opposing the emoluments increases for MPs, which triggered the rage of the Chair of the Emoluments Committee, Lynda Tabuya, who accused him of disloyalty to the Coalition and branded him a “liar”.
It is a tragedy that Biman Prasad backed down when Lynda Tabuya publicly attacked him and drove a wedge between him and the Prime Minister. Because the shockingly irresponsible “Queen of Tarts” – whose personal predilection for sex with a fellow MP on official government business has morphed into an orgy of spending on all MPs – has engaged in an act of economic sabotage.
Lynda Tabuya and other members of her miserable committee have no idea about the responsible management of the nation’s finances. Perhaps it isn’t surprising in Tabuya’s case given the fact that she and her husband fled the US owing creditors more than $F100-million from their failed fat-busting business. Yet now Tabuya has used her hold over the Prime Minister to put the entire nation at financial risk.
There is no way that Fiji can reduce its $10-billion plus national debt if we spend more than we earn. Virtually no-one in public life is talking about restraint or the need to balance wage demands with increases in productivity. No-one is talking about the worrying slow-down in the economic growth of our larger neighbours, Australia and New Zealand, which will inevitably have a knock-on effect on discretionary spending on holidays. No, Fiji is taking its cue from Lynda Tabuya and has been gripped by a collective mood to party like there’s no tomorrow.
The whole nation is like the RFNS Puamau, slowly drifting in a sea of debt and intent on spending more in the coming budget. We should have had cries of restraint from our elected representatives. We should have had public clamours for a back-to-basics budget that made the one third of Fijians who live in poverty its priority. But instead, most MPs betrayed us by voting to enrich themselves at the cost of those who need it most.
With just over two weeks to Budget Day, FijiFirst has “abandoned ship” and left us to our fate. The largest party in the parliament has abandoned its duty to warn the nation of imminent danger – that we are drifting perilously close to the reef. And slowly but surely – like the RFNS Puamau – Fiji is inching towards the same almighty crunch.
NOTE: Some of my readers allude to a new scandal engulfing the Minister for Bonking and Weed, Lynda Tabuya, allegedly involving her receiving $172,000 from the Chinese Ambassador. Grubsheet is in no position to verify the story originally posted by Victor Lal at Fijileaks.
We are still working to fix the technical hitch that is preventing me from posting images but here’s the text of what Victor Lal has written:
A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP. Lynda Tabuya accused of accepting $172,000 from the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji ‘for a family fund-raising in Kadavu’.
9/6/2024
*According to a letter (dated 5 June 2024) to Sitiveni Rabuka, and cited by Fijileaks, Coalition Minister Lynda Tabuya is accused of having:
*Organized a private fund-raising in her village, upon which she
facilitated and accepted a cheque from the Chinese Ambassador being a Foreign Government.
*The amount given was $172,000. When the complainant sent an email to Tabuya questioning the nature of the fund-raising, she [Tabuya] allegedly posted on her Village Facebook chat advising her villagers to protect her and she will take care of it per se.
*The facebook Village chat group she posted on is Tikina o Nakasaleka
& Yasana o Kadavu.
“Sir [Sitiveni Rabuka], the people of Fiji voted for a change and unfortunately, we are not getting that change that we see corruption occurring left, right and centre. As a government minister soliciting and
accepting funds from a foreign government being China and advising her villagers to protect her shows the extend of her deceit and betrayal that I raise serious questions on her integrity and allegiance to Fiji. Sir, I humbly request that you do what is right and as you have seen these
ministers that you appointed are the very ones who have betrayed and lied to you due to their own ambition, greed, and hunger for power, but you still protect them and what for? When the world over is watching Fiji and what it does that under your leadership I see no change only
embarrassment after embarrassment. It is on this basis that I hope you will think of our nation and what is best for it and who you choose to represent it.” – The Complainant, 5 June 2024 to Sitiveni Rabuka
Fijileaks: We have not been able to obtain a response from Tabuya.
16 years of mismanagement and neglect cannot be fixed in 4 years. Yes FFP ran the country to the ground in every aspect.
The current able Finance Minister knows the task ahead and has already told the country that it will take 10 years to bring down the debt. Just look at the last 12 months, debt to GDP will come down from 90 to 80% so he is on the right track.
Many challenges ahead but it’s all how you manage them will be the key.
Aiyaz had a very different approach of heavy borrowing and spending which is generally ok but that spending needs to create economic opportunities which did not happen under Aiyaz’s watch.
