One man and one man alone has the power to decide whether to release the reportedly explosive Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry report on the “rotten circumstances” of the appointment of Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commisioner – the man who commissioned it in the first place, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
Wild rumours are circulating of attempts to stall the release at State House, including the contents being leaked to some of those who have attracted adverse findings. But the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, is constitutionally bound to take his advice from the Prime Minister and if Rabuka wants the report released, it will be released.
Equally wild rumours are circulating that the Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, is taking out a court injunction to prevent the contents of the report from being made public. But if he does, it will only compound the existing case that Temo is unfit to preside over the judiciary. A Chief Justice trying to prevent another judge from doing his job would be unprecedented in Fiji and would trigger a constitutional crisis. As one senior lawyer put it to Grubsheet: “We would be in uncharted waters”.
So all eyes are on Sitiveni Rabuka to do his own duty to the Fijian people to make the findings by Justice David Ashton-Lewis public even if it means Salesi Temo being suspended, Barbara Malimali being removed from FICAC and two deputy prime ministers – Biman Prasad and Manoa Kamikamica – having to face fresh corruption investigations.
We can expect that Prasad and Kamikamica are fighting like scalded cats behind the scenes to prevent the Ashton-Lewis report from ever seeing the light of day. But they, the Chief Justice, Barbara Malimali and others must not be allowed to get in the way of due process. If there has been wrongdoing on the part of anyone, the public interest demands that the wheels of justice turn and they be brought to account.
The mainstream media in Fiji has been disturbingly silent in defending the right of the Fijian people to know what Justice Ashton-Lewis has concluded from his three month investigation that on fresh estimates, has cost the taxpayer up to $2-million. Today, that silence comes to an end as the Fiji Sun front page demands that Sitiveni Rabuka do his duty. Yet in any event, this has all gone too far for the Judge’s report to be suppressed.
Rest assured that whether it is released in the manner it should be – officially by the President acting on the advice of the Prime Minister – or whether it is leaked, the contents of the Ashton Lewis report WILL become public knowledge. And anyone who is seen to get in the way of that is going to pay a very heavy price in the court of public opinion, especially in the lead-up to the 2026 election.
So it is Sitiveni Rabuka’s moment of truth. As the Fiji Sun reports this morning: The nation waits.
UPDATE (SATURDAY):
Obviously spurred into action by other politicians, the official Opposition leader, Inia Seruiratu, finally issues his own statement calling for the release of the COI Report.
Seruiratu gets $200,000 a year plus a house to live in at the public expense. He ought to be on the front foot on such an important issue. Alas.
Dear PM, humble pleas and be humble please.
Please do the honourable and legitimate thing by advising HE to release the report immediately. It was funded by taxpayers and is of utmost public interest. You can still fix lots of broken pieces of the national governance process.
And please take heed too of the advice of your former army colleague and former PAP VP. Great legacy if that is all done and honest eulogies too will be heard, especially inside a house of worship at the appropriate time. Plus Fiji will be a better place than it is today. We will all have to move on somehow. So all eyes and ears are on thee. Ni yalo vinaka sara, ni lomani noda Viti!
https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/step-aside-ratu-naulu-to-prime-minister/
I am waiting for the PM to do some more magic and make the COI report disappear.
Our government is plainly showing that they are not honest. A bunch of disgusting crooks and criminals!
The ball is in Rabuka’s court. Does he have the balls to release the report (pun intended). I doubt it. I used to think he had changed, that he was a strong and fair-minded leader, but I’ve been proved wrong. Sharp in mind, even if old in age—or so I thought. But no: Rabuka is not only old in age, but also feeble in mind. A vain old man who likes to strut around in suits. A man of no substance. No balls either. A coward. Not a good leader but a pathetic one. Like his buddy Baiman, he is totally self-serving. The traitor Baiman let down his people, and the traitor Rabuka let down the nation. The question is: who corrupted whom? Did Baiman corrupt Rabuka? Or did Rabuka corrupt Baiman? There is no question that both are corrupt as f**k, though. Two peas in the same pod.
Spot on Graham, as usual. Thank you.
Your dedication to the cause is truly admirable.
