As well as being mired in alleged criminality and corruption, the NFP leader, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Biman Prasad, is the most deluded man in Fijian politics. Even more so than that other Deputy Prime Minister from the same swamp of crocodiles, Manoa Kamikamica, who thinks he can still be prime minister.
With two politicians from his own party giving sworn testimony that Kamikamica offered to use his friendship with Barbara Malimali to influence a case at FICAC, the current police investigation into Sitiveni Rabuka’s presumptive successor has legs strong enough to propel him not into the leadership but behind bars.
Yet Biman Prasad is also currently under police investigation on the recommendation of the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry over the circumstances in which he was able to avoid being charged by FICAC for allegedly making a false income declaration to the Elections Office.
Grubsheet readers will recall that Barbara Malimali was parachuted into the corruption watchdog on the very day the former acting deputy commissioner, Francis Puleiwai, intended to charge Biman Prasad. But instead, a message was conveyed to her by the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, that any charge she laid would not be heard by any court in Fiji. And by day’s end, Puleiwai was gone from FICAC, Barbara Malimali was in as commissioner and proceeded to close the case on Biman Prasad altogether.
Snapped shut like a crocodile’s jaw. Except that Justice David Ashton-Lewis – to Biman Prasad’s undoubted consternation – has prised them open again. And the NFP leader is finding that the case against him is being regurgitated, not only the original allegations but – Grubsheet understands – fresh evidence that the police have now been given that FICAC didn’t have when Puleiwai believed she had enough to charge him and put him before the courts. Oops.
So under the circumstances, it isn’t in the least bit surprising that Biman Prasad is telling NFP supporters that whoever leads Fiji’s oldest political party – founded by AD Patel in 1968 – is not as important as they are when it comes to the NFP’s survival. He can hardly say anything else when depending on how the wheels of justice turn, he may not even make it to next year’s election.
From today’s Weekend ( Fiji) Times..
The NFP may be in government but what else do they have to show for it? Answer: The betrayal of everything the great party which the likes of AD Patel, Siddiq Koya and Jai Ram Reddy once stood for – the promise of principled, honest and responsible government.
The scope of that betrayal is astonishing.
1/ The leader of the NFP mired in allegations of corruption and criminality and with a prima facie case against him that he used his exalted position to beat the system and avoid being charged.
2/ The leader of the NFP betraying the interests of the minorities by remaining silent when they were described as “vulagi” – visitors in their own country of birth.
3/ The leader of the NFP saying nothing when merit went out the window and Indo-Fijians and other minorities were purged from the civil service, offices of state and government boards and systematically replaced by members of the indigenous majority.
4/ The leader of the NFP saying nothing as he and those around him embarked on a systematic campaign to degrade the integrity of Fiji’s independent institutions of state, including the judiciary.
5/ The leader of the NFP – an economics professor holding the purse strings as Minister of Finance – indulging his colleagues in an orgy of spending, not only on themselves with unprecedented pay increases, but an orgy of spending across the board.
6/ The leader of the NFP breaking his pre-election promise to govern responsibly and bring down a $9-billion national debt and instead pushing that debt out to $11.7 billion dollars and counting.
7/ The leader of the NFP turning Fiji into a beggar nation increasingly dependent on remittances and foreign aid yet still spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
8/ The leader of the NFP increasing taxes for ordinary people yet granting a seven year company tax holiday to the billionaire owners of Fiji’s largest exporter – Fiji Water.
I invite Grubsheet readers to add their own examples to this list. But it all adds up to a record in government that is a disgrace to the National Federation Party – one that would have Biman Prasad’s distinguished predecessors spinning in their graves.
There is no future for the NFP, at least under Biman Prasad. On the contrary, the Party faces the humiliating prospect of failing to make the five-per-cent threshold necessary to gain any seats at all in the next parliament.
Maybe the Coalition will change the electoral laws before that. Maybe Biman Prasad can beat any charges laid against him and still go into the next election as leader. But the NFP’s traditional support base is now so alienated from the Party that the most likely outcome is still ignominious defeat.
And the reason for that is a word that has become attached to Biman Prasad’s own name:
BETRAYAL.
Baimaan the Betrayer.
9. Croynism & Nepotism
Facilitating appointments of his closest friends, supporters, relatives to positions such as Ambassadors (India, UAE); CEOs and Board Members (FRCA, EFL, FHEC, FSC,) PSs (Environment, Agriculture); Consultants (Paresh Narayan on Higher Education Review, Richard Naidu to Fiscal Committee ); Funding to favourite boys such as Ganesh Chand (PP, GGI, Paresh Narayan (Monash-FNU partnership); blatant support for Pal (widely held responsible for the current state of USP) for his personal agenda (wife’s advancement, revenge on Chandra); Technical Positions in Ministry of Finance…… and the list goes on.
