Today’s Fiji Sun carries a stinging editorial about the woeful performance of the Coalition government at the half-way point of its four year term that will be causing a great deal of consternation at the top. Because the next election is hurtling towards us and could potentially be held within 18 months.
Sitiveni Rabuka‘s dream of the People’s Alliance being able to form government on its own is slipping away from him. And it won’t be helped by the latest rumours that Lynda Tabuya is planning to break away from the party that stripped her of the deputy leadership over her illicit drug and sex scandal.
The Minister for Bonking and Weed is clearly a political harlot as well as a woman of loose morals who has come to believe her own bullshit about her electoral appeal. Who will join her in the new breakaway party? Aseri Radrodro? Candidate 233? It doesn’t really matter at this stage of the election cycle except to underline the extreme volatility at the top of the main ruling party, let alone in politics as a whole.
The Fiji Sun clearly intends to be the paper of choice in the election lead-up for readers who are tiring of the slavish praise for the government by its competition, the Fiji Times. But it first needs to clean up its act to earn the credibility that will make that happen. Because far too often, it fails to meet even the most basic standards of journalism.
A case in point is its disgraceful failure to allow the suspended DPP, Christopher Pryde, to answer the depiction of him as a thief by the Acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, in his evidence during the week to the Tribunal hearing the allegations of misbehaviour against Pryde.
The Fiji Sun ran the following story prominently on Thursday:
The following day, Christopher Pryde made a furious response with a media statement and a copy of a letter to his lawyer dated October 7 in which the Judicial Services Commission said it had reviewed all the material in his case and wanted to make a settlement offer of $200,000 to prevent the allegations going to a Tribunal hearing.
On any reasoned examination, this was an acknowledgement that the case against Pryde was weak. And the letter certainly didn’t include the allegation that he had “stolen” money from the Fijian people, which again – on any reasoned examination – should have resulted in the JSC referring the matter to FICAC or the police.
All this was sent to the Fiji Sun and every other media outlet in Fiji. The Fiji Sun reporter, Jone Salusalu, even sent a “Vinaka, Mr Pryde!” email of acknowledgment to the DPP. But two days later, none of it has appeared in the Fiji Sun.
The Acting Publisher and CEO, Rosi Doviverata, and those around her have clearly chosen to ignore Christopher Pryde’s response to an outrageous allegation against him of being a common thief when there is no evidence whatsoever that it is true. The allegation of Pryde paying superannuation payments to himself without authorisation remains just that – an allegation. And on any normal application of the law, the DPP, like anyone else, is entitled to be regarded as innocent until proven guilty.
The Fiji Sun‘s conduct is a betrayal of one of the most fundamental ethical principles of journalism – the requirement that media outlets report the news fairly and without bias and give people the chance to respond to allegations made against them. What possible justification does the paper have for censoring the DPP’s response to the Acting Chief Justice’s outrageous smear? Its competitor, the Fiji Times, carried a “Pryde Hits Back” story on its front page. But from the Fiji Sun, nothing.
So what value does the following editorial in today’s edition have when it references the unethical conduct of the government? Well, nothing when the Fiji Sun doesn’t practice what it preaches and violates the biblical injunction not to point out a speck in the eye of others when you have a bloody great plank in your own.
And, Naisa Koroi, anything less from the Fiji Sun in terms of fair and principled reporting is unacceptable. You and Rosi still have time to rectify this appalling lapse and your failure to be fair to Christopher Pryde by allowing a depiction of him as a common thief to stand uncontested on the public record. Just do it or stand condemned for a glaring instance of journalistic corruption.
The Fiji Sun also carries an article today from the Unity Party leader, Savenaca Narube, about the flourishing corruption in the “New Order” when Sitiveni Rabuka promised clean government. Here’s an extract:
The same goes for journalistic corruption. If the Fiji Sun can’t conduct its affairs fairly and without prejudice, we must select a newspaper that can.
Er, ah, um, there isn’t one. The Fiji Times is as bad as the Fiji Sun. And if we can’t find a political party with zero tolerance for corruption, we can’t find a newspaper either. Which is why as our institutions are steadily trashed, many have come to the conclusion that all hope for Fiji is lost.
And on a lighter note because this is all so depressing, some bright spark thinks this is a typical Fijian family in 2024. Or is it one of those retro ads? A slice of Suva in the 1940s?
Graham
Is it possible to find out how much advertising revenue does the Fiji Sun get from Fiji Government classified ads? Or for that matter Fiji Times?
Or is there something more sinister? Has the Fiji sun editors received threatening phone calls from “people”.
Impossible to say unless whistleblowers in government or the papers tell us. But both papers are getting a motherload of advertising revenue judging from the pages and pages of govt propaganda they are carrying, along with jobs ads and the like.
We know because the Fiji Sun has reported it that the paper received threats from govt officials unhappy with their reporting. But again, it will take whistleblowers to come forward with details of such threats.
Here’s one of the few things on the public record about the extent of the newspaper spend:
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/over-12m-spent-with-fiji-sun/
Vinaka Graham…you know this best given your stint with FijiFirst. Fiji Sun was the lap dog of government getting all the scoops and exclusives.
With the Coalition, all the media outlets receive the same and
only the the early birds harvest the scoops and exclusives.
Regarding the 2026 elections, it is very likely that the Coaltion will win and Fiji’s economy will continue to improve. Fiji’s leaders just need to watch their backs and work to drive Fiji forward…the venom coming from Fiji’s haters will just haunt them later.