Aiyaz and Frank were selfish in that they did not build FFP for the future but only for their own benefit and now they have abandoned the ship. The 17 are also foolish and stupid in that they followed the two leader blindly and never spoke truth to power and when they have finally spoke it was too late , the carpet has been pulled from under their feet.
Fools indeed
Rajiv, your chronic prejudice against FijiFirst has left you blind to the bleeding obvious. FijiFirst successfully steered Fiji through the Covid pandemic, inarguably saving the national airline, Fiji Airways, and enabling it to become profitable again very quickly.
You are also ignoring some of its initiatives like free schooling that transformed the lives of ordinary people. Yes, it lost its way in government and became increasingly dictatorial. But the record isn’t all bad. And above all else, FijiFirst stood for a common and equal citizenry, a common identity and a secular state. These are the things that underpin any successful democracy. And history will be a lot kinder to Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum than contemporary critics like you.
The Coalition is a disaster for race relations, national unity, the economy and the rule of law. And the fools are people like you who can’t see it. Fancy defending a government that supported massive wage and benefits increases for MPs. Let’s not forget that the FijiFirst leadership opposed it. It’s just that it couldn’t prise most of its own MPs away from the trough.
You absolutely correct, GD, I am not FFP fan but Rajiv is so blinkered in his hatred for it and his love for Biman Prasad that he, like his party leader, can’t see that the mountain of debt he refers to was caused by the fiscal stimulus arising from Covid. Prior to that our Debt to GDP ratio was at modest levels, and our foreign debt including Qarase’s disastrous foreign float in Singapore, was being paid down.
The debt to GDP ratios of all countries also sky rocketed during Covid. It’s what is being referred to as Fiscal Dominance. So a little bit of intellectual honesty from Rajiv will be helpful.
Important lessons were learnt from Fiji’s Covid experience. It’s time now for Fiji to be addressing these lessons. MPs Awarding themselves massive pay increases, and Biman meekly going along with the PM’s “find-the-money” directive after voting against it, are not a good example to set the nation.
Rajiv is baimann’s ass, eh I mean donkey, well ehh yes, ass.
I am just Wondering GD, if a no expert common chap like me could see it coming, why couldn’t political expert like you and others did? Was it because of personal ego against FFP. I am no fan of FFP but knew the choice between bad and worse.
The same FF central executive committee that hav opposed the rise in MPs wages now, were the very ones who increased their wages and enriched themselves with hefty benefits during their tenure as MPs without proper consultations and dialogues. How ironic is it, they now want to stand for principle rather than their usual greed.
There may have been under the table deal with Fiji Airways
What and who was Waqavuka?
To date no one knows
All airlines are making profits around the world
There are heaps of movement of people after Covid
Imagine how much FA is making
3 hour flight cost more than a 11 hour flight
Book with Fiji airways and you will find out
Aviation fuel is not cheap and if they saying they making huge profits, than one can imagine how much
And if you are a tourist ,you pay about a thousand dollars and stay in a 5 star hotel for 6 nights including breakfast, pickup and drop-off to airport, plus complimentary drinks and air fares
All included
If someone dies in your family and you rushing to attend funeral
You will pay 2 to 3 times more of that fair,which foreigners enjoy at the cost of Fijian workers who are contributing to FNPF
There are thousands of Fiji seasonal workers
How much are they paying ?
Heaps
Hopefully this government can look into this and have a 50 percent discount for FNPF members and their families
Those board members, their families and even workers of Fiji Airways pay almost nothing
Why not the very people who have funded the operations of Fiji airways
God help Fiji
Sumesh
It is obvious that you understand very little about how airlines work.
There is nothing covert about Waqavuka Finance Limited. It has been explained many times in parliament and covered in the Fiji media.
You are probably the only one that does not know.
And if you have proof that there was under the table deal at Fiji Airways, then you should report it to Police.
Speculating will just result in uninformed people like you believing the rubbish you write.
Fiji Police investigations based on complaints about Waqavuka and Fiji Airways last year amounted to nothing. Thats because there is nothing sinister there.
And you are wrong about all airlines making profit. Two airlines went bust in the region in the last month alone. Air Vanuatu and Bonza.
Airfares charged by airlines are based on many factors like demand and supply, economies of scale, aviation fuel price, other operation cost and many other things.
Why should FNPF members get 50% discount on their tickets on Fiji Airways?
I dont get 50% on the price of sugar at the supermarket because I own shares in FSC. Or 50% discount on my electricity bill as a EFL shareholder.
Money from FNPF was used to buy planes and finance operations of Fiji Airways
Air Vanuatu really !