Yes BCP has lost all credibility and respect and has even made the title “Professor” sound so cheap and meaningless, given his ability to analyse, debate and articulate issues. He himself has said he doesn’t owe his last election win to Indo-Fijian voters and so is not interested in defending them against the current ethno-nationalistic and racist onslaught by the Rabuka regime.
Like many others in the Coalition, it is all about their own survival.
Yes, I forgot abut the cronyism and nepotism. And to think he used to pillory ASK for the same thing.
Biman Prasad is NOT A PROFESSOR AND NEVER HAS BEEN.
He visited a Japanese university for his sabbatical and in Japan, normal university lecturers are called PROFESSOR and Assistant PROFESSOR.
Since his visit to Japan he has started calling himself PROFESSOR.
He should not (nor the media) use the Professor title, it is a chair position bestowed by the University during USP employment, to chair the academic program in his department. Unless it’s an Emeritus position, which he doesn’t have.
He knows this. And should be bold and honest enough to tell everyone not to use it. He can use Dr. title.
Baimaan the grand betrayer is carrying on who he always was and with those who were always around him. Greed, cronyism, deception, academic plagiarism, and a long history of sexual exploitation of students and lower level work colleagues all covered up by sycophants and the party machinery.
The NFP does not have the glorious history that is often attributed to it but also has a long history of betrayals and deception and division – Dove/Flower, 1977 Election and opportunistic political scrambles for power. Its own power often a case of being the only show in town. Witness how quickly its power base erodes with Labour as an alternative post 1987.
It’s not for nothing that he’s known as the “Bastard of Babasiga.”
Or the “Dogla from Dreketi.”
Would be nice if someone can track down all the appointments he made of his friends in private, public entities and also the diplomatic service.
Also all the contracts awarded to his friends. As such is Labasa Airport. Certain contracts awarded to Sunil despite Sunil having several cases pending in Sydney.
Agree that Biman is on the way out.
Waiting in the wings to lead the party and with ambitions to become the next PM is Pio Tikoduadua – the man well known for shaking the money tree by taking a six week tour of the Middle East to go ‘stand shoulder to shoulder’ with our soldiers there.
In Pio T, the future of the NFP is truly blessed !
Yes, and at 1.5x the UNDP DSA of $300 US (=F$667) + $300 = F$967 per day x 42 days =$40,614, Pio’s future looks fairly blessed too.
https://www.parliament.gov.fj/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Extra-Gazette-Thursday-30-May%E2%80%93Determination-of-the-Parliament-of-the-Republic-of-Fiji-Allowances-and-Benefits.pdf
https://popp.undp.org/policy-page/daily-subsistence-allowance-dsa
Thank you for these figures.
The $40,614 he picked up and his erstwhile Personal Staff Officer (a failed NFP candidate in the last elections) who picked up more than $20K in allowances and who writes all his media releases, have denied shaking the ‘money tree’.
The truth is now exposed.
There is little to show in terms of genuine leadership by NFP in recent times. What we see instead is a figurehead—a stooge championing Rambo’s agenda and personal interests. The damage inflicted on his own party is substantial. Without Rambo’s support, which will vanish once the current coalition agreement ends, the party’s very survival is in question. Rambo, to his credit, has strategically built a resilient political base that will be hard to dislodge in the next election. Meanwhile, the opposition remains fragmented and weak.
The once-principled NFP has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. A party that once inspired trust and hope is now heading toward political extinction under Biman and his cronies, who have exploited and drained it of both credibility and purpose. Biman’s audacious claim that “parties built on people fail” is not only insulting—it betrays a staggering lack of understanding about leadership and democratic values. What exactly does he have to show for his time as leader? The truth is, he has failed—badly.
Resorting to distraction politics for applause is not leadership. It is deflection. It’s deeply disappointing and unworthy of a party with such a proud legacy.
What is urgently needed now is an epiphany—an awakening to the need for real leadership. A clear, future-focused direction grounded in integrity, ideas, and courage. Enough of the empty posturing. We are struggling to solve even the problems we ourselves created. Governance has become performative, and those in power scramble for praise while delivering little of substance. The public deserves better. The time for excuses has long passed. We have become a laughing stock, weak & vulnerable internally and to the world.
We demand 21st century leadership. So much is at stake for our Fiji and our people otherwise!
Baiman used to attack Bai-Kai for nepotism but it’s the pot calling the kettle black.
