The Government’s cyber critics have been blindsided by the announcement that all three former major political parties – Labour, the National Federation Party and SODELPA, the former SDL – have been cleared to contest the 2014 election. The declaration by the Registrar of Elections, Mohammed Saneem, that all three entities had cleared the hurdle came last Thursday. Yet as of the time of writing, the main anti-government website, Coup 4.5, still can’t bring itself to fully report the news, confining itself to a posting that the NFP alone has been given the nod to compete, with a one line addition about the other two, much more important registrations. Yes, almost a week later and any Coup 4.5 reader is none the wiser about undoubtedly one of the most important developments of the year.
It confirms once and for all – quite aside from its routine censorship of readers’ comments – that when this miserable cyber rag doesn’t like a particular story, it simply buries it. For the credibility of the increasingly hysterical Coup 4.5, this is yet another nail in the coffin. It continually portrays itself as a crusader for democracy while railing against the alleged propaganda of anyone who writes positively about Fijian Government policy, Grubsheet included. Yet when the chips are down, it willfully ignores the fact that genuine democracy is precisely what is taking shape in Fiji – the Bainimarama Government’s opponents free to contest what the Prime Minister has described as the “battle of ideas” that will determine the result of next year’s election.
All this is what a colourful British politician named Alan Clark once famously called being “economical with the actualite”. The late junior minister in Margaret Thatcher’s government was caught out giving a less than full and frank account about a British arms deal with Iraq. Rather than admit to being a liar – which he patently was – he merely conceded not exactly telling the whole truth, of being economical about the details of what actually happened. Regrettably, this is a failing that is chronically common not just to Coup 4.5 but someone in Fijian public life who should know better – Mahendra Chaudhry, the Labour Party leader and former Prime Minister deposed in the 2000 coup.
Most people in Fiji are familiar with Chaudhry’s history, someone who supported Voreqe Bainimarama’s takeover in 2006, accepted the job of finance minister in his administration, then fell out spectacularly with the PM and did an about-face. He turned from very public supporter to implacable critic and has waged war on the Bainimarama Government ever since. Most people will also be aware that Mahendra Chaudhry is also on trial for alleged foreign currency offences related to substantial sums lodged in Australian bank accounts. He has also fought a prolonged series of skirmishes to retain control of the Labour Party, of which he was once undisputed leader. The most public of these has been with the prominent trade union official, Felix Anthony, who stormed out of Labour accusing Chaudhry of continually employing undemocratic means to get his own way. The relationship between the two remains poisonous and Anthony is widely expected to form a breakaway party with others to oppose Labour in next year’s election.
For all the political mayhem within Labour ranks and signs that Chaudhry is losing his grip, history tells us that he is arguably the wiliest of the country’s political operators. He is a master of backroom politics and especially the tactic of divide and rule that has kept him at the top of the union movement and then mainstream politics for much of the past quarter century. However great the falling outs between Chaudhry and the Bainimarama Government and Chaudhry and his former colleagues, he is not to be underestimated. He’s especially adept at manipulating opinion in the sugar cane belt of the West, convincing ordinary Indo-Fijian farmers of their tenuous grasp on their leases and their tenuous livelihoods in an industry that has been buffeted by huge winds of change. Whether or not the outcome of his current court proceedings eventually allows him to stand in next year’s election, the fact remains that he poses a formidable force at the ballot box. All of which makes him someone to take very seriously. Regrettably, there are clear signs that our first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister has taken a leaf out of Alan Clark’s book and become a master of being “economical with the actualite”.
Grubsheet was startled to hear an interview Chaudhry gave to Radio Australia last week – after Labour had been registered to contest the elections – in which he peddled two blatant falsehoods. First, he claimed that the Fiji media continued to be saddled with restrictions that prevented any party that opposed the Bainimarama Government from getting proper coverage. This is simply untrue. There are no restrictions on media coverage of Chaudhry’s comments or, indeed, the comments of any other political leader. On the contrary, Grubsheet has been repeatedly informed by individual journalists in Fiji that Chaudhry refuses to talk to them nor to anyone else from the outlets that employ them. It’s a clear case of hollering that one has been gagged by the media while refusing to answer the knock at the door or pick up the phone and speak. Now, that tactic might wear with an ignorant Australian audience and a broadcaster – in the ABC – that is ever willing to give events in Fiji a negative slant. But to a domestic audience, it simply won’t wash.
In the same interview, Chaudhry claimed that restrictions continued to be placed on political gatherings of parties opposed to the Bainimarama Government. This too is untrue. Labour, or anyone else for that matter, is entitled to meet whenever they choose to do so. Previous curbs on political meetings have been lifted. Indeed a brace of opposition political figures – including Mahendra Chaudhry, Laisenia Qarase, the deposed SDL Prime Minister, and Ro Teimumu Kepa, the new President of SODELPA, the former SDL – attended precisely such a gathering in Cuvu, Nadroga late last month. Were they stopped from doing so? Not at all. They may have attracted no more than 40 people when they had reportedly catered for 600 and had spread the word that those attending would be fed. They may have been scorned by the Prime Minister, who said it was “funny” to see those who had “brought Fiji to its knees sitting on the same mat and smiling at each other”. But there was nothing to prevent them from doing so, nor to stop ordinary people from joining them if they chose to do so. The truth is that the meeting was not only allowed to go ahead, it went ahead and received widespread national media coverage. So why on earth did Mahendra Chaudhry tell Radio Australia what he did?