How big are they
How many planes do they have
For Bonza
Have you traveled with them
If you would have than today they wouldn’t have gone burst
Busses should charge more to go from Suva to Navua and less from Suva to Nadi
For Waqavuka ,explanation was given by the very same person who created it
Everything that came out of his mouth was truth for people of Fiji like you to believe
Polare still working on the case
File is wide open for your information
Aarree bhai
FSC is almost bankrupt
Charan is doing all he can to float FSC
FSC has been borrowing and borrowing
Who will give you discount on sugar
Even Fiji producing own sugar is not cheap for us
Plus sugar is a legal drug
No sugar, no diabetes
For EFL,that too needs some clarification as 50 percent now is foreign owned and how was the deal done
If you have shares in EFL,than ask the Japanese, they may give you a Yan to eat lollipop
GD
FFP didn’t need a pay rise during their rule
Till to date the pay mistress haven’t opened her book of who was paid what and how much she made,that was siphoned out of Fiji
They made fortune, left, right and every angle they could
Littered with scams
Now just voting against, doesn’t make them saint
Forensic accounting needed here mate than one will find how deep the shi;,@&t hole was created by ASK
God bless Fiji
Rajiv, as an Indian we disown you. You are an idiot in an Indian skin. You have zero sound knowledge of the economy is run.
Making Baimaan the hero is naive and stupidity.
Idiots like you will be the downfall for every Indian in Fiji.
Indians need to accept the facts
Too much Taulow
The debt to GDP ratio of Fiji has reduced not due to the reduction of debt at all. Its mainly because of the sudden increase in GDP which was subdued during the Covid years. (Which also explains the sudden increase of the ratio in those years when GDP was very low).
Not due to the genius of the current government or finance minister.
Debt to GDP ratio is a function of two figures. Debt and GDP. Need to understand how the ratio works based on movement of the numerator and denominator.
Having said that, I agree that there was a lot of mismanagement of spending by the FFP government while in power.
And the current government is not any better.
The only difference is that the previous government was giving a lot out to the population to enjoy. The current government is giving a lot to themselves.
PAP can point to NFP’s ludicrous decision to raise VAT heaping misery and give tax holiday for foreigners. To date no good explanation for this has been given.
SODELPA came up with billion dollar debt write off and invented fly to Israel and pay later.
Together they broke the economy and make Fiji look like laughing stock. It was not a small pay rise for overworked govt
It is not PAP who has been most irresponsible but the dodgy dealers it was forced to do a deal with.
NFP financial credibility sunk faster than the titanic
Fiji is a failed state.
Rajiv Sharma is unquestionably an idiot. His prejudiced views for the Finance Minister tells us something about him. It is like saying “hey everyone, look at me, I am a complete idiot”. And he is proud to be a complete idiot.
How many like him are there in Fiji? And then they all wonder why Fiji is where it is!!!!
Fiji is doomed because it is full of proud people like Rajiv Sharma.
When you think about it, it is not the governments who are to blame it is people like this idiot. Any country is a direct reflection of the quality of the people who live in it. Yes that saying can be attributed to me.
Idiots indeed ran Fijj for past 16 years. The biggest of the two idiots will no longer be around, the very laws the two idiots created that was supposed to keep the then opposition in line will today be the cause of their self destruction.
The two idiots have chosen to abandon ship , simply cut and run.
Fools like you have followed a movement that was rudderless from the get go. A movement that was designed to serve the interest of only two people.
I recall the US also donated an airline for maritime surveillance. Can someone check where that plane is headed!
This event just coincide with grounding of Fiji First party
Same story different scenarios
May be, just may be the next navy patrol boat should be named Leonidas. Shock. Horror. Gasp.
The CIA based a Cessna Sovereign at Nausori airport,in the Air Kaibu hangar flying all and any MPs who need transport around the Pacific. The US DID NOT GIVE AN AIRLINE, JUST A 10 SEATER BIZJET FOR USE ONLY . Its Registration is N349CL. Use Flightradar 24 and track where the MPs are at any given time.
The Captain of RFNS Puamau deserves to be promoted now. He now has the ideal qualifications and experience to serve Fiji under another appointment under this government’s localisation policies. He is obviously a highly qualified and experienced local who has gone through good and bad experiences. That is the logic under this government.
I think he should be promoted to take charge of the Fiji 7s team before the Paris Olympics.
When Bainimarama gets released, he should sit with Aiayaz under a Mango tree and sniff PVC glue
Are you sure the grounding was an accident?
