We now know that seven members of the government – the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, and six of his ministers – were overseas on the Fiji Day weekend. But there is an eighth we don’t know about. And neither, reportedly, did the Prime Minister until he saw him board the same flight to Australia on Saturday.
Rabuka is said to have been startled to encounter the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica, on precisely the same aircraft carrying him to the Fiji Day celebrations in Sydney. And even more startled to learn that Kamikamica’s final destination wasn’t Sydney but Dubai. He would be taking a connecting flight to the UAE on a mission that was evidently being kept secret even from his boss, the PM.
It is already a matter of legitimate public concern that this government would be profligate enough to have seven of its members traveling abroad for Fiji Day commemorations when the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, has been absent in the United States and Britain and the beleaguered Chief Justice, Salesi Temo, had to fill in for him as Head of State at the annual parade in Suva at the same time as Temo is facing allegations of perjury and perverting the course of justice.
Yet it beggars belief – if this story is confirmed – that the nation’s Deputy Prime Minister would be heading overseas without the knowledge of the Prime Minister. It speaks of a government in which disorder has gone to a entirely new level and in which there has evidently been a total breakdown of information-sharing and discipline.
And if the Prime Minister wasn’t told that Manoa Kamikamica was heading for the Gulf, the rest of us haven’t been told either. There has been no government announcement thus far and nothing in the mainstream media. So what exactly is he doing there? We await an explanation with more than usual interest.
Why? Because Manoa Kamikamica is under investigation at FICAC over allegations by the Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry into the Malimali affair that he offered to use his friendship with Barbara Malimali when she was FICAC Commissioner to halt an investigation into one of his ministerial colleagues – the former Fisheries Minister, Kalaveti Ravu.
As part of that investigation, the Deputy Prime Minister’s mobile phone has been seized. And according to a Grubsheet source, investigators have found hard evidence that Manoa Kamikamica lied when he told the CoI, on oath, that he had nothing to do with Barbara Malimali’s appointment and did not intervene with her on Kalaveti Ravu’s behalf.
If true, the potential consequences are self evident and may well account for the Prime Minister’s intense surprise to find Manoa Kamkamica in the same business class cabin as him heading out of the country without first having informed him of his travel plans.
This is obviously a developing story but one that requires a full explanation because it is clearly in the public interest.
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First, a Fiji Times story on the seven ministers absent from the country but not including an eighth departure.
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Now background on Manoa Kamikamica, starting with his claim that he had nothing to do with getting Barbara Malimali the job of FICAC Commissioner.
And what the Supreme Court Commission of Inquiry by Justice David Ashton-Lewis has found.
NOTE:
There is a great deal of background on this saga available on Grubsheet. Just type “Manoa Kamikamica” into the search engine on the right.
Here’s just one of those articles:
This is hardly surprising.
Agni and Biman are in OZ/NZ, almost every other weekend. Agni has the perfect excuse of supporting the PALM workers and his mates, he has hand-picked as Liaison Officers (former Unionists like Diwan Shankar), spare no efforts in hosting him at grog and goat curry parties! Biman of course has his former allies (ex USP, business) etc who use him as an excuse to organise private functions in the same spirit. With Pal back, he may now have a strong ‘paratha partner’ in South Australia.
Of course our i-Taukei Ministers are untouchables, especially under a PM with no balls and credibility. Every man (and woman) and his/her dog is for themselves. Who cares?
Foreign policy is also made on the run as Albanese and his crew waste no opportunity to offer more cheques in return for security pacts, to appease Master Trump. So under the guise of watching rugby or meeting diaspora, these folks now enjoy get away weekends.
Hardly any of these Ministers have offered themselves to give lectures or talk at town hall kind of functions. Ajay Amrit wouldn’t have the brains to even organise something like that. Make hay while the sun shines folks…..
Did someone forget Iferemi Vasu. He was in Sydney as well. Sitting right behind Rabuka. How can these Ministers be deemed patriotic when on such a special day, they all went abroad leaving the common people to celebrate without leaders. (Not that they are leaders or role models anyway). They should explain reasons for these travels.
Of course the PM will turn around and defend MK to hide embarrassment.
Well that makes nine ministers out of the country at the same time. Unbelievable.
We might reach the dozen mark by the end of the day, who knows!
If confirmed, then it demonstrates clearly the DPM’s disrespect and audacity as everybody was aware of the PM’s trip. The DPM would have known too about their shared Saturday flight to Sydney as the PM was at Albert Park the previous day.
(Un)fortuitously, as the country and diaspora were celebrating our 55th independence anniversary over the weekend, the most corrupt duo – Salesi and Biman – were presiding over beloved Fiji. Let alone the absence of over half a dozen of our leaders for celebrations abroad.
The only positive to come out of all this is its contribution to our image as an increasingly corrupt nation once globally reputed and envied as “the way the world should be”. We must bounce back in 2026.
I think the “bounce” has gone out of this country. People are just tired of the inaction of the Prime Minister towards the ministers who are never held to account for their self serving actions and corrupt behaviour.
The foxes are running the hen house, taking liberties, doing as they please, not thinking at all about the people they are employed to represent. Taking unbelievably expensive business class flights around the world when half of the population of this country is living in poverty.