Then came yet another case of the former PM being economical with the actualite in an interview he gave last Sunday to Radio New Zealand International. In it, he condemned as “cruel and grossly insensitive”, the Government’s decision to cut off most of the 19,000 recipients of its Family Assistance Program. Chaudhry said the decision would, in effect, sentence these people to extreme hardship and indignity and add to crime, child prostitution, human trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse and suicide. The average RNZI listener throughout the Pacific would have been appalled. What a terrible place Fiji has become, they would have imagined. There was only one problem. The story was a concoction. Chaudhry had again been economical with the actualite. The truth is that more people, not fewer people, are set to benefit from a major reform of the social welfare system currently being implemented by Government. What happened is that a government spokesman said the 19,000 people were currently being re-evaluated to make sure that the most needy Fijians would receive assistance. He said this would lead to a portion of these people being taken off the Program because they were deemed to be in less need than others who previously received no assistance. Chaudhry twisted that statement into his extraordinary claim that most of the 19,000 FAP recipients were being cut off. The truth again, is that the program is being strengthen – in consultation with the World Bank – to provide an even greater safety net for Fijians. Whereas only three per cent of Fiji’s poor received some form of assistance under the old system, the new system will assist 10 per cent. Those are the facts and Chaudhry chose to ignore them.
What’s the common thread here? That Chaudhry goes to the foreign media to peddle this misinformation, knowing that they are more gullible, less likely to know the precise facts and also likely to give his statements prominence. The local media in Fiji, of course, knows better – that this is blatant politicking (which is fine) but that some of these claims have only a passing acquaintance with the truth (which is not fine at all). As one journalist put it to Grubsheet: “Why should we report what these guys are saying when we know it to be false?” The answer is “you shouldn’t.” As the Fijian opposition evidently sees it, the local media is there to report their utterances without question. No. They are there to report without fear or favour but are under no compunction to report comments that are either untrue or are not newsworthy judged by conventional media standards. In other words, tell us something new or something that our readers, viewers and listeners need to know. But don’t treat us like idiots and especially the people we are meant to serve – ordinary Fijians who will be making a decision next year on which political party is best suited to govern.
Mahendra Chaudhry surely has a duty to the Fijian people not to be economical with the truth, something that, of course, applies to every candidate in 2014. His recent behavior also highlights the need for ordinary Fijians to be more aware than usual of false prophets in the election countdown. Australians talk about the need to have a “good bullsh*t detector” when it comes to dealing with their own politicians and the same applies in Fiji. More than a quarter of a century of bullsh*t – of the old racial politics and the rhetoric of class warfare – means that many ordinary Fijians can detect it when they see it. And in the past week, they’ve been clearly able to detect it emanating from Mahendra Chaudhry.
Ho hum. This is the illustration that goes with the latest attack on Grubsheet by “Mad Marc” Edge, the Canadian academic who left the University of the South Pacific in disgrace after formal complaints about his bizarre behaviour from a string of his students and fellow academics. Equally bizarrely, Edge blames Grubsheet for his termination and devotes an entire blog to attacking us and the other targets of his ire – Crosbie Walsh, the New Zealand academic and blogger, and Professor David Robie of the Auckland University of Technology. In the tortured mind of this sad figure, all three of us are guilty of having deprived Pacific journalism of his brilliance. Whereas the truth is that all three of us – quite independently – came to the conclusion long before the USP itself that Edge was delusional and a total menace – a strange melange of Walter Mitty and Forrest Gump. Nothing wrong with that, of course, except that he turned malevolent and began to trash the furniture at USP – sowing dissent, belittling his fellow academics and even threatening some of his students on Facebook.
Everyone eventually decided enough was enough and Edge was forced to resign or be sacked. The official term was “relieved” of his post, though it also describes the collective sigh that accompanied Edge’s sudden late-night departure from these isles. He now resides at 23,000 Dyke Road, Richmond, British Columbia (what a long street it must be), spewing venom and without a dollop of the self awareness necessary to grasp that he alone was the architect of his demise. The good news is that peace broke out at USP the minute Mad Marc left. The bad news is that he refuses to go gracefully. We know his address because he’s posted his entire “Curriculum Vita” on the Internet. It’s preceded – on a Google search – by such headings as “The lies of Marc Edge” -an excoriating piece penned by Professor Robie – all of which makes the following extract from Edge’s latest offering laughable in the extreme: ” Journalism, it has been long said, is merely the first draft of history. Often the truth only comes out in the fullness of time, to be told by historians such as myself.”
See what we mean by delusional? This is a man branded as a liar by the only Professor of Journalism in New Zealand and the South Pacific. Mad Marc’s CV ends at USP so he is evidently yet to secure another academic position. But with David Robie’s reference, it’s hardly likely that the global academic community is making a Gadarene rush on 23,000 Dyke Road. Ho hum again.
Thank you Graham for exposing Chaudhry for what he is: a compulsive liar. If you compare our PM with this sleaze bag, it becomes very obvious who our leader is. I am really looking forward to the battle of ideas when our PM will thrash the racist liars with his own vision for Fiji. I can’t wait to see him in a TV discussion with old politicians. Our PM has up until now always told the truth and I am sure he will continue to do so.
mahen condemned as “cruel and grossly insensitive”, Government’s decision to allegedly cut off 19,000 Family Assistance Program recepients. It’s mahen playing ‘robin hood’ and ‘champion o the poor’ again to win votes.