Of course, nothing will happen as this sordid matter will get swept under the rug like always – buried by Temo under a mountain of unsurmountable legalese hogwash, and then stalled at infinitum by his corrupt minions.
And anyway, may all this all be nothing but yet another total waste of time?
If I may elaborate.
We here appear to all agree that Fiji is rapidly going to the dogs and that this racist, corrupt, greedy, lawless and above all: utterly, totally, embarrassingly incompetent bunch of losers needs to be thrown out at the next election.
But having said that, I would argue that all of our impotent weeping and gnashing of teeth, the personal attacks and our often rather parochial nitpicking on this or that detail ultimately only play into Rabuka’s hands.
Because in the big scheme of things, all that never-ending daily litany of pathetic gossip and scandals; abject failures in governance and service delivery; brazen nepotism, cronyism and conflicts of interest; deflections and barefaced lies; and the all-pervasive shameless grift and corruption are not the problem but merely its symptoms, ultimately irrelevant details that continue to prevent us from concentrating on the real issue at hand.
And that issue is the man at the helm.
All could be easily remedied if he had any shred of integrity.
But he patently has none – and consequently, we all need to stop being distracted by all those side shows because our outrage is a total waste of time and changes absolutely nothing as government has amply proven that they could not care less, are impervious to any criticism, completely lawless and amoral, and will totally ignore all of our clamoring – meaning that as long as those folks remain in power, the dreadful shit show will continue unabated.
And with that in mind, we all need to stop fretting about those minor details and instead concentrate all our efforts on the one and only question that matters, and that is
***Who can defeat Rambo and PAP at the next election***
And there, things look dire indeed.
Because if nothing fundamentally changes, they will simply continue to nonchalantly ride out all those scandals and distractions, and comfortably coast to the next election victory – and if, God forbid, those bastards get another term, Fiji will not anymore be the once thriving multicultural pride of the South Pacific but instead become yet another backward impoverished and failed beggar state like PNG or Tonga.
So there.
As per a previous post on this blog, anybody wanting to defeat Rambo will have to be another Big Man who realistically would also have to be an iTaukei.
Anybody come to mind?
• When it comes to the current politicians, they just simply don’t have the required stature, charisma and/or acumen.
And even if anybody did: after all those years of wallowing at the public trough without ever having been held accountable, they are all damaged goods, hollow vessels that have lost any personal integrity and are only in it for themselves.
Plus, take your pick on whether they are also either way too old and senile and/or too compromised, or too corrupt, or too racist, or too arrogant, or too bigoted – or most importantly, just too blatantly incompetent.
In brief, not a single one of them has what it takes to qualify as Fiji’s next leader.
• Same-same for our oh-so-much-revered intelligentsia, i.e. all those parasitical freeloading fat cats from academia, the NGOs and the supranational agencies.
Much like Biman, all they’ve ever done, is to live the grand life on donor money and per diems and if elected, they will continue to do what they are doing now, i.e. contribute nothing useful except for more hollow verbiage, unproductive and wasteful meetings, commissions and conferences, and profligate junkets.
But what we desperately need is actual progress on the ground, and people who are honest and frugal – not more of the brazen plundering of the treasury and bankrupting of the country we are witnessing now!
• And whilst there are plenty of intelligent, honest, driven and competent people of great integrity in Fiji, they are successful and happy doing what they do – and above all, they have something to lose and know better than to risk it all by running for office.
But they might be willing to help save the country if asked politely – not out of opportunism but out of patriotism.
Then, there is the issue of those dozens of new parties.
They are all nothing but stupid vanity projects that have clearly no chance whatsoever to make the 5% let alone win the election. Instead, all they will ultimately achieve, is to help Rambo retain power by splitting and reducing the opposition vote.
In brief, there is no viable candidate anywhere in sight.
And even if there were and even if that person could theoretically win a democratic election, this gang will never concede graciously but instead use their corrupt judiciary to cling to power, much like they’re already brazenly doing now in total impunity – this incidentally very much in cahoots with the equally corrupt and ludicrously incompetent media who have all gratefully accepted their 30 pieces of silver in a stunning dereliction of duty, and are now utterly compromised.
