Four months after the NFP pledged “full and unwavering support” for its leader and sidelined deputy prime minister, Biman Prasad, over the criminal charges he is facing, that support is starting to waver.
The latest developments in the case – that the pretrial conference won’t be held until April 20 – have only increased the existing anxiety within the Party that the NFP cannot hope to be a force in the coming election if its leader is before the courts.
It already faces a backlash from its Indo-Fijian base that under Biman Prasad, they have been betrayed as he has failed to stand up to the pro-indigenous agenda of his Coalition partner, Sitiveni Rabuka.
Can it make the 5 per cent threshold that the NFP needs to remain in parliament at all? The five seats it won last time were the high point of its success since the return to parliamentary rule in 2014. But they were arguably predicated on the NFP using its numbers to keep the bastards honest – as Grubsheet put it when we supported the NFP in 2022 – and that hasn’t happened at all.
Biman Prasad kept silent during the entire “vulagi” debate, in which the right of the minorities to belong in Fiji was fundamentally questioned. He also failed to stand up to the unconscionable pay rises MPs awarded themselves that has brought the entire Parliament into public disrepute.
And in an astonishing lapse of basic governance, Prasad green-lighted the conduct of his close advisor and Chair of the government’s Fiscal Review Committee, Richard Naidu, in giving Fiji Water a seven-year tax holiday when its billionaire owners were clients of Naidu’s law firm. At the same time, VAT on many items was increased to 15 per cent in a shameful betrayal of the NFP’s duty to relieve cost-of-living pressures on lower income Fijians.
So the NFP was already heading for a caning at the coming election well before Biman Prasad was charged by FICAC with making a false income declaration to the Elections Office. There is a lot of bravado and chest-beating behind the scenes – including from Biman Prasad himself – that the charge will be struck out and/or he will be acquitted. But it is difficult for any dispassionate observer to see how he can avoid at least going to trial in a process that will stretch out for many months. And just when the NFP needs to be building electoral momentum, not having its already controversial leader doing the customary walk of shame before the television cameras outside the courts.
Small wonder then that talk within the Party has gone from “unwavering support” to the first signs of political reality finally dawning and active discussion about a leadership change. And the word is that it is being driven at the very top of the NFP by the man who was originally “unwavering” – the Party’s President, Parmod Chand.
It’s only natural that the President of Fiji’s oldest political party has the ultimate responsibility to ensure its survival no matter what his personal feelings about the current leader and the fact that he is facing a serious criminal charge. Yet more surprising are the rumours currently circulating that Parmod Chand sees himself as Biman Prasad’s successor and is canvassing opinion about whether Prasad should go and he should rescue the NFP by leading it into the election.
Before everyone falls about laughing, yes -hand on heart – that is the story doing the rounds. Is it true? Time will tell. But even the fact that leadership speculation has been triggered is a clear sign that panic is setting in over the NFP’s prospects under Biman Prasad in an election that could be called as early as July. That’s if Sitiveni Rabuka decides to go early to capitalise on the disarray in the NFP and prevent the newly-registered People First, in particular, from building momentum in the election lead-up.
If the Prime Minister calls an election at the earliest opportunity in July, what hope is there of Biman Prasad being cleared of his criminal charge if the pre-trial conference isn’t happening until the third week of April? Barring a miracle or a tame judge agreeing with his lawyer Richard Naidu’s argument that the case be thrown out, none. So is it any wonder that Parmod Chand and the hard-heads around him are coming to the same conclusion?
But what about other potential leadership candidates? Would the NFP install an iTaukei as Party leader when its traditional base has always been Indo-Fijian? Someone like Pio Tikoduadua to go head-to-head with Sitiveni Rabuka at the People’s Alliance and Inia Seruiratu at People First? The Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, will certainly be hoping so. It would give Chaudhry much more opportunity to cast himself as sole champion of the minorities.
Or what about Lenora Qereqeretabua? Equally unlikely. Even before her current bruising experience in the spotlight as her son-in-law is charged with drug trafficking, some of those close to Lenora were saying she was unlikely to stand for parliament again. She evidently hopes to use her experience as a successful Deputy Foreign Minister to follow the respected former FijiFirst MP, Mere Rakuita, into a senior job in one of the regional organisations.
Which leaves us with Agni Deo Singh and Sashi Kiran, both of whom are carrying baggage that some believe would make it impossible for the NFP to make the 5 per cent threshold – Singh too close to the unions and Kiran too close to the People’s Alliance and the likes of Ro Teimumu Kepa and Lynda Tabuya to stir enthusiasm in the Party’s base. Perception is everything in politics and that’s just how it is.
So who knows? Maybe Parmod Chand it is. Certainly for the NFP, the prosecution of Biman Prasad is an unmitigated disaster and not just for the Party but some of the individuals who face being deprived of their patron, including Prasad’s lawyer in the current proceedings.