The same mahen who used used FLP brand to raise millions in the name of the poor, only to stash it in his secret australian bank account. There is no shortage of ironies: mahen’s favourite terms when attacking political opponents were ‘hoodwinking the poor; lining the pocket; and feathering the nest. As we have seen, he holds the Fiji and world titles for this.
mahen is what we call a ‘besaram’ in Hindi”: a shameless and morally corrupt individual.
Many will no doubt echo your criticism of Chaudhry but it continues to beggar belief that – given his ability to be economical with the truth, to manipulate and inflame, all widely known across Fiji – the last time he held high office was under the current Prime Minister. As Minister of Finance from January 2007 to August 2008, the two worked together as if joined at the hip “sitting on the same mat and smiling at each other”. You have already detailed Chaudhry’s faults, but what does this say about Frank? Perhaps someone can have a whipround for a good bullshit detector (perhaps using the endowment from One Hundred Sands).
Two other points:
Blind-sided? Let’s wait and see what surprises still lurk, from yet-to-be-drafted decrees. You confidently reported that anti-government critics would be blind-sinded by the appointment of Professor Yash Ghai to lead the constitutional process. Turns out that the Govt was blind-sided by the professor, and those who were sceptical all along were shown to be correct.
You are confusing the two Clarks. Lord Clark was Kenneth Clark, the historian, father of Alan Clark, the politician and diarist and man who was economical with the truth.
Charlie, thanks for alerting me to Alan Clark’s status. Altered accordingly.
Chaudhary wasn’t the only one who was later found to be wanting in integrity and vision by the current government. Bune, Ganilau (both of them) and many others once sat on the mat only to be put out to pasture as their real selves were revealed. Maybe the government and it’s leaders were naive and failed in detecting b*** t but I would rather be a failed b*** t detector willing to take people at face value than the b**** t artist specializing in ride taking. As for the mat sitters. Surely they have no illusions? Qarase refused to share power with Chaudhary in 2006 accusing the man of being, yes, a b**** t artist in more diplomatic language. At least before 2006 Bainimarama seemed to believe in the C, saying he should have been allowed to run government in 2000. In fact he was a great supporter, practically inviting people to support him. It looks as though the disillusionment set in well after 2006.
Politics makes strange bedfellows. What say charters.
Graham,
The battle of ideas did not last very long. It was only 5 short days ago you triumphantly announced “The Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, has spoken of waging a “battle of ideas” to win next year’s election in Fiji”. But already you are resorting to that tactic used by politicians all over the world when they have run out of ideas, A HATCHET JOB.
It is so easy to write an opinion piece backed up by anonymous quotes, this time by “Journalists” talking to Grubsheet. How handy to have one say this “As one journalist put it to Grubsheet: “Why should we report what these guys are saying when we know it to be false?”
“The local media in Fiji, of course, knows better” you go on to say. Of course they know better because they get a call from Sharon Smith Johns and reminders of the penalties under the media decree if they write too much on the opposition parties.
To top it off to coin a phrase you were remarkbly “economical with the actualite” with this comment. “There are no restrictions on media coverage of Chaudhry’s comments or, indeed, the comments of any other political leader.”
Come on Graham if you are going to do a hatchet do it better. As a Fijian tax payer I demand value for money and this article could have been written by a 1st year journalism student not the Dictators very expensive, Walkley winning speech writer.
The way you distort the truth is a disgrace. As a taxi driver in Suva put it to me the other day: “We have never been so free and so happy as under this government”. You should not question Graham’s statements. He is an award winning, independent journalist and when he says that there are no restrictions on media in Fiji I am sure he knows what he is talking about.
@Peter- Whilst I agree that there seems to be a one-sided take on Economical with the Truth’s post in reply to GD’s article, I think you are taking it a bit too far by saying that no one should question Graham Davis’ statements just because he is an award winning journalist (and an independent one at that). Freedom of expression means anyone could question someone’s view and publicise their opinion on any issue. Whether their opinion carries weight or not is another entirely different issue.
@NZFijian
I disagree. It is the culture of endless questioning and bickering that holds this country back. Not a single word our PM can say goes without the ridicule from opponents. Have you seen the video posted on C4.5 which portrays our PM as a bumbling idiot by smartly cutting the TV talk back footage? Not a single article from Graham that would not attract the same vile comments form opponents. Graham is the best we have and the suggestion by the blogger that he has the right to demand a certain quality from Graham just because he is a taxpayer is simply laughable.
Bula vinaka again Peter. The culture of questioning is one of the cornerstones of democracy (freedom of speech) and as such people have the right to question. But the answer is not to discourage people questioning things but it lies in educating Fijians to question things intellectually and with purpose. As a Fijian it bothers me that we the “I Taukei” in any forum cannot hold a discussion without name-calling when we disagree on certain issue/s. Rather than trying to convince one another with evidence to support one’s opinion, we start abusing the other person/group. C4.5 is a classic example and am adamant that most of the contributors there are “I Taukei”. I think it is good to allow people to questions things in Fiji as it is a sign of growth away from yester-years where the Chief says something and everyone follows. The key is educating Fijians to make up their own mind. I suspect the “culture of questioning and bickering that holds the country back” that you alluded to is what those old politicians keep peddling in order to create division. And the reason why its working now is because Fijians need to learn to see through that for what it is. Mentality needs to change and am definite with the current regime’s performance they are making in-roads. People (especially grassroots in villages) are learning that its actions of Fijian leaders that count not “smoke-screen” promises just before elections.