You seem very certain that the economy will “continue to improve”. But the Balkanisation of Fijian politics will continue if Lynda Tabuya forms a breakaway party, SODELPA and the NFP re-contest the election, Unity and Labour join forces and the mooted new party from the West enters the fray. And that doesn’t even take into account what the “Gang of 16” and the “Gang of 9” do.
All this talk of constitutional change is an added destabilising force. As Jon Apted says, it isn’t going to be easy. And with the clock ticking towards 2026, they are a long way from establishing their Truth and Reconciliation process let alone pushing through constitutional change that many people are going to resist. Because if there’s a plan to end the common and equal citizenry, it ain’t gonna happen without a major fight that will influence the votes of a great many people at the next election.
So don’t be too sure about your own prediction. FijiFirst won the most votes at the last election. Where will those votes go now? Not to these idiots, that’s for sure. As the Fiji Sun editorial says: They have failed.
Thanks. Interesting.
Admission of a fault is on the same plane as saying sorry with no remorse shown whatsoever.
Rabuka acknowledges, like the dumbo he is, that there are flaws in the coalition. Basically using it as a red herring to draw attention away from the pressing issues facing this cabal of immoral politicians.
A list, from a long list of issues that Rabuka is incapable of addressing:
1. FICAC and its head who is under investigation herself.
2. High Cost of living that most Fijians are struggling with.
3. Extreme nationalists who are hell bent of ridding the country of vulagis.
4. An incompetent Tele Tubby ACJ who is trashing the laws and constitution of the country.
5. A pedophile President who is destined to bring much shame on Fiji, internationally.
6. GCC who have 33 grievances about the current constitution but are unwilling to name what they are.
So, Rabuka, what are you proposing to do about these pressing issues which are all relevant to good governance and accountability?
You and your cabal promised a lot in 2022. 18+ months on and you have gone back on almost everything that you said the PAP was going to address and eliminate. Yes, we know that the spineless media in Fiji are too afraid of speaking out against your cabal, but that doesn’t mean you act as if you’re in control. Fess up and leave behind a great legacy as an honest leader, full of integrity. Otherwise you will go down as the worst PM Fiji has ever had.
Rabuka, stop lying and grow a pair.
There’s nothing honest about the current PM and as for being remembered in history he will only be known as the man who wrecked modern fiji.
We must admit Rabuka is not the sharpest tool in the tool shed, and it must be frustrating for anyone with a higher IQ to walk in his shadow, it’s one of three causes why the machinery of government under this three/legged stool of a coalition turns ever so slowly.
The second reason is Biman Prasad. If you read PAP’s election manifesto measured against its slow achievements to date, the main reason for the delay that jumps out at you is the delaying tactics of Biman Prasad.
When he should have submitted a mini budget detailing how the manifestos of PAP and its minor partner would be implemented and funded – he didn’t,
Then he kept the country waiting for another 4-months for his NFP colleague, Richard Naidu’s, Fiscal Review Committee to come up with a set of taxation reforms more than half of which Biman rejected anyway.
Then there was the farce of the National Economic Summit and the Kala Vata shirts that soaked up more time.
Then the National Development Plan with nothing done in between.
It’s noticeable the NDP hardly received a mention in the current sitting of parliament showing it’s already out of sight out of mind.
Then promises and more inaction as the nation awaited the outcome of COP29 only to have our hopes dashed to the ground with more excuses from our undertaker economist.
Biman is the main cause for the Coalition’s poor performance, and it’s not surprising Lynda wants to opt out.
She called it right in her original accusatory statement against Biman several months ago that she was forced to withdraw.
Rabuka’s ineptness, Biman’s ineptness plus a third factor— the dictatorship of the judiciary under the thuggish acting Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, is the root cause of our national paralysis.
We are a sinking ship. Our ship hasn’t even left port.
Rabuka is the slithering brown snake in the tool shed. One wonders whether he lies straight whilst sleeping.
The cunning runt he is…
The central.issue for the next elections will be the 2013 Constitution. Many here in Fiji want it thrown out. It was imposed upon us by the Taliban and their well-paid apologists.
The messsage for the 2013 Constitutiin is….yes. off you go into the scrap heap.of history. You deserve to be jettisoned.
“Taukei Liberation Front”? You’re in charge, you idiot. You’re already liberated.
Ha ha coming from a vulagi whose ilk told us Jesus Christ was a white man with blond hair and blue eyes !
Oh really? I was born in the same land as you and have the same right to belong but you are nuts and I am not. As the son of a talatala who grew up in the vanua, I don’t need lectures from you about Jesus Christ. Bugger off.
Many like you fool not all.
The only thing that needs to end up in the kinoya sewerage plant is your bogus liberation front..stop acting like retards.
Come 2026 it will either be the end of the coalition or it will be the end of Fiji.
I agree Black Rose. Even if it be the end of Fiji, we don’t care. As long as FFP don’t come back.
The announcers on Radio Navtarang and at Communications Fiji Ltd become silent whenever a caller criticises the government live on air. Previously Satya Nand used to criticize the coalition government on air himself. But all of a sudden the radio announcers at CFL became silent. If a caller continues to criticise the government, then Satya Nand ends their call. Looks like the government secretly has the media by the balls. Sitiveni Scumbuka has threatened the Fiji Shuned newspaper.