Wonder why Richard Naidu looks so harassed these days? Perhaps because there’s the little matter of the Fiji Water tax break and a possible FICAC investigation if there’s a change of government. So if Biman Prasad is doing a lot of tossing and turning as the long nights progress towards judgment day, we can be sure that so is Richie Rich.
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If a week is a long time in politics – as the old saying goes – four months is an eternity. Certainly enough to go from “unwavering support” to a bit of old fashioned white-anting.
Ain’t politics grand?
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And finally, poor Lenora. You can choose your friends – as the old saying goes – but you can’t choose your relatives.
Yes, her son-in-law deserves a fair trial. And she surely deserves some sympathy instead of the guilt by association being dispensed on social media.
Certainly who could blame her if she has decided that the rough and tumble of politics isn’t for her.
There are other serious issues threatening Biman Prasad.
His allocation of taxpayers money to Pacific Polytech before it was officially registered by the FHEC; funds awarded to Girmit Institute and there are other sleazy skeletons in his cupboard.
Indeed the alternatives to leadership can all be ruled out. Lenora and Pio are closer now to Rabuka’s PAP. Agni and Sashi have showed no real traits of the required leadership. Sashi is better off at ‘FRIENDS’ and Agni has betrayed his Indian base. And Parmod Chand will provide the cartoonists with a field day!
Rumour has it that Biman is fancying himself as Pal’s successor at USP. Here, he will face tough competition from the likes of Walter Fraser, who was ironically brought back to USP by Pal after being initially sacked from USP, as a reward of his support by the Samoan government at the time.
I am sure Biman will find out that not only his ‘vulagi’ label in Fiji will haunt him, the same goes for the regional perception of Indo-Fijians who are yet to be accepted as Pacific Islanders. It is certainly worth noting that in the call for a ‘regional’ person to Head USP, Fijian Indian names are not even mentioned, notwithstanding their dedicated contributions to building the regional institutions.
NFP is doomed, as is Biman Prasad who has betrayed Indo-Fijians.
Look at that face of defeat. Baiman is history.
Agni and Charan are history.
Pio dont forget over 100k allowances in 2025 is history.
Lenora who cursed Aiyaz and future generations of Indian children is Karma and history as well.
NFP will not even be written down in any history book.
Tax holidays are a little odd, and it would be good if Fiji taxpayers were provided with a full explanation.
Doesn’t this guy realise that he and his party have been used and discarded? Is he and the party living in denial? How long are they going to pretend?
As for their lawyer, Richie Rich, who was gonna be lovo-ed in 1987 by the same man he decided to go to bed with later for self-serving purposes, he will get what he deserves.
And he is going to get what he deserves by the same man again.
Baimaan lied about cutting ministerial pay, reducing national debt, reducing VAT rate, reducing overseas trips, cutting wastage in Govt and so many things. He made a complete U-Turn on what he was harping about during elections.
There is more evidence than this in not supporting Baimaan and NFP in future. Baimaan always blamed previous Govt for current problems. He was fooling people with his national development plan that was riddled with baseless assumptions and uncertainties. Baimaan got caught in Rolex Rabuaka’s web and Naboro is waiting for this snake.
Baimaan and NFP did not get elected on false election promises. They got elected because of the anti-Muslim vote. All the karia kuttas in Fiji would not even know if another flea invested karia kutta walked past them, they all are of the same ilk.
Imagine going to an election based on the policies of a former leader, Jai Ram Reddy, another karia kutta, who abandoned Fiji after going to bed with Rabaku and abandoned the people he was supposed to represent to live the rest of his years in NZ and elsewhere. This karia kutta also had a big hand in the shenanigans of not seeing S M Koya become PM in 1977 due to his religion.
That is the main issue with NFP. Anyone who goes to bed with Rabaku is a f**kwit and it goes without saying.
Wish people would make their points without name calling or swearing .
Doesn’t it show your caliber when one resorts to using words like Karia? Unbecoming!
I am no Biman fan,dont get me wrong
I love dogs who are devoted and loyal pets.
Lets not insult our canine friends by associating them with a person who has let down an entire community
Hubris unfortunately has set in with the NFP
They should make peace with the Indo Fijian community, apologise and show penance and resign immediately
And this includes Lenora and Pio
Like GD says,pigs will fly
Baiman and Fijians at large complained long and loud about FijiFirst’s hard-handed tenure.
The mofo bastard baiman was the loudest complainer, pointing his dirty fingers at every turn. He sold his family and his ass to sneak into the government, betraying an entire community in the process. Tatti.
The mofo bastard karia motar lal batti has since tripled his net worth, driven up the cost of living, morally corrupted and bankrupted the nation, driven down medical services to its worst ever condition, sh!t sluice included.
As part of this colliding government, he still shamelessly continued to point his shitty stinking finger at FPP – every time his finger was out of sona rolex’s ass. Basturd.
Now, the nation cannot ever put away the begging bowl for budget support. The nation’s reliance on remittances will haunt future generations because of a lack of tangible capital and infrastructure developments, let alone any tangible improvements.