So where will we find the strong, honest, competent, enlightened and charismatic leader Fiji so desperately craves?
I say, if we really want to save our country, we need an intervention by the Military.
Like it or not, admit it or not: the RFMF remain Fiji’s ultimate strongman, arbiter and kingmaker, and those prime ministers and even presidents all merely serve at their pleasure – and with that in mind, only they have the power to stop this madness and put Fiji back on an even keel.
No don’t get me wrong: I’m certainly not advocating for yet another military coup!
What I’m instead proposing is the following.
Instead of taking power by force like in the past: how about this time, the military openly delegate and field a competent and pragmatic management team to run in the next elections.
They would have to resign from the force to be eligible, and then their job would be to form a military-backed party and formulate a comprehensive and inclusive manifesto aimed at putting the country back on the right track: much like Frank’s initial cleanup campaign – but this time not imposed by the power of the gun but instead, by the power of the ballot: fully transparently and legally, and democratically endorsed by the voters.
The aim should be to form a skill-based government of national unity, where the best people for the specific tasks, ideally stemming from the private sector would be invited to join to lead the various ministries, departments, agencies and organizations.
And after the inevitable weeding out of the rot, and given the right a) leadership, b) remuneration and incentives, c) accountability (!) and obviously, d) funding, I’m also confident that the civil service has already more than enough competence and manpower to then execute the given tasks and turn things around.
Not a given mind you: having already lost 150,000 skilled workers = the upper 35% of the workforce, and considering the staggering speed at which those incompetent morons are driving our country into financial and social ruin, cleaning up this bloody mess will be truly daunting.
But it can be done if we all hold hands and set our mind to it.
The good news?
That new military-backed party would win in a landslide!
Whereas the previous government officials and their cronies were at least smart enough to conceal their misdeeds, this current lot is not even that.
By their shameless, profligate and pretentious conduct, they have completely lost the support of the people, as even the most rabid iTaukei hardliners are now witnessing first-hand how nothing whatsoever has improved in their lives but how they are instead getting ever more hopelessly marginalized and destitute whilst their very own leeching so-called elite are brazenly looting the country and enriching themselves at their expense.
And this time, no amount of the usual last-minute promises, cheap trinkets and cash handouts will make them forget that they have once again been betrayed by their very own leaders: conned, used and then cast aside, like what has happened to them every single time those folks have been in power in the past.
With that in mind, I’m convinced that if presented with this alternative that would incidentally carry the implicit assurance of impartiality, honesty, quality, security and stability by the armed forces, the overwhelming majority of Fijians will vote for it, and hand this dreadful lot the conclusive defeat they deserve.
Anybody listening?
I sure hope so – because if not, we are truly and utterly screwed.
A veritable tour de force. You make some great points and let’s hope the right people are listening. Because as you say, this cannot go on.
What a stupid and treasonous idea – we have been a disastrous 35+ years and you still want to use the power of the gun indirectly to safe guard your self-interest
The people have spoken through the illegal 2013 constitution GE 2014, 2018 and 2022 so what else do you expect??
If you are not happy here in Fiji then you have the freedom to migrate else where for that matter – the current is government is trying to amend the two-people kleptocracy regime constitution so that we the people can have a democratic process in place to design a constitution for the people by the people
We are all not satisfied with the current Coalition regime but lets wait for the GE2026 to decide its fate – if you are not happy still, then please stand in the GE 2026 and prove your point. Right now people are struggling to make ends meet and yet you are still trying advocate the power of the gun indirectly to rule – what a rubbish!!
We are all listening but NOT to your treasonous proposal!
@KNH \…trying to amend the two-people kleptocracy regime constitution…./
They have not done well have they now? Trying to replace the kleptocracy with krapitocracy is not better is it now. Can we stop harping back to pre-2022.
Because if you insist the past is our problem then the real a/hole is still here from 1987!!!
And natives adore him for tearing and wrecking the country from which we will never recover.
Oh for crying out loud, Kaiviti – stop drinking the Kool Aid of the ethno-oligarchy!
