Few things demonstrate the growing impotence and senility of the Prime Minister more starkly than his attempt to make political capital out of dispensing with his umbrella in the rain when the rest of the country is desperate to stay dry or get water out of the taps.
Sitiveni Rabuka thinks we are all going to cobo and cry “vinaka” at the sight of our head of government putting himself at risk of catching a chill in the interests of “Fijian” culture. No, Prime Minister. We think you are crazy and reckless when we need you in top physical and mental form to get on top of the nation’s multiple crises.
This kind of cheap, stupid publicity stunt is an act of pure desperation by a man who knows that events are now beyond his control – whether it is failing infrastructure, the mounting drug menace, the mass exodus of more and more of the country’s skilled workers or the almost complete breakdown of discipline in what passes for the Rabuka government.
Here he is on page 2 of today’s Fiji Sun making a virtue of being a complete fool who would needlessly put his health at risk when the country needs him to be 100 per cent focussed. And worse, he expects those around him – his rain-soaked security detail – to also put themselves at risk to pander to his, er, whatever it is.
Ego? Misguided sense of what is right? A longing for the past because the challenges of the present are too difficult to confront? The message seems to be: “Look at me, Fiji. You might be either flooded, trying to dry out your mats or unable to get proper drinking water but get a grip. If you had as much respect as I do for the traditions of the past, you wouldn’t complain. You would emulate me and the next time you see the Speaker of the Parliament and it’s raining, you would pull down your umbrella and get wet.”
Seriously. In 2024, would Sitiveni Rabuka’s High Chief – the Speaker and Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu – expect such a gesture of abject servility from the nation’s Prime Minister? From a septuagenarian – the PM is 75 – at such a risk to his health and well-being? No, I don’t think so either.
So here’s the thing, Fiji. Leave page 2 of the Beijing Sun and go down to the letters page on Page 10 and read the summary of the current state of the nation provided by one Sanjeet Prasad of Labasa. In stark detail, there’s the more plausible reason Sitiveni Rabuka will resort to any stunt at all to avoid the issues Mr Prasad raises.
You can just imagine the thought bubble above the miserable faces of the PM’s security detail. “Kemudou, saka. How is this going to solve the nation’s problems?”
More water on the brain than in the taps.
It is all so mad that we may as well at least be entertained. Gene Kelly channelling Sitiveni Rabuka:
Welcome back grubsheet. Hope you had an enjoyable NZ break.
No umbrellas. Plain stupidity and misguided macho ignorance.
I’ve been waiting for you to come back!! Where is Ben Naliva? Still in Australia?
Vinaka, Tinai. NZ was great. Returning home not so great. Our place got flooded by the torrential rain of recent days in Sydney. So the PM and I have something in common. Wet.
Re Ben Naliva. I will check.
Oh no GD. I wish you well. That’s horrible!
No rush. Get yourself sorted first!
The country doesn’t need a show pony.
Bula GD. Great to have you back. Cheers ????
This the same falla that landed a helicopter in 91 at the BLV in Somosomo.
Same shit
Different day.
Conduka.
Wet Wet Wet
Bula GD. Great to have you back. Cheers
Rabuka “I gave myself the authority to do the coup” always had an ego bigger than his head.
I remember seeing a Fiji times liftout in 1992 with Rabuka giving a fashion show of photos posing like a model in gardens during one of his first overseas trips as PM.
Biden 80 years old is fitter than Rabuka yet Rabuka models himself as a gym bunny. Most of his tax payer paid time is taken on personal branding development.
The guy is more about himself than public service. The only thing going for him is he doesn’t have any sons who are like the other recent PM’s sons. One such person lives in Auckland, unfit and old with no chance of making it back to his Fijian home. Spends his time belittling Fiji and its people.
If theres one thing I learnt by being a teacher is that some people will never learn, or will not themselves learn. PM is one such person.
What a dumb photo. I dont know what he’s trying to gain while when in Suva, his motorcade is a sight to behold. He ditches the umbrella. He could easily get pneumonia from that rain and for sure infections aren’t old men’s friends.
Work for the people Mr PM and stop making a fool of yourself. This also applies to all politicians in Parliament, more so on the government side.
