So the new FijiansFirst Party has finally broken cover, though without any mention of what Grubsheet reported 12 days ago – that the man behind it is Frank Bainimarama.
The announcement in today’s Fiji Sun of some of the (proposed) party’s founding members doesn’t include the biggest founding member of all – the former Prime Minister, who can’t contest the coming election because of his 12-month jail sentence and is currently being tried on two further charges, including inciting mutiny in the RFMF.
Did the Fiji Sun delve deeper into precisely who is the guiding force in the new Party? Clearly not because Frank isn’t mentioned at all. Yet rest assured, Fiji. You heard it here first and it is 100 per cent correct.
The only question still to be answered is whether Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is also part of the new grouping, though that presumably depends on the long-awaited verdict in his own trial, which is due to be delivered by the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, on Monday.
It is all a bit strange – the disclosure of a conga line of FijiansFirst (proposed) candidates without any mention that the Party is essentially a reincarnation of the FijiFirst government guided by its two principals – or one principal, Frank Bainimarama, if Sayed-Khaiyum can’t be formally involved.
Also strange is that the President of FijiansFirst is lawyer Tupou Draunidalo, the former president of the National Federation Party, who sat in the parliament for the NFP before leaving to set up the unsuccessful HOPE Party. Talk about a politician in search of a political home. FijiansFirst is Draunidalo’s fourth party after the Fijian Association, the NFP and HOPE, which turned out to be No HOPE, though there is no doubting her integrity .
Strangest of all is that the Fiji Sun identifies the proposed party’s leaders as Tupou Draunidalo and Faiyaz Koya, the former FijiFirst Minister and current independent MP who was closely aligned with Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as one of his oldest and closest friends.
Neither individual – in Grubsheet’s opinion – has what it takes to set the nation’s pulse racing, to have any hope of defeating Sitiveni Rabuka and the People’s Alliance. Or for that matter, to eclipse the former FijiFirst MPs currently still in the parliament, led by Inia Seruiratu, who have formed themselves into another party calling itself People First.
So here’s the thing, Fiji. FijiansFirst is a party in search of a leader. A fresh face. A candidate without baggage capable of capturing the public imagination and taking the fight to the Coalition parties as they wallow in chaos and dysfunction. And to take on the Herculean task of putting the nation on a better footing.
It is a very big vacancy. Yet it is clearly an opportunity for a man or woman with charisma, integrity and political nous to step forward. To join FijiansFirst and have the mana to be acknowledged straight away as the natural leader capable of forging the current also-rans into a winning political force within a matter of months.
The principal requirement , of course, will be the ability to manage Frank Baimarama, and possibly Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and share their fundamental vision for Fiji which won them two elections but was derailed in 2022 by the “power of one” on the floor of the parliament and ushered in the present governance disaster.
None of the current individuals, also in our opinion, has the capacity to inspire the nation and capture its imagination as party head. Why? Mainly because they are established political players who have already failed to cut through and there is no reason to think that anything has changed.
So FijiansFirst is a party in search of a leader. He or she will have to be charismatic, smart and be capable of achieving ascendancy in the parliament and in the country. To have the strength to handle two strong personalities, Frank and Aiyaz, behind the scenes. And to build an alliance with those other former FijiFirst MPs in People First who became estranged from Frank and Aiyaz as the party imploded but who share similar values and are natural partners.
Sounds impossible? “Cometh the hour, cometh the man” (or woman) goes an old English proverb. It means – according to one definition – that “at a time of great crisis or need, the right leader or capable person will appear to solve a problem and save the day. That history produces the necessary hero precisely when a situation demands one”. And, boy, does the current situation in Fiji demand a hero.
We are entering a period of grave danger as the economic fallout from the war in the Middle East collides with the nation’s crippling social problems – of a drug and HIV crisis, a collapse in public confidence, a mass exodus from the country and a national leadership wallowing in dysfunction and scandal.
Who can lead us out of it?
For the right person, destiny awaits.
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The scale of some of the challenge reflected on the front page of today’s Fiji Times…
Tell you what,
There’s a lot of money in politics in Fiji.
Go in, then it’s Fijians last and pockets first.
All the same shi%@&&ts different times.
All the good news from Fiji is little consolation for the regular bad news.
The News 9000 Fijians are HIV positive = 1.0% of population compared with just 0.12% in Australia.
Horrendous embarassment for Fiji.
Lol. Its funny because the corrupt leaders are busy filling their pockets. This so called deeply religious country which considers itself a Christain state by the current government and their racist goons continues to oppress Indians and target Muslims, ensuring they don’t hold public offices.
God is working his miracles by slowly killing the upcoming generation of these natives because they are the ones who lead the infection rates. Yep I said it…call it what you want but this is the truth.
When you have leaders and pastors who preach hate and religious divisions, the guy above will not allow injustice to go unpunished.