Yet this idiotic dacoit added 2 billion dollars to the ever burgeoning deficit with nothing to show for it. Professor Laparjhandis.
The rise of ethno-nationalists and overt racism and bigotry and societal rot continue unabated. The word vulagi with its accompanied ugly connotations has become part of the nation’s lexicon. And this baiman despicable laparjhandis* never said a word to defend the minorities. Other than uttering bakchodi bakwas.**
NB: *foolish, irresponsible, or lacks common sense. Obstinate.
**nonsense talk, idle chatter. Foolish. Rubbish, talking big, bragging, or bluffing without any real action or intent.
NFP is consigned to the chota ghar…vale lailai or shit house even if a Labasia Shah Rukh Khan emerges to lead them.
Baiman’s prosecution may be an unmitigated disaster for NFP but Baiman himself is an unmitigated disaster for the country, and the sooner we see the last of him the better.
He got elected on the lies that he told such as reducing cost of living only to increase VAT to 15% and giving Fiji Water a tax break with support from Dogla Richard Naidu.
Baiman imposed other financial penalties on the poor while rewarding companies like Tappoo with tax breaks, including increase duty liquor from 2 to 3 to increase alcohol consumption and make Tappoo richer.
Baiman totally abandoned and betrayed his electorate once he got power and we saw his true self-serving and cowardly nature.
He is a man destroyed by his own greed and selfishness.
Baiman confirmed what NFP was always accused of, that it is a party for the elites. The party begs for the votes from the poor but once in power, it betrays them.
Then there is Baiman’s creepy behavior with him hugging and kissing the cheek of Ari Taniguchi, the wife of former NFP provisional candidate Hiroshi Taniguchi, on two occasions at the National Federation Party offices.
Imagine that! He desecrated NFP HQ by indulging in unwanted advances against a female. Is this how NFP treats guests at its HQ? Subject them to sexual harassment by its leader?
Even worse, the NFP resorted to victim blaming and dismissed the accusations as “trivial” and “malicious” without investigating Baiman.
So called women’s champions Lenora Qereqeretabua and Sashi Kiran looked the other way. Shame on them. Sobbing Sashi or Crying Kiran who is quick to tears had no tears for Aria. The behavior of NFP and its party members is sordid and shameful.
Baiman even took a photo of Aria in her house without her permission, while he was there as dinner guest.
Baiman’s wife Rajni was seated at the same table but that did not stop the creepy bastard.
This is how Baiman behaved towards his hosts and shamed his own wife. Rajni I believe is involved in woman’s rights but when her own husband violated those rights she supported him with her silence.Remember that Aria’s husband Hiroshi was a provisional NFP candidate which means Baiman took advantage of and preyed on his own party member’s wife.
So ask yourself, is this man fit to be a leader? Is he fit to be in Parliament? This is a question for NFP too.
But whether Baiman is acquitted or not is immaterial. He is already finished. He will not win the election and he will take NFP down with him in the worst defeat in the party’s history.
Baiman’s political husband Rabuka has already discarded him like used underwear and voters will be the next to reject him and his party totally.
How the cookie crumbles😁. The whole lot of NFP parliamentarians are dubious. A Kishore Kumar commentary appears to have come back and bitten Lenora who pursued him aggressively through the legal system . Both her and Lynda were promoting Mr Hill’s fitness business…where is that smell of blue smoke coming from?
Unfortunately, the whole Lenora saga may be the nail in the coffin for NFP because she is now looking like a ‘pretend’ nice person. ( FOLLOWING LINE DELETED FOR LEGAL REASONS -ED) So NFP are a bunch of crooks.
Parmod who?
The pretrial conference date of April 20, a little short of 3 months away is making the calling of an early election by Rabuka even more tempting. The first date for an election to be called is 24 June.
One could expect that the trial, if it proceeds, would not occur before July at the earliest given existing cases already in the courts listing.
The NFP are now facing the crunch question of should they continue to have Biman as party leader. If they were to continue with him to still to be leader and before the court at the calling of an election they, in my view, will face electoral death!
I don’t see electors willing to support candidates from a party, with the party leader before the courts on corruption charges.
“I don’t see electors willing to support candidates from a party, with the party leader before the courts on corruption charges.”
You are totally wrong and underestimate the electors of Fiji. They are a bunch of imbeciles. Why else would they vote for a recycled and well known idiot from 40 years ago, who is responsible for destroying the country, in the hope that he has all the answers to Fiji’s problems? Do not underestimate the stupidity of the electors of Fiji.
Are you one of them, who supported or voted for this mob at the last election in the hope that things will change?
This all sounds familiar. First AD Patel lost out in 67 when Koya cut a deal with Mara. Ramrakha and co then shafted Koya when he went to Govt House in 75. Later Reddy was burnt when he cozied up to Rabuka at the end of the 90s. And now, like moths returning to the flame, Biman and Richie Rich get toasted again.