PS.
GD I missed you so much. Didn’t have anything to read over the last several days. Glad you are back.
What a whole lotta farce! Trust the PM to resort to such cheap publicity stunts to divert attention from the escalating rot we’re facing. Deal with the crisis country is grappled with and for an old man stop putting your health at risk by being soaking wet in the rain.
When Rabuka lost elections in 1999, he would have been in his early 40’s! Did he have any job after that? No! His claimed publicly that when his pension was stopped by Bainimarama, he resorted to collecting used Coke bottles to earn a living ! That should have told all Fijians of his capabilities !! None! Not an Entrepreneur, has no formal professional qualifications other than Military ones and no good record as a politician either !
That’s why we will only have a PM showing us his shabby body whilst trying to lift weights, and one who walks in the rain as opposed to getting off helicopters in Somosomo and even the North during the recent campaigns !
E sa sega tu ni kila na Nona dau lasulasu ni sa Levu vua na sesewa! Sa kora vi kea!
We missed you GD and welcome back ????
Isa, the Priminisita is such a traditionalist for ditching the umberella so that he does not cause offence to his chief. Isa, such a humble man.
I wonder why then does he wear vulagi suits and travel in fancy cars. He should go bare chested, bare feet and walk – and ditch the vulagi god as well.
But then, the guy is a well known crackpot so he wants to have the best of both worlds and only when it suits his purpose.
The people of Fiji are truly blessed to have such an experienced and charismatic leader who will put food on people’s tables one day.
Dancing in the rain maybe. Senility kicking in, rain bath, that Fiji is blessed with torrential rain year in and year out. Who knows what’s that’s supposed to mean.
But the ignorant half educated PM doesn’t know that Fiji rain is probably more acidic than China’s. Eu.. da mai leqa vei na kai Drekeniwai maca nona wai.
U guyz are just jealous. Rabo will be the first and only PM to get all Vanua Levu roads tarsealed and bridges fixed thanks to the Chinese, and the Vanua Levu people, the 14% of Fiji’s population who haven’t migrated to Viti Levu and who live there will love him for it.
Oh please…..can he please tar seal the roads in Viti Levu as well using someone where the tar sealing won’t have to be redone after every drop of rain? Nasau road and bridges on the same case in point. Sabeto, Vuda, Saweni, Lomolomo, Viseisei -Nadi in general-a place where tourists bring in a much needed boost to the economy-the roads are shameful.
Think Fiji as a whole -not just your little corner.
It’s actually laughable to see the potholes being filled and refilled, filled and refilled, filled and refilled. Predictable and plain stupid. If the job was done correctly in the first place then this constant repair work would cease. The Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank (again). And don’t dare tell me they are doing the work as a charitable good deed. There’s a hook in everything they do.
Absolutely disgusting and downright dangerous.
Jealous. Not a bit. Angry? Absolutely.
Ps. GD. Where’s Ben?
The look at me showbiz continues.
One day he is planting.
Next day collecting bottles.
Then throwing a Casanova I love my wife video.
School prefects induction he takes a chance to write about himself.
Then this.
Me me me. Look at me.
Meanwhile Fijian kids row the bilibili in the rain to school.
Get over the fancy look at me and do something real. Ffs
1 down, 1 to go!
We pray that the Reverend Doctor will declare next month, May, as the month for prayer against adultery in Fiji.
Methodist Church President calls for prayer against drugs in Fiji https://fijionenews.com.fj/methodist-church-president-calls-for-prayer-against-drugs-in-fiji/
Yep that was err stupid. Putting an old man at risk of getting sick all to placate another old man. This culture thing should also evolve with the times. Some mannerisms and nuances of iTaukei culture are so backward.
And hopefully no turtles were killed in the festivities. At least I’m safe on a nice back yard with a view in small NZ, hehe.
King Seru Cakobau was a clever taukei , gave Viti to the rulers of the world back then .
The Queen was fed up of us as she saw that we had some troublemakers lurking in the horizon .
We should just do as King Seru did and give this land to whoever wants to rule the world.
There is just too many drunken masters leading us nowhere .
The Chief was wearing trousers, not a Fijian Sulu.