Questioning what someone says or does is a sign of intelligence. Noting that you may question to assist understanding.
Not questioning what someone says or does is either a sign that you agree with them or a sign that you do not understand.
To ask or not to ask is the big question.
Do you ask a question or do you simply ask or do you simply question.
gym time
ha ha peter….gullible much!
“Economical”, how very odd. No mention from you whatsoever of the central tenet of this article – Chaudhry’s fast and loose approach to the facts. A hatchet job? Do you think Chaudhry’s false assertions should be allowed to stand?
Graham The Three lies with which you charge Chaudhry all have justification.
“First, he claimed that the Fiji media continued to be saddled with restrictions that prevented any party that opposed the Bainimarama Government from getting proper coverage. This is simply untrue.”
All you need to do is to compare the level of coverage received by Bainimarama and the AG as they promoted the draft constitution versus the opponents.
I must have missed the FBC talk back shows that featured Chaudhry and Beddoes. Surely there must have been such shows if the UFDF received proper coverage.
I did see the article on the UFDF and its meeting but in the Sun it was dwarfed by continuous reports of the AG’s latest statement on why this constitution will end all coups.
The censors may no longer be in the news room. But you great friend Sharon is swift to pick up the phone and threaten journalists, publishers and media owners with the media decree if they step out of the Government approved line. Look at Fiji TV that is only getting its license renewed every 6 months. The last time it was up for renewal there were with in 8 hours of closing the station down before their license extension arrived. That is clear intimidation!
So can Chaudhry justify his claim? YES. Does he have the facts to justify his claim? YES.
In the same interview, Chaudhry claimed that restrictions continued to be placed on political gatherings of parties opposed to the Bainimarama Government.
Well if you look at the first UFDF meeting in Suva this was the police comment. “If we have the information that the politicians or any other individual would like to use that forum for political mileage or any instability discussion about the government of the day then the commissioner has the powers to stop the meeting, police will intervene and then we will take them for further investigations.”
That seems pretty restrictive. By the same token why were there plain clothes soldiers at the meeting? They were there to intimidate the audience.
So can Chaudhry justify his claim? YES. Does he have the facts to justify his claim? YES.
Chaudhry criticized “the Government’s decision to cut off most of the 19,000 recipients of its Family Assistance Program.” well that is true. The regime has announced they will end the family assistance programme but has yest to explain fully how it will be replaced. They most certainly have not confirmed the budget for its replacement.
So blame this one on the regime. If they can’t organize things properly they have to expect to receive criticism. Sorry they don’t expect to receive criticism because they have been protected from it for 7 long years.
So can Chaudhry justify his claim? YES. Does he have the facts to justify his claim? YES.
Why is this a hatchet job? Because you have looked at only Chaudhry. Did you look at Bainimarama and the lies he has told.
1- No one in the interim Government will be allowed to stand for elections.
2- No one involved in the coup will be able to benefit from it financially. We do not know how much Bainimarama is paid because there is no Government transparency or accountability. But we do know he is paid more than Qarase received when he was PM.
3- The first 2 Constitutional Process Decrees. Complete lies. That was not just a statement to the media. That was 2 fully functioning illegal decrees that turned out to be total lies.
If you want to look at the biggest liars in Fiji at the moment you are looking at the wrong side.
NZFijianatheart
Posted May 10, 2013 at 9:17 AM
@Economical with the Truth
Posted May 10, 2013 at 7:51 AM :
“2- No one involved in the coup will be able to benefit from it financially. We do not know how much Bainimarama is paid because there is no Government transparency or accountability. But we do know he is paid more than Qarase received when he was PM”.
Evidence or source for the above statement please.
@Economical
You seem to imply that media are controlled by the government in Fiji. Nothing can be further from the truth. They are governed by the media development decree which the Gillard government tried to copy – unfortunately without success. For the first time we have a newspaper (the Fiji Sun) which consistently aims at fair and balanced reporting. Never has a media organisation in Fiji be more constructive than the new Sun. So, your claim is not backed by fact. And with regard to the lying that you claim our PM has done, you cannot provide any proof either. Not a single RFMF officer has benefitted from the peaceful take over of a racist and corrupt regime under the compulsive liar Qarase! What happened is that capable officers took on additional work in the government, but they are all on their normal RFMF salaries and nothing more. And we all know why the officers had to do this: The travel bans imposed by Australia and NZ have resulted in a loss of civilians in senior positions of the government. So our PM has told the truth. Then your pathetic story that our PM falsely promised that no member of the interim government will stand for elections. You should know that in 2009, with the abrogation of the undemocratic and racist constitution the government ceased to be ‘interim’ and became a regular government supported by a vast majority of people in Fiji. So tell me where in the world would members of a regular government would not be allowed to stand in elections? But your claim that the constitution development decree was a lie is really outrageous. It is correct that we do not have the Constituent Assembly which has been stipulated in the decree. What you forget is that a discussion of the racist and undemocratic Ghai draft in such a forum would have incited disaffection and created instability, the last things Fiji needs to move forward. Now lets have a look at your hero Chaudhry: What we see is an extremely devious snake who has stolen vast amounts of money from the poor farmers he claims to defend. He has lied so often and so much that is would take a full day to list all his crimes. Has he not jumped into bed with our PM and cleared our PM’s well earned leave pay out? Why is he all of a sudden so anti-government? The answer is simple: Unlike our PM who stands by his man, no matter what, Chaudhry is out there only for his own profit.