It occurred so soon after former Navy and RFMF Commander, Frank B was handcuffed and paraded like a prized captured bush pig on national TV
To me it smells like intentional, a defiant middle finger to the nation and its big military brother in the region.
There will be more to come.
Jone Usamate’s latest FB post singles out Biman Prasad, and only Biman Prasad, for severe criticism on the economy. It is telling that he does not criticise the government collectively nor any other Minister. Terrible times possibly coming for non-iTaukei with talk of changing the Constitution now that the government likely will get the 3/4 vote in Parliament..only question would be the referendum required with 3/4 of the vote in agreement.
GrubSheet surely you did not miss the Lynda Tabuya – China ‘fundraising for the family’ scandal. This woman is cheap, traitorous, lying and greedy in more ways than one. She is a danger not just to wives, but to the country as well. We look forward to your write up on this yet another tawdry saga involving the Fiji’s own ‘Queen of Tarts’. She really did con and deceive voters with her acting while in the opposition. She should be the first to get the boot in the next elections,
“Up Shit’s creek without a paddle!
I personally expected our political leaders to instead pass a motion for the sympathetic reduction or if already done, the continued sympathetic reduction in their salaries given the extremely high national debt levels. This is respectfully about incoming political leaders taking ownership of the perks and specifically the challenges of national leadership positions. And to set an example for all of us. to follow.
This approach would also effectively mitigate the potential for salary increase claims across all employment sectors. And putting the lid on any potential industrial unrest.
The very opposite approach has been taken, if not managed decisively and quickly, will potentially bring our country to ruin.
No one would want to be in the shoes of those responsible in the grounding of the RFNS Puamau. The omen is a bad one. Nothing is a coincidence. Always cause and effect in play.
I say this respectfully the message to the beloved people of our country appears to be:
1.that it is acceptable not to take ownership and to effectively and efficiently mitigate the (in your face) risks that come with a job.
2.Only take ownership of the perks/self.
3.One must always abandon one’s duty to the people of Fiji as the strategy to always fulfil priority area 2 above.
The citizens of our beloved country will have to dig very, very, very deep indeed. To make ends meet.
GD you’ve summed it up well. Fiji is a sinking ship and no matter how we try to argue around the grounding of Fiji’s newest Navy vessel, we will be faced with the fact that we now have an incompetant Commander of the RFMF who instead of protecting and advocating for the 220,000 people who voted for FFP and Frank in particular, he has chosen to retire with a handsome $220,000 salary when his term is completed in 2026! Perhaps in time for him to contest national elections ????
I’ve lost all hope in this coalition government I wasn’t keen on FFP in the last elections but now in hindsight they were better at leading Fiji.
The new Fiji is one where Manoa Kamikamica and his uncle Luke Rokovada are setting up all their appointments everywhere so that they will dinner or later take over leadership from SLR! His Dad did it, Manoa is doing the same and crafting it well!
Rokovada at the revent Rt Sukuna Day was mouthing off that SLR is a looser who’s as fake as it comes ! There were enough people around him to hear his comments to his fellow companion when SLR was addressing the audience in the rain!
Ena qai Yadra mai o SLR it’s going to be all over ! You’re being out maneuvered and out smart SLR by Manoa K and Luke Rokovada ????????✌️. We can see it from afar! Making sure your govt doesn’t deliver by putting all the non performers in govt positions where their primary goal is to prepare to stand for 2026 for PAP and outvote you SLR as Party Leader.
God bless Fiji and all our idiocy
Very sad indeed and a bit embarrassing for us Aussie Fijians who’d probably be later taunted by other Aussies for being ungrateful recipients of very very expensive gifts from Aussie tax payers, and that we should stick to the rugged canoe.
Pity our Sister Sulueti Rabuka who may now think twice about attending future invitations to smash a champagne at a Ships bow in launching any more significant Marine vessels. No luck in this maiden voyage, but disaster!
But…but…the Fiji Navy may not be accustomed to eternally relegate a ship racker captain to lesser important desk jobs. Had they done that decades ago to another well know Navy Captain, we may not have had piles of derelicts dotting our history!
Do hope the crew and all in the ill fated MV Puamau are safe.
That Sharma guy definitely has aspirations of becoming a politician in the next elections and a dubious one at that.
The vessel grounding could have been done on purpose maybe a container of all things like drugs on its way to Fiji.
Please do enlighten us on the 172k if its true.