Among many of Biman’s nepotistic appointments is his buddy Udit Singh to FIRCA CEO without calling for applications.
Udit is just one of many examples of nepotism. At USP his wife is a major beneficiary of Biman’s friendship with Pal Aluwalia whom he saved from sacking.
All appointments by Biman are for his personal networking, and benefit, not for the benefit of the institution, the country or the people of Fiji. Pal has nearly destroyed USP but Biman secured his contract because Pal is nothing but his proxy vice-chancellor holding the fort for Biman once his political career is over and he returns to USP as vice-chancellor.
Udit is well known for not being in the country half the time and always traveling and playing golf. He is having a good holiday in Fiji. he has done nothing really effective as CEO despite his huge salary.
There are many qualified locals who could’ve done the job, and but Biman appointed a NZ resident and denied a local the opportunity.
Meanwhile PM Rabuka sits around twiddling his thumb. He is too intimidated by his finance minister to do anything. Not only has Rabuka lost the plot and lost his marbles, but he has also lost his balls. Given all the excesses Rabuka is allowing under his watch, it is clear that he is no longer fit to be PM.
Biman is a traitor to his people and disgrace to the NFP, but then NFP was always a party for the elites. The sooner we get rid of Biman and NFP, the better for the country.
Peoples Alliance Party, and the PM . himself have gradually distanced themselves from Biman and NFP.
It’s now time for the voters to kick his skinny ass into oblivion once and for all.
Biman Prasad has already begun his campaign for the 2026 general election—unfortunately, not with vision or integrity, but with lies, denial, and self-preservation.
Aware that his credibility is fading and that the popularity of the National Federation Party (NFP) has sharply declined under his leadership, Biman continues to cling to power for political survival. It is time he steps aside before he is pushed out. The NFP can and must move forward without leaders like Biman, Richard, and their inner circle, who appear more concerned with personal gains than with the party or the people.
The Fiji Elections Office and FICAC must closely monitor Biman to ensure government resources are not being misused for party activities or political gain. He has been seen making rounds with political maneuvering.
One of the most glaring examples of Biman and Coalition government’s denial is his handling of the health system. Rather than taking accountability, he blames the previous government. He claims that in four to seven years the health system will become “world-class.” In reality, the system has deteriorated further. Basic necessities such as adequate staffing, essential medicines, and hospital consumables remain lacking. If not for Aspen—an initiative introduced by the FijiFirst government—the healthcare sector might have already collapsed.
Biman’s failure in governance is now being masked by grand rhetoric, while his record tells another story. His recent high-deficit budget lacks credibility, and even his former colleagues— economists from the University of the South Pacific—have been critical of his approach. He appears desperate to project confidence, yet the public can see through the facade.
As GD rightly observed, Biman’s leadership is a pale shadow of his predecessors. Leaders like A.D. Patel, S.M. Koya, and Jai Ram Reddy – all stood for Indo-Fijians and embraced multiracialism with dignity and honesty. They were principled, delivered on their promises, and were never mired in allegations. In contrast, Biman’s track record raises troubling questions about transparency, ethics, lies and allegations.
The Prime Minister must intervene and remove Biman from office to protect the integrity of government and restore public confidence.
His lies, and his baseless lectures to ordinary citizens that he is concerned about them and is doing so much are back firing. Political obscurity is what he his heading to and will become a sure downfall for Rabuka and party.
Biman can no longer fool the public. His time is up.
I want a wannabe like Sashi gone.
10. The leader of the NFP still hasn’t accounted for the $500,000 Girmit funds.
11. The leader of NFP is quiet on the scholarships merits. Itaukeis benefited the most.
Like most, I think Biman Prasad has proven to be a total waste of space. He has deserted his political base and the undertaking given to hold Rabuka accountable.
Easily led and corrupted by the trappings of Office he had been courting since entering Parliament. Rather than show leadership he followed the PAP Ministers into believing his own hype, believing himself infallible and in doing so, showed how little he could actually do when faced with reality versus academic theory.
His place in the history of Fiji will be that of a failure, leading his party to oblivion and presiding over the decline of Fiji’s economic prosperity.
Biman’s sexual harassment case against Mrs Taniguchi needs to be brought up again and again. We must never forget how he treated the wife of his own party member inside her own house.
As someone said, a bastard of the highest order.
This Mongoose clearly fancies himself as some kind of playboy. He should take another look in the mirror.
Exploiting young female university students is one thing. Trying to take advantage of a fully grown married woman is another. She will strike back.
We wish the Taniguchi’s all the best in their civil case, although Baiman has lost this case already the court of public opinion.
People now know what a mongoose he is.