Economical with the Truth,
I hesitate to weigh in during political debates, as I have no stomach for the “he said, she said” style of politics in Fiji. But I feel I must correct part of your polemic.
The scope and details of Fiji’s social welfare reforms have been well publicised for the greater part of a year now, including in the 2013 Budget. The Family Assistance Program will be replaced by the Poverty Benefit Scheme – with a budget of $22.6 million in 2013 – and the new Social Pension Scheme – with a budget of $3.2 million in 2013. The Care and Protection Program will continue as before.
Yes, a portion of the 19,000 recipients of assistance under the FAP will lose their coverage. This is to allow assistance to be reprogrammed to those Fijians who need it the most, many of whom did not qualify under the old system because they were not over the age of 65, chronically ill, or disabled.
Those currently covered under the FAP who are truly deserving of assistance will be re-certified under the new scheme.
By the way, this has all been done in consultation with international partners, including the World Bank.
When I read Chaudhry’s statements on RNZI I nearly fell off my chair. I’m used to hearing variations of “the truth,” but this was a real whopper and is exactly the kind of bullish*t that can’t be allowed to stand. So thank you, Graham.
And since I’ve thrown my hat in the ring, let me say that I agree with you that the Fiji Sun in particular went a bit overboard with their coverage of the Government during the constitutional consultations.
That said, Graham’s point remains valid. You have to say something worth reporting in order to expect to be reported. Simple. We all know where Chaudhry stands in relation to media freedom and the right to assembly, etc. We get it.
We get that he thinks that nothing legitimate can flow from what he believes to be an illegitimate regime. Okay. Fine.
But now that he represents a registered political party let’s move the ball forward. Let’s hear what he has to say about education, labour, infrastructure, corruption, investment, tourism, etc.
The second he decides to actually start engaging in a battle of ideas and doesn’t get a fair shake in the media, then I’ll be the first to say that he’s getting a raw deal. But I’m still waiting for that moment to arrive.
@Economical with the Truth
Posted May 10, 2013 at 7:51 AM :
“2- No one involved in the coup will be able to benefit from it financially. We do not know how much Bainimarama is paid because there is no Government transparency or accountability. But we do know he is paid more than Qarase received when he was PM”.
Evidence or source for the above statement please.
@NZFijianatheart
Is that the best you can do? Really?
There is no documentary evidence of this as you well know. Why is there no documentary evidence? Well bainimarama will not allow the Auditor General’s Reports be released.
However, my contacts in the Ministry of Information told me this. I am willing to bet that if low level people in the Ministry of Information are aware of my claim Graham Davis would also be aware of this information.
So Graham in the interests of transparency can you confirm or deny that to the best of your knowledge that Frank Bainimarama is still on the same salary as Commander RFMF that he was on in 2006.
This brings us to another great lie of Frank Bainimarama’s. in 2006 he said that Government would have more transparency and good governance than previously.
His regime has zero accountability. I don’t know if you saw the FBC talk back show where Frank refused to answer the question. Well he was about to be asked why Fiji scored ZERO in the Transparent Budget Ranking?
I am really pleased Graham has decided to write about “economical with the actualite” in Fiji. But if he is to do it justice he needs to look at his own employers, Qorvis, and their pay master the Fiji Dictator, to do the topic justice. If he only writes about Chaudhry and lying then he is just producing another poorly researched piece of Regime propaganda.
“Economical”, I am not party to these arrangements. As to your defence of Chaudhry as a truth teller, gimme a break. It’s very dexterous of you to give his statements the, ahem, context that you have but it doesn’t wash with me and won’t wash with most other people.
@Economical wit the Truth
Posted May 10, 2013 at 9:42 AM
Do not patronise me, I am not a coup supporter and I do not condone lies by leaders regardless of whether its Government, Sports, Chiefly or any other form of leadership.
But what I do believe is that if you are going to make an allegation, you support it with evidence-period. One of the major problem that we “I Taukei” have is that we tend to believe and spread stories without substantive evidence to back it. If you are not prepared to provide evidence, then maybe you shouldn’t “stand on the pulpit” and call out people. “My contacts at Ministry of Information told me this” won’t cut it either. And guess what, “my contacts at Ministry of Finance” told me that your allegation is a lie.
@NZFijianatheart
I am detecting double standards at play here.
You are perfectly happy when Graham makes this claim: “On the contrary, Grubsheet has been repeatedly informed by individual journalists” There is not a murmur from you asking for proof.
But when I mention “My contacts at Ministry of Information told me this” You get into a bit of a frenzy saying it is not good enough.
So I take it Graham’s anonymous sources don’t cut it either.
In which case this whole story is just Graham’s opinion without any facts or reliable comments to support it.
@Economical wit the Truth
You have ” widen the net” at my behest to meet your need in arguing your point which is way off the mark. My initial reply to your post was requesting evidence to the allegation that Frank is getting paid more than what Qarase got. The reason why I SPECIFICALLY targeted that issue is because I have heard this allegation numerous times but no one seems to be able to support it with substance. I have a mate in Aussie who is writing a paper on accumulation of wealth by this regime in the last 6 years and this paper has stalled because he just can’t find any proof. Academics at his University are not prepared to mark his thesis due to lack of evidence. Based on this experience my “light-bulb” went on when you made that statement in your post. It was not anything sinister or taking a “pot-shot” at you considering your view is different from other contributors here. My argument was specific to Frank and his salary NOT the article in entirity. If you want to address that, do it to Graham Davis. Am after a particular fish, not the entire catch.