HIV aside, the future of this generation of natives doesn’t look bright at all – a reflection of their leaders who have no intelligence in running the nation. The result is these people will have severe mental problems and most of them will continue to feed the prisons system as the hard core drugs consumes their youth, and eventually their lives.
By the way, has anyone checked if Tabuya is on that list of HIV infected persons?
FijiansFirst line up is still better than the corrupt and incompetent buffoons in PAP, the eunuchs at NFP led by head eunuch Baimaan, the SODELPA primates who took a free trip to the genocidal capital of the world IsraHell, and the low life traitors of FijiFirst who sold their souls in exchange for money.
FijiansFirst all the way.
Can we look forward to Grubsheet shortly publishing an ” invite for Expressions of Interest” job description? Perhaps guided by C Northcote Parkinson’s thoughts on the selection process for national leaders.
You could have at least elaborated on C Northcote Parkinson’s selection criteria. I’ll endeavour to look it up.
But I can assure you that I have nothing to do with FijiansFirst and my call for a leader capable of taking the rest of the party over the line under the d’Hondt system of “big man/woman” politics is purely a personal initiative. None of those mentioned are capable of doing so, that’s for sure.
Frank Bainimarama may be able to push the collective barrow from inside or outside prison but FijiansFirst needs a big vote getter like him to have any chance of knocking off Rolex Rambo.
And to think that Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum built the d’Hondt system around Frank in the first place to give them the best chance of winning in 2014. It has sure come back to bite FijiansFirst on the bum 12 years on. Oh the irony.
Be assured Graham I was not thinking you are!
Herewith a link to Professor Parkinson’s chapter
” The Short List, or Principles of Selection”
https://www.geocities.ws/films4/parkinsonselection.htm
A number of Parkinson’s other chapters whilst remaining ever insightful are currently disturbingly pertinent.
If a new Government does come in, it will inherit around 15 billion dollars debt. If say the Coalition remains in power for another 4 years, expect the debt to reach 20 Billion Dollars by 2030.
This is indeed the major dynamic at play.
An individual or government that looks at an insurmountable problem long enough will give up (learned helplessness) and instead just do whatever they can in the situation to save themselves and their family. The poverty or scarcity mindset combined with learned helplessness is a powerful dynamic.
The Coalition did inherit some challenges, but a far stronger situation than there is now, and they did indeed have the circumstances they needed to build a stronger Fiji. I’m not allowing them the excuse of learned helplessness.
FAIYAZ KOYA is, and out to be, that new Leader.
A great pedigree – son of another great leader of Fijian politics past.
I’m afraid this is not a case of like father, like son. Faiyaz Koya is personable enough but he is not a man of the stature of his late father, the NFP leader, Siddiq Koya.
On the contrary, he is arguably a political liability after having used the prestige of his position as a minister in the FijiFirst government to open businesses funded by the drug trade – those owned by the drug dealer, Justin Ho, who is now serving a life sentence for a meth importation worth $2-billion.
It is going to haunt Faiyaz Koya for the rest of his political career. Why? Because at best, it shows zero judgment and at worse, has raised serious questions about Koya’s relationship with Justin Ho.
https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/day-14-4-15-tonne-meth-bust-trial-tuesday-july-1-court-hears-former-minister-opened-business-outlets-owned-by-justin-ho/
People have seen how dysfunctional this lot have been as opposition parliamentarians, which is likely to be their role post elections again.
Mahendra Chaudhry has been the de-facto opposition leader because of how inept this lot are.
Chaudhry and the Fiji Labour Party deserve to be voted in rather than this useless lot. He will do a far better job. These guys don’t have the capability.
Bwana Davis: For once you have it right: the country of our birth needs a charismatic leader. You are too much the child of a missionary father to put your name forward. So let me say what needs to be said:
You ooze charisma. You walk on water, multiply dalo, fish and qari, turn yaqona into single malt scotch. You are the man of the hour. Only you can save the nation.
Oh alright. Where do I sign? As long as I can have the election number 233. Plus some weed and Jack Daniels like the current lot.
No need for any “brutal” knee-trembling now that I’m a septuagenarian. But a gold Rolex would also be nice.
Crikey. If I’m the man of the hour, we really are at five seconds to midnight. I’d have trouble saving myself.
Could have been Faiyaz Koya if he had inherited more of his father’s charm.. but he is falling short tremendously .. career politician ..
I propose Muanikauboy as a leadership candidate.. even with his brief commentary he seems a cut above. But if he is not a natural leader then perhaps in an advisory role to influence the new leader.
A leader is a person who can influence people. Faiyaz is a nice person, down to earth attitude. But he does not have qualities to be leader of a political party.
I wonder if Premila Kumar could be the leader, with support from Aiyaz and Bainimarama from behind the scene. ASK should not be anywhere around the forefront. This will be playing in the hands of Rampuka and Baimaan, just like 2022 election.
Under the current d’Hondt system, any political party needs a dynamic leader. FijiansFirst need an intelligent, non-discriminatory, god fearing iTaukei person.