Is this how the ‘world should be’. I don’t think so.
On the contrary, if confirmed, it demonstrates the PM’s faculties are waning as Manoa may have advised him in advance of his travel plans for that Fiji Day weekend and Rolex Rambo simply forgot. After all PM had seven different Ministers travelling overseas at the same time – too much for Rambo’s feeble mind to process.
In Fiji’s messy political storm, Manoa Kamikamica is Cordelia reborn-a guy who’s smart, loyal, but chained to a Lear-like prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, who’s fumbling the crown with flip-flops and scandals. Rabuka’s the buffoon king, demanding blind loyalty while courting chaos, like restoring that naked-dancing Queen or dodging inquiry reports that scream incompetence.
Manoa, deputy PM and party second-in-command, could’ve been the voice of reason, calling out Rabuka’s blunders early-like his dad, who faced down a younger Rabuka with grit.
But nope, he played the sycophant, pledging unwavering support and telling rivals to scram if they want their own party.
Big mistake.
That toe-the-line act? It’s backfiring now-karma’s biting, with whispers of wannabe PM labels and public eye-rolls over the coalition’s instability. He’s tangled in their web, disrespected as one of the enablers, and yeah, come next year’s ballot box, voters might punish him for it.
Courage could’ve crowned him hero; submission’s just leaving him exposed in this sad tragedy.
Oh Fiji, I weep for thee with leaders like this.
Bring back FFP to govern the country I say.
No-one else has the cojones to say so as they all wanted change.
The change they got is crippling the country.
Surprisingly Choron was not celebrating Fiji Day with the great diaspora in Colombia.
As a staffer of one of this minister’s ministries, I am over the daily crap we are facing in our offices. No work is being done as the supreme leader, as Ann Kamikamica says, is overseas building fiji.
It’s time to start coming clean. Firstly, Mrs Kamikamica walks into our offices without notice and demands certain files, progress reports and lectures us in serving the most important Minister and next prime minister.
This is followed by Kamikamica clan Kuta Stanley Simpson – this boci walks around our offices being our best friend while asking about confidential matters. To top matters off, the PS and other senior managers need to respond to these 2 clowns who can’t fit in an aisle due to respective size so they both walk/work the floor at different ends including walking into PS/Directors/ Managers offices unannounced.
Well, Boci Simpson, your TV licence hasn’t been paid for 6 years+ ( your Tv licence should be canceled) – if this isn’t the truth, go onto any forum and prove it, don’t say it, show receipts etc. Make sure the receipts are legitimate.
This Kuta is Manoa’s and Ann’s bitch and he is the culprit who is talking about Manoa as future PM. He ditches PM Rabuka at any opportunity. Minister Manoa has paid him off for “public broadcasting” through PBF ( over $1.5m).
Most of our departments under Manoa have had Indians weeded out to make way for others. If anybody corresponds to this monkey minister, the reply never comes or is limited to hehe yeah response. He is the dumbest baboon racist minister I have worked for – he can’t even write his speeches.
His days are limited together with Ann and Stanley boci Simpson. PM Rabuka needs to act, any investigation in this ministers conduct with grants, contracts, tenders will easily root out this monkey – furthermore, hiring of people based on his wife’s instructions and all his overseas trips need to be investigated – death of a minister soon.
PS – what about the meeting in the minister’s boardroom a few months ago – Ann, Manoa, Tanya and Barbara.
Crikey. This is genuinely shocking. We have heard rumours but not with this level of detail. Vinaka.
And yet the rabid blind nationalistic racists supporters see nothing wrong with any of MK actions, or with the rest of the monkeys in this disastrous government.
Don’t think for a minute the voters will ‘throw them out’ in 2026.
On the contrary, these same monster monkeys with be voted back in with probably larger number of votes.
Such is the Neanderthal-like thinking of the majority of the electorate. We have the most uninformed, unintelligent and under educated electorate this side of the world. Zombies all: Exihibit A: you would be hard pressed to tell which one is dumbest of them all from among Temo, Rolex Sona SLR, the Baboon Justice or prez pedo or Blinky Methanol Jambalaya Bill or Ginger Vasu or….
Thank you for opening up on what has previously been rumoured. You forgot to throw in the mix the close association between Ann and Lola.
Lola? Please explain.
OMG – shocking revelation from Manoa’s ministerial office – NZs most hated Indian, Pramesh Sharma, defending and praising Manoa on his FB – corporate style approach is Mr 20% favourite description of Manoa, he keeps reposting their photo at Eden Park together for whatever reason.
Wait till Manoa and Pramesh share a cell together, maybe a selfie from the inside which your cronies can post on FB – the raid on corporate raider in jail won’t be kind and neither will be the boci raid on Pramesh – these leaches need to be punished for crimes against Fijians.
They are going to lobby for campaign funds.
PAP and Rabuka got their last election funds from the Fijian Diaspora.
The USA Itaukei population gave a huge amount of money to fund PAP in the last election.
And what was Lynda Tabuya doing back in her bonking city Melbourne during Fiji Day?
She was in South Australia. Was she also in Melbourne? Because that would be tempting fate given the illicit drug taking in Room 233 for which she was found guilty by the People’s Alliance and could still be prosecuted by the Victorian authorities.