Great day y’all
Zero accountability in an insular sinking banana republic. Fiji’s xenophobic ways are excluding it from knowledge and growth to save itself. This can be seen from the grassroots right up to the top….but only the grassroots will suffer.
“Rajiv Sharma” is a Labasia from Tabia currently a deputy PM in Fiji defending his name via his dream name that he may have wanted as a child. One must note that this bloke has 2 surnames Chand and Prasad so whats an extra name Sharma going to change ?
Very aptly summarised, GD.
The demise of FFP is a huge loss for our fragile democracy. Now there is no major Party to keep the Government in check. And the Coalition, with its record of corruption, nepotism and actions bordering on blatant racism, needs that more than any other government in recent history.
It was obvious that the members of the Fiji First, especially the greedy 17, were already supporting the Coalition’s ethno-nationalistic tendencies. Look at Seruiratu. He is currently away, no doubt on another government jaunt, rather than navigating through the mess. He has already established himself as a reliable ally of the Speaker and PAP.
The Ministers of the Coalition are running their own little empires, with no oversight from Rabuka who has shown his inability to control even the most blatant acts eg Radrodro and Tabuya. Charan Singh seems completely immune from any Cabinet or PM directive. All we hear about in the sugar industry is more loans and travels around the world to learn about some of the basics of sugar cane farming which the farmers could teach him. Obviously trying to keep the mostly Indo-Fijian cane farmers happy! Recently he and a team of 5, hand picked by the Minister, travelled business class at a cost of $30k each for travel only to Texas on some pretext.
Tuisawau, the Minister who was part of the Emoluments Committee keeps quiet on the most pressing infrastructure issues facing the country. I guess his greatest claim to fame may be bringing back PWD for what is worth. He only posts in Fijian on his FB. Just look at the recent appointments in his Ministry. And the list goes on.
Usmate keeps on preaching about bringing the best people in politics. Surely this should be valid for the new crop who may want to come in based solely on the new package. It certainly does not apply to the current mob who, one may argue, came in when they had no alternative and are demonstrating their self serving intentions.
Indeed a sad day for Fiji.
The best ships Captains started out life on the water and around small boats, gaining valuable experience from daily encounters in all situations that were instructive in keeping life and limb of all around one safe.
I had my own fishing boat and I can say that every moment at sea is stressful as you are responsible for boat and crew. Every eventuality is being played out over and over as you travel and being updated continuously according to the weather, time of day, and surroundings. Night travel is especially dangerous so triple the stress and triple the awareness required. Back up to back ups and no sleep.
To think a $50 handheld GPS and continuous plotting with it would have saved the night.
To think look outs on watch would have saved the boat.
You will be amazed to know you can see shallow water at night due to reef life even without breaking water.
but
till we hear more
the crew could have been fishing, having a grog, moce, anchor dragged, and, oooops.!
bit like FFP, anchor dragged, OOOPS!!!
Now our Country is under one CAPTAIN,
see if he can steer this ship and stop it sinking.
No more blackmailing of the Captain !
We will now see what his legacy will be, he is in a position to make or break.
Off course what does make or break mean to him?
I recall a time when he proposed a Government of National Unity –
now he has it, the question is, what will he do with it.
Will there be space for God Almighty in his heart or the God of This World?
When he stood on the balcony of the Civic Building back in 1987, I thought then it was the God of this World.
At times his words intimated that God Almighty was maybe present.
There are those who accuse him of being a snake, after all, the snake had to be charming
to deceive eve, just as con men are charming. Have you ever met a grumpy conman?
So, as I have written my opinions forthrightly on this blog , given space for some of them, also been roundly squished for some of them, but grateful never the less for a hearing, I once again propose to the elite of Fiji to reconsider the destructive Westminster System we have been saddled with these past 50 years.
Now is the ideal time for all to work together, PM to President, to approach the Military with the most legitimate and non destructive way forward to reintroduce the Constitutional Assembly so that this body can receive written and oral presentations on any amendments to be made to the Constitution. In the vain of the Ghai Commission.
Changes to the Constitution should be well presented, discussed and researched and only put in place with the caveat that the changes are subject to regular review in their practical application.
Prior to implementation of a Constitutional Assembly, can we have rational discussion on who should be appointed to it? Who should be elected ? All elected or some appointed and some elected.
Which groups must be represented ?
Military, GCC, Religious Bodies. Unions. Law Society, Medical Society. Educationists.
…………………..
Like everything, if everything is done cynically to benefit some, it will be stuffed with some and we will be stuffed as a country.
So there you have it PM Rabuka, The Power of One, with no mirror.