Do you really believe that the reason the iTaukei are ever more impoverished, and this despite of owning 80% of our natural resources, and of literally billions (with a B!) spent on affirmative action is the 2013 constitution – and not the failed leadership of their parasitical feudal leaders?
C’mon, open your eyes: it’s right there in the open, for everyone to see!
Like many others, I voted for change as Frank was patently getting senile and ASK, simply too arrogant, manipulative, authoritarian and corrupt. Having very much been at the receiving end the first time, I had no illusions about Rabuka’s lot – but my hope was that Biman and Pio would keep them honest.
And boy was I wrong!
That said, Frank’s first few years were stellar – hence my call for a democratic repeat!
Plus, at least those folks had a vision and, gasp, some actual KNOWLEDGE, and the country was on an upward trajectory. Now I cringe whenever one of those garlanded ministers proffers yet another load of idiotic ghostwritten banalities whilst nonchalantly driving us all off the cliff!
Anyway.
You mention the next elections.
So, who do you suggest we vote for – yet another installment of corrupt racist halfwits, or….?
@intervention! Bravo! Well said.
Yes, we are utterly screwed. No question. Up the creek, no paddle in sight kind of screwed
Hoping for the private sector to provide leadership is futile too. While there may be good talent in the business community, politics is not a lucrative business for the best and most successful businesses.
However, businesses in Fiji know government business is very lucrative. And so the business community are the primary source of government corruption.
How bad? Businesses in Fiji have created a little India insofar as corruption and bribes are concerned.
Gold Rolex, gold jewellery, gold pens, finest whiskey and cartons of fine wine, business partnerships, and other expensive bribes keep the government firmly on their side.
The fruits of the business sector bribery and corruption are very profitable indeed.
Suppressed workers rights, artificial concerns for labor shortage to bring in foreign workers, abuse and under pay all workers, keep wages unrealistically depressed, be able to transfer large sums of money to shell companies registered abroad, dodge taxes, under report incomes, operate cartels to price gouge with immunity, and much much more.
The business sector has no interest in buying the pig farm. Instead they find it cheaper operationally to feed the pigs. No need to buy the farm when feeding the pigs helps fatten the bacon for less.
The business community have too much to lose by joining government.
Right now, they have workers unions neutered, labor ministry corrupted (hello Ferris wheel!), and employer’s groups silent.
All enjoying the luxury SUVs paid for by low wage workers and drinking the best gifted whiskey and wine, wolfing down chasers that ordinary workers can only dream of.
The corruption and bribery dollars go a very long way to entrench the business bottom line thank you very much.
As the so called workers rights watch dogs shake their tails with tongues hanging out waiting for the next bone.
@Anon
Hear hear – could not agree more.
Solutions?
A “legal” direction will be issued and using that, the report will either be fully censored or, a heavily redacted version will be released to the public.
It is a lawfully-constituted judicial inquiry. It is not for someone who is adversely mentioned – even if it is the Chief Justice – to censor anything.
The redactions are to uphold the integrity of pending legal proceedings. The important thing is that they have been done by the COI, not the government. And the minute the government does its own redactions is the minute they are on the wrong side of the law.
That is when the RFMF needs to uphold its constitutional duty to defend the well-being of every Fijian. Because that is when our well-being as a law-abiding nation will be under direct threat.
Graham, why are we are pretending that the RFMF are clueless about the contents of the COI, and every other coalition shenanigan that would’ve been a catalyst for a change in administration in any other jurisdiction.
The coalition cancer has metastasized and spread to the RFMF, rendering them a castrated spectacle.
Ricky Stuart called Salmon a Weak Gutted Dog back in ’22 and it reverberates now with Rambo from Shein.
How deep is the shit in Fiji?
Is it enough to drown Biman n Rabuka or do they need to pile some more.
How the COI is dealt with will have a lot to think about the outcome of the TRC.
RBAKU hasn’t come clean about his role in the mutiny and the events of 2000, so I expect him to snake his way away from the COI report into a safe hiding hole where he can remain a disgraced PM until we return to the polls.
What a shit show.
The rfmf has no interest in defending the well being of anyone but themselves.
The rfmf does not care about the people, the nation, the rule of law, nor the constitution.