Graham,
Thanks for the compliment.
However, I think you are wrong. The “context” in which I place Chaudhry’s statements is true. There is not media freedom in Fiji. We have just enjoyed the spectacle of Government pressure being forcing USP to remove Professor Wadan Narsey from giving the keynote address on press freedom day. That is ironic in whatever context you choose to set it.
But come on then Graham you have huge resources at your disposal. You claim the media in Fiji is free and fair. Back that up with evidence. Get your clients at the Ministry of Information to share with you their comparative figures on the media coverage of the Constitution debate.
In terms of political meetings your newspaper the Fiji Sun has provided some additional context today. “ Speaking to Fiji Sun yesterday, Police chief of operations Assistant Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu hinted that they have mounted a joint operation with the REPUBLIC OF FIJI MILITARY FORCES to monitor political activities.”
“Although these political parties will not require a permit for their political rallies, I want to remind them that the Commissioner of Police still has the power to intervene if it is required,”
“There is no place for political liars in the roadmap to democracy put in place by the Bainimarama-led Government.”
So will they charge Bainimarama if he lies again. Or in a dictatoship is the truth automatically what the dictator speaks?
@NZFijianatheart
You are right there is no proof of Bainimarama’s salary. It is all hearsay. However this story has been going on for over 5 years. Normally in that time proof would have been provided annually by the Auditor General but we do not live in normal times. Government transparency only exists when it is in the dictator’s interests.
However, one can only assume that Bainimarama has something to hide as it is such a simple mystery to clear up. He talks continuously about the leaders of Fiji being accountable but for some reason feels that he is above the need for accountability.
So let us take a step back from Bainimarama’s salary as I can’t provide documentary proof.
I will illustrate the lie “No one involved in the coup will be able to benefit from it financially” in another way.
All Senior military officers have been given PSC accommodation. They are living in some of PSC’s finest properties in Muanikau. These houses are far superior to the married quarters at QEB. It has also enabled them to rent out their own homes. Unlike civilians the military are exempted from paying taxes on their benefits. Even Bainimarama has upgraded his house. He has moved ½ a mile down Ratu Sukuna Road from the Commander’s house into the old CJ’s house. This is bigger and much nicer. Originally it was a temporary move whilst the commander’s house was repaired. The commander’s house was repaired long ago and sits empty. Whilst Bainimarama has made his move permanent and new fences and guardhouses at his new luxurious property.
All of these people took part in the coup. They are all benefiting from it.
I cannot provide this list on official government paper as proof but I hope you will take my word for it. If not I will make sure you get an invite to Bainimarama’s next grog and Black Label party at the Chief Justice’s house.
@Economical
So, you don’t have any proof of anything. No proof that there is no media freedom, no proof of our PM’s salary, no proof that our PM has lied. What remains is a malicious attack on Graham and our PM which would be punishable in line with our media decree. But you hide yourself behind the name Economical and think you are not beyond reach of the law. Your latest attack is aimed at our police and military because they have stated that they will monitor political activities. So what is wrong with this? Everywhere in the world, governments monitor political activity. It is an absolute necessity for every democracy to keep an eye on extremists such as Beddoes, Chaudhry and Qarase. These people are out to destroy our democracy for their own benefit. They want the old racist and corrupt order back. They want to use the ballot box for their own ends and this should be stopped. It is beyond me why our PM has allowed these parties to register. I can only hope that the forthcoming police investigations of the severe anomalies that have occurred during registration will put them out of business.
@Economical with the Truth
For the past six years we have heard the questions regarding government salaries and with nothing substantive to prove or disprove what they are. The reality is that what difference would it make if we knew ?
If it’s proved to us tomorrow that the present PM’s overall salary and perks package is in the region of $2,000,000 per year are some of us suddenly going to be anti PM, or If it’s proved to be only $300,000 per year are we suddenly going to be pro PM ?
Anyway, going on to your attempt a prove a lie that “No one involved in the coup will be able to benefit from it financially”
Would not every citizen in the country expect the PM, whether legal or illegal, to have a very nice house ?
If the senior military officers were not in these government positions and they were taken by civilians, would these same civilians not have access to this housing ?
The military may very well be exempt from paying taxes on their ‘benefits’ but are you absolutely certain that they are also exempted tax on rental income earned from a property they own ?
So are you really saying that these are the only questionable indicators that suggest the enormity of how this present government and those that were involved have ‘benefited’ from the coup and proof of a lie ?
Not too convincing to me.
Can we complain that military officers are holding public service positions when civilians refuse to take them for fear of travel bans? Can we complain when racist civil servants who were the recipients and beneficiaries have over and over again shown that they do not believe in appointment and promotion on merit and merit alone? Can we complain that only the military officers have the strength and determination to fulfill the government vision? And can we complain when the house goes with the job.?
@Alby & Mat Sitter
I am pleased neither of you deny Bainimarama’s lies but you both rather sweetly try to excuse and justify them.
Well let me justify Chaudhry’s truths a little more.
“First, he claimed that the Fiji media continued to be saddled with restrictions that prevented any party that opposed the Bainimarama Government from getting proper coverage. This is simply untrue.”
Fiji ranked 120th in the world for press freedom, according to the Freedom House report on media freedom, right behind Uganda and Moldova. That is in the bottom 3rd.