Lets see what your legacy is going to be.
Ian Simpson, your opinions are welcome but I will not accomodate you running crude propaganda for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. So don’t bother submitting comments saying that they are superior to the democracies because it is twaddle given their repeated belligerence and human rights abuses. I do not have an obligation to republish wilful disinformation that is damaging to our collective interests in the democracies.
It is astonishing to me and totally inexplicable that you prefer unelected dictators to democratically-elected governments which periodically submit themselves to the will of the people. The Westminster system works because oppositions keep governments on their toes and present themselves to electors as viable alternatives. Maybe it hasn’t worked so well in Fiji because nobody seems to understand the need to change governments occasionally to keep politicians honest and hold them to account. But that is not the fault of the system.
We at least have the opportunity every four years to decide who will rule us. It is not a choice available to the Chinese ( a dictatorship of unelected gangsters) or the Russians (“democratically” elected gangsters). Both are a menace to world peace and you can take your propaganda efforts on their behalf elsewhere.
Ian
The Westminster system is not destructive , yes it may have flaws but it definitely works and is working in many countries and is a proven model of democracy.
The only time it does not work is when greedy and destructive individuals stage coups taking country backwards.
Thank you Australia for coming to Fiji’s aid. The law abiding, ordinary citizens of Fiji appreciate your assistance and it’s absolutely appalling that a brand new navy vessel has run aground.
Didn’t Bainimarama also hit a reef in the 80’s when ferrying Rabuka on his maiden travels as PM?
This is embarrassment to the Navy Commander, the Fiji Army and the Fijian people – Whoever was the Captain must be taken to task
Hang on….why the Army?
It was a Navy ship manned by sailors, not soldiers
That’s how a Navy guy became the commander and later Prime Minister
Only in Fiji
What an abysmal act of seamanship!
Particularly in Fiji’s own territorial waters where the reefs of the Lau group are well known.
Now an item on Australia’ National Broadcaster and Australian media. See:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-12/fiji-navy-patrol-boat-runs-aground-australia-donated-rfns-puamau/103967202
Another scandal. Is there ever going to be a crime/ scam that will be enough.
Or dues Lynda Tabuya have free license indefinitely do whatever she chooses to benefit herself.
She tried to keep her village quiet. But they know she is full of shit.
Why doesn’t someone “grow a pair” and question her on the $172,000 and or remove her from het position on these matters. Why was she never investigated for the weed? Let’s just make a long list of all she’s done.
She’s enjoying this distraction from her greed and illegal activity.
Please file a complaint on this women. PM closed the last issue and said no complaints. That’s hog wash…. Let’s show him how many there are this time around. People are really sickened be her greed and curruption.
Could it be that the Aussies palmed off a vessel that was sub-standard to begin with? State-of-the-art-navigation and automated ship radar depth mapping systems can and do fail. Apparently the Australian Border Force are having multiple performance issues with their patrol boats in the Top End… This from Nick McKenzie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-0W1AbA28
So, whose to say the same isn’t happening with some of the Royal Australian Navy’s ships?
Of course, it could well be that the FNS Puamau’s skipper and crew were at fault – nothing new… A former PM did the same with a ship under his command when he served in Fiji’s navy many years ago, but you cannot assume that this is – without a doubt – the case here.
Let’s get all the facts first before we start slinging mud at our service men and women.
Yes it is always someone else’s fault, you ungrateful piece of dog shit. You are a product of an ingrained cultural blamer of others. Your parents did not bring you up properly. It is because of people like you and the many hundreds of thousands in Fiji who are responsible for the country and where it is.
People like you who seem to think they are entitled to donations but are ungrateful shits when you receive it. Go back to eating each other. That is what your kind want, right. No vulagi things. Do you pick up the bible and go to church on Sundays, you oblivious piece of shit?
The carelessness, incompetency, irresponsibility etc displayed in the grounding of this vessel just reflects a similar pattern of wastage of donor funds. Whether it is relatives sending chainsaws, lawnmowers, farm tractors , money for outboard motors and other appliances / equipment; or Aid programs and projects for the community – the utter wastage is sickening.
If you don’t sweat for something and are handed things free on a plate, rust and decay soon follow. For this navy vessel it just happened quicker.
Digressing, interesting to note the FijiFirst Facebook page has been pulled down.
Kana loto
That beef stew and Tavioka made the crew snore hard
No one was controlling the wheel house
Sa moce kece
“Caita” was the word when the boat hit the reef
If you don’t work for it, you don’t respect it