The bug-eyed tin soldier commander has said the rfmf has no business interfering in political, legal, and government matters.
We all know rfmf is a deeply conflicted and prejudiced entity living large at taxpayer expense.
Even a tiniest iota of trust, faith, or hope in rfmf is sadly misplaced.
The fact that there is a split in the rfmf is an open secret.
It’s not for nothing then that the so-called Defence Minister is gone for 42 days of luxurious travel and tour. He is there to rally the troops to tow the line while he shakes the money tree for 42 days.
Hello… is anyone there? Hellooooo?
No?
Ok, even though nobody is listening, I’ll ask it anyway…
What we really want to know is how a tax holiday was given to Fiji’s most successful company when everyone else has to pay tax?
This is the number 1 scandal. All the rest are just the usual scandals.
Ask Richard ‘I have the means’ Naidu.
After all the COI drama build up and the suspense with us the public, waiting to hear what the outcomes are…. The Prime Minister has the audacity to be flippant in his remarks, as if its his father’s money who funded this drawn-out exercise. What nonsense! all of it
For too long now we have accepted this weak, mediocre, indecisive standard he and his government dishes out to us…
Wheeling and dealing with international partners and political desperados – but all on taxpayer’s money. … masking it all up as “working hard” but seriously, where are the results?
The results have only benefited themselves, their political supporters and personal inner circles. How? with board positions, tax holidays, diplomatic postings and preferential appointments that suit their comfort and agenda. Anyone who dares to ask questions and hold them to account are told to stand for elections ? Excuse me… !?
I am livid at the onslaught of continuous excuses that Government serves us its people, whom it should be serving.
To me, it is evidence of a government that is failing its mandate of change promised and out of its depth, resulting in poor and slow results.
Prime Minister, you need to quickly get over yourself and your over-inflated trust in your capabilities and comprehension, because it is obvious to those of us watching on that the people you supposedly trust are running circles around you and playing games.
This is not about politics or even race or gender ….
This is a fundamental issue of leadership, integrity and accountability…
Something that is lacking as evidenced in the fruit and results of the coalition government
All we hear are excuses, whinging and passing the buck excuses
Man up and admit it. The job is too big for you all… you are over the half way mark through your term and you all still look and sound clueless now , more than you did at the beginning of your term.
We did not expect you Prime Minister and your coalition government to answer all of Fiji’s problems in one term
But we did expect honesty, integrity, accountability and honour.
But what a letdown you have all proven yourselves to be.
BRING ON THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTIONS!
PM Rabuka needs time to read the report!!
He asked for certain sections to be redacted.
Without reading the report?
Amazingly, some got fooled there.
The Ashton-Lewis Report: Emblematic of Fiji’s Governance Crisis and Its Impact on the Vulnerable:
The recent developments surrounding the Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry report represent yet another troubling chapter in Fiji’s ongoing governance crisis – a crisis that continues to exact a devastating toll on the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
The Current Controversy – A Microcosm of Larger Failures:
The explosive Ashton-Lewis Commission of Inquiry report on the “rotten circumstances” surrounding Barbara Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner stands as a perfect microcosm of Fiji’s broader governance failures. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka now faces mounting pressure regarding whether to release these findings to the public. The surrounding circumstances paint a disturbing picture – allegations of attempts to suppress the report, rumours of potential leaks to implicated officials, and even reports that Chief Justice Salesi Temo may seek an injunction to block its release. This controversy follows the deeply problematic initial appointment of Malimali, who remarkably was installed as FICAC Commissioner while herself being under investigation by the very anti-corruption body she was appointed to lead.
This is not an isolated incident. The very institutions meant to safeguard public interest have been systematically compromised. The legal system itself shows signs of deep dysfunction, with Chief Justice Temo previously making demonstrably false accusations against the Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde, claiming he had “stolen” superannuation payments – allegations directly contradicted by evidence from the Permanent Secretary for Finance. Meanwhile, Pryde remains in limbo, unable to return to his post without an assurance he won’t face further baseless suspension.