US State department’s Fiji 2012 Human Rights report notes this on the media.
As the Media Decree requires stories to be balanced, simply refusing comment is sufficient to forestall any contentious reporting.
This requirement enabled government departments and private businesses to prevent stories from being published by not responding to media questions, thus making it impossible for the media to fulfill the decree’s requirement for comment from both sides. However, media sources reported that if the story was positive toward the government, the balance requirement could be ignored without consequence.
But the real proof of the pudding is in the eating. If the Fiji Sun is truly a free and impartial paper and the media decree is serious about balanced reporting then they will give equal space to Chaudhry to rebut this totally unwarranted Hatchet job by the Dictator’s chief Propagandist and Spin Doctor.
“Economical”, OK let’s have Chaudhry respond to what I wrote. I’ve checked with The Fiji Sun management and they haven’t heard a word from him or anyone from Labour. That silence is deafening given Chaudhry’s history of complaining every time something adverse is written about him.
I repeat. There is nothing to stop anyone from reporting the views of the opposition. The Fijian papers have been carrying comments from opposition figures and Republika magazine, in particular, is full of anti-government articles, including, incidentally, one this month on Qorvis.
Incidentally, if, as you say, I’m the “Dictator’s Chief Propagandist and Spin Doctor”,Republika doesn’t seem to think so. Not once am I mentioned in the Qorvis article, which runs over three pages of the magazine. So much for being the main Qorvis operative in Fiji, as some of your fellow travellers have claimed.
@Economical
You state that ‘Fiji ranked 120th in the world for press freedom, according to the Freedom House report on media freedom, right behind Uganda and Moldova. That is in the bottom 3rd’. Who the hell is Freedom House? And what does Fiji have to do with Uganda? As Graham has said the media in Fiji is completely free and we have the same media legislation that Gillard tried to introduce i Australia. All you do is to smear the impeccable media freedom record we have in this country. And Chaudhry is a liar and a backstabber, everybody knows that. Why can’t you think positively. We live in a society where our government and our military go to any length to protect us from vicious criminals and corrupt politicians. We live in a gorgeous place where there is no hardship and no poverty. We live in a place that attracts people from all over Asia. It can’t be that bad.
@ Economical
Your replies are just typical of someone who is digging a bigger and bigger hole to bury himself in.
Firstly, you try and twist the fact that by me not categorically saying that the PM was not a liar it should then be taken that I am suggesting he is. Is your logic and thought process really that simple, imature and naive.
Secondly, due to your inability to admit the fact that your initial statement was extremely questionable, misguided and had no substance you simply change the subject.
You are clutching at straws, and not doing too well.
Economical
Write your real name, show some evidence and I might believe what you are saying.
@ Econoomical with the Truth
One of the reasons I enjoy reading the Fiji Sun every day is it does report a lot more freely and fairly about politics than any of the other media.
If you read this paper every day you will see this.
The Fiji Sun gave almost a whole page to the comments in Mr Chaudhry’s favour by Mr Chaudhry’s lawyer, Mr Williams QC, in Mr Chaudhry’s recent court hearing in Suva. I read all of this.
I also saw a whole page this week giving Mr Rabuka’s views on all the political parties and again another one today by Mr Leweniqila. Both Mr Rabuka and Mr Leweniqila had some strong comments to make and the Fiji Sun reported them.
I am also happy the Fiji Sun is publishing the columns by Mr Davis as they are the best. They help us understand what events mean. I just wish they were every week like before.
I think those who keep saying our media are not free are not really reading and listening to the news. They are just repeating what is on the anti-government blogs.
The problem with the anti-government people like @ Econoomical with the Truth
is they only see what they want to see and believe
I think they should free up their minds and open their eyes.
Perhaps we should return to the subject that Graham addresses in his excellent article: The devious and untruthful ways of Mr Chaudhry. (SORRY BUT THE REST OF THIS HAS HAD TO BE DELETED FOR LEGAL REASONS. IT HAS TO THE DISTINCT POTENTIAL TO PREJUDICE THE CURRENT LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MR CHAUDHRY. GD )
Graham, did you delete the comments or Francis. I don’t undertsand the following:
Francis
Posted May 11, 2013 at 1:53 PM
Perhaps we should return to the subject that Graham addresses in his excellent article: The devious and untruthful ways of Mr Chaudhry. (SORRY BUT THE REST OF THIS HAS HAD TO BE DELETED FOR LEGAL REASONS. IT HAS TO THE DISTINCT POTENTIAL TO PREJUDICE THE CURRENT LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MR CHAUDHRY. GD )
“Grubsheet reader”, Francis made comments that were highly defamatory of Mahendra Chaudhry and exposed me to the possibility of legal action. They also prejudiced the current legal proceedings against him.
Unlike Coup 4.5 and a raft of other anti government websites – not to mention my own correspondents – I am not anonymous and need to take heed of such matters. I hope this answers your query.
Graham,
Stop trying to divert attention from the key issue here. Your client, Bainimarama tells more lies in Fiji than anyone else.
If you are not a propagandist and really are an independent journalist then do your job and expose the lies of Qorvis’ client
This posting is about the misrepresentations of a prominent opposition politician. From under your cloak of anonymity, you want to deflect that criticism and that is your right. But in this case, I’d suggest that the best form of defence isn’t attack because the evidence has been laid out and is irrefutable. Happy Mother’s Day.
good stuff
Readers, my apologies for the formatting problems I am again having with WordPress. No matter what I do, I cannot get the normal spacing and continuity of typeface. Everything is compressed into one long screed, which makes it much harder to read. Doubtless the Curse of Edge.
Graham,
You say “the evidence has been laid out and is irrefutable.”
You are either having a laugh or you are incredibly arrogant and you think just because you lay out an argument it is irrefutable.
the common definition of irrefutable is:
impossible to deny or disprove; incontrovertible
The evidence of media freedom in Fiji is far from irrefutable.
The British Foreign Office, the American State Department and an independent organisation have all labeled the Fiji media as far from free.
We have just witnessed the Government stopping a Professor from delivering the keynote address on Press Freedom Day at USP.
Members of the media that I meet with, whether they be publishers or journalists all say the same thing that the media is bullied continually with phone calls from your friend Sharon and your boss Khaiyum.
Something that is irrefutable is that not one member of the UFDF have been invited to appear on a series of talkback shows on FBC. Whereas the airwaves have been alive with Umms, Ahhs and Errrs of our dictator as he tries to explain a document he has nether read nor understood.
I would agree with you that the latest issue of Republika is pushing the boundaries of press freedom in Fiji. And I congratulate Ricardo Morris for his integrity and bravery. We will have to hope that other publishers will follow suit. But even you would have to admit that is the exception and not the rule.
“Economical”, seriously, you are the spinner here, not me. All three examples I gave of Mahendra Chaudhry being economical with the truth are irrefutable.
1/ The notion that the opposition cannot get media coverage in Fiji because of the Government is false. The fact that individual media outlets self censor or academic institutions display timidity is neither here nor there. The front page of today’s Fiji Sun gives coverage to SODELPA saying that the new phase of EVR will benefit it. That is coverage for the opposition.
2/ The notion that opposition parties cannot meet is also false. They have been meeting.
3/ The notion that most of the 19,000 people now receiving social security coverage are to lose it is false.
Please give me the evidence that the Government stopped the USP from allowing Waden Narsey to speak there. Yes, the evidence, not your unsupportable claim. Even if it is true that he was prevented from speaking, you need to demonstrate that it was on the specific orders of a Government official.
The radio talkback sessions on the Draft Constitution were public information exercises. They were not debates about the content. So why on earth would opposition figures be invited to take part? In any event, at the time these sessions were held, none of the former major parties had even been registered to contest the election.
The fact that Republika is publishing what it does refutes your claim that the media is being restricted. Whether or not it is the exception or the rule is neither here nor there. I used this to demonstrate the utter fallacy of your argument. That example stands as a testament to the correctness of my argument, not yours. Yes, but, but, but…..
This foot stomping by the opposition is never ending. But as we are heading for the introduction of genuine democracy, rather than the racially-weighted sham of a democratic model under which your kai vata last held power, I am again obliged to turn the other cheek. You are entitled to your opinion and it gets printed here, in stark contrast to the real propaganda sheets which peddle your own version of democracy like the gutless would-be assassins at Coup 4.5.
The radio talkback sessions on the Draft Constitution were public information exercises.
Errr they weren’t Ahhhh very innnnnnnformative. Errr GET OUT!!!
Very often the information being given by the dictator was quite wrong.
It is not a very convincing argument to highlight our PM’s unique way to speak. Yes there are a few Errrs and Ahhhs when he cannot read a written speech, but does it matter? We should look at the brilliant ideas he has and focus on his vision for Fiji.
Mr Davis is very true.
The Fiji Sun had SODELPA’s comments as its biggest headline today. It also had another letter from Mr Narsey last week.
Like I said before, I think those who keep saying our media are not free are not really reading and listening to the news. They are just repeating what is on the anti-government blogs.
Graham heads up on this opinion piece from Graeme Dobell.
http://www.aspistrategist.org.au/waiting-on-fiji/
Thanks, Tom. This is the Australian version of events, which is invariably always about how difficult it is to deal with Fiji. Never mind how Australia has consistently damaged the relationship with its punitive sanctions. I’ve known Graeme Dobell for almost 40 years and he’s a good bloke. But as the ABC’s former Diplomatic Correspondent, he tends to reflect official Australian attitudes. Interesting to see how he is now in favour of engagement with Fiji. For a long time, he was one of the most hardline advocates of an even tougher stance. The realpolitik, of course, is that Australian policy has failed and Canberra is having to adjust to the painful prospect of accommodation. The reality is that the Bainimarama Government isn’t falling over itself to respond. And Canberra has only itself to blame.
Bula GD. In light of your comment about Graeme Dobell, I’m just wondering if you have seen Dr Scott MacWilliam’s reply to ACTU ref Trade Unions (Aus/NZ) upping the ante on Fiji’s regime? I think there is something on Croz Walsh’s blog about this.
Interesting as some people overseas are now realising that although we all agree that a coup is illegal in any democracy, in Fiji’s case it could really be a coup to bring REAL DEMOCRACY.
There is no media restriction in Fiji.
I wonder how Marc Edge feels now that it is general knowledge that his first year students are the laziest and worst writers that USP journalism has ever seen. They are always late on assignments and have even walked out of class because they couldn’t handle being told to meet deadlines.
Everyone coud see ‘Mr International Standards’ Marc Edge was phoney except his naive and admiring boss boss Sudesh Mishra and his adoring first year student. marc ridicule us second year students. But his students can’t take heat and can’t deliver since he teach them poorly. We seeing it here at USP.