The Corruption-Poverty Nexus:
The real human cost of these governance failures is reflected in Fiji’s alarming poverty statistics. As of 2019, an astonishing 52.6% of Fijians lived below the poverty line – a dramatic 14% increase from 2013 levels. Over 250,000 people remain trapped in poverty, with rural and remote island communities particularly vulnerable due to limited access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and other essential services.
While officials engage in apparent power struggles and possible corruption, ordinary Fijians suffer. The manipulation of key institutions like FICAC undermines their ability to address corruption effectively, perpetuating a system where resources that should benefit citizens are diverted to serve private interests. The independence and effectiveness of FICAC – once considered a regional model for anti-corruption efforts – now stands seriously compromised.
Systematic Exploitation of the Vulnerable:
The governance failures extend beyond corruption to encompass broader patterns of exploitation. Children in Fiji face heightened vulnerability to sexual exploitation, with poverty identified as a primary risk factor. Family economic pressures, urbanization disrupting traditional support systems, and limited educational opportunities all contribute to placing children at risk.
Similarly, Fijian workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Program have reported serious exploitation, with allegations including “modern day slavery filled with exploitation, racism, bullying, and unsafe and unhealthy conditions”. Following the death of a Fijian woman working under this scheme, the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission launched an investigation into these disturbing claims.
These patterns of exploitation persist in an environment where human rights abuses often go unpunished. Incidents of police brutality, deaths in custody, media intimidation, and censorship have been documented by human rights organizations8. When governance institutions are compromised and accountability mechanisms fail, the most vulnerable segments of society invariably suffer the greatest harm.
The Erosion of Institutional Integrity:
The controversy surrounding the Ashton-Lewis report highlights the alarming erosion of institutional integrity in Fiji. If released, the report could potentially lead to the suspension of the Chief Justice, removal of the FICAC Commissioner, and fresh corruption investigations into two deputy prime ministers – Biman Prasad and Manoa Kamikamica. The alleged resistance to its release from these officials raises serious questions about conflicts of interest and the subordination of public good to personal interests.
This pattern extends across multiple institutions. The troubling appointment of Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commisioner despite being under active investigation by the same agency demonstrates a fundamental disregard for basic principles of good governance. Similarly, the treatment of DPP Christopher Pryde – cleared of misconduct but effectively prevented from resuming his duties through administrative manoeuvring – further illustrates how institutional processes have been manipulated to serve political ends.
Impact on Accountability and Democratic Governance:
The integrity of Fiji’s anti-corruption efforts has been called into question. While Fiji has historically maintained a relatively favorable reputation in addressing corruption compared to other Pacific nations (scoring 53/100 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index), this status is increasingly at risk. The undermining of FICAC’s independence threatens to reverse hard-won progress in combating corruption.
The Imperative for Transparency and Accountability:
The controversy surrounding the Ashton-Lewis report is not merely about political manoeuvring – it represents a critical moment for transparency and accountability in Fiji. Prime Minister Rabuka faces a defining choice: release the report and demonstrate a commitment to public interest or suppress it and further erode public trust in governance institutions.
The stakes could not be higher. With more than half of Fiji’s population living below the poverty line, the misallocation of resources through corruption and governance failures has direct, devastating consequences for the most vulnerable. True reform requires not only releasing this specific report but undertaking comprehensive efforts to restore the independence and effectiveness of key institutions, beginning with FICAC and the judiciary.
Without such reform, the exploitation of Fiji’s vulnerable populations – from impoverished children to migrant workers – will likely continue unabated, sacrificed to the self-interest and agenda of those in positions of power and influence.
Prime Minister:
Prime Minister, you and your government are accountable to the nation and its people. You have used taxpayers’ funds to establish the august Commission of Inquiry. Now is the time to demonstrate true accountability: have the courage to make the report public, and show the leadership required to right any wrongs identified in its findings.
The people of Fiji deserve transparency and integrity from those entrusted with public office. The findings of this Commission belong to the public. Suppressing the report would only deepen mistrust and further erode confidence in our institutions. Releasing it, and acting decisively on its recommendations, will show that your government is committed to justice, good governance, and the well-being of every Fijian.
The nation is watching. The vulnerable are counting on you. Do the right thing-lead with honesty and courage.