Leaked correspondence from the Office of the President contains shocking details of the extravagance of the President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, at a time when the national debt has ballooned to more than $11-billion dollars under the Coalition (That’s 11,000 million dollars, to put it another way).
The United Nations holds its General Assembly meeting in New York every September and it is customary for heads of government to attend. Yet for some reason this year, Sitiveni Rabuka has chosen not to go and is sending his chief, the President and Head of State, instead.
Take a look at this, Fiji. The number of people from State House who are going – not only the customary military ADC but the Tui Cakau’s wife, her bodyguard (why does she need one of those?), a “team leader”, the President’s butler, “executive assistant”, his doctor and an extra domestic staff member – a presidential delegation of nine people in all.
As more than half the country lives in poverty, we can only imagine how much all of this is costing – the airfares for the nine and accommodation in luxury Manhattan Hotels, along with food and general expenses.
Even from what is contained in this correspondence, the President’s air fares alone are eye-watering.
It is extravagance on a criminal scale when the Coalition inherited a $9-billion debt from FijiFirst (including the cost of surviving Covid) and has added more than $2-billion to that debt and counting without any national crisis like an epidemic or cyclone to contend with.
Get this: The President not only gets to take his wife to the BIg Apple, but his ADC to stand at attention beside him, a “team leader” to organise the logistics, a butler to serve him drinks, a separate bodyguard for his wife, his doctor to keep him alive, an executive assistance to handle the paperwork and another servant on top of the butler.
WTF? What do the local staff at his hotel do – the army of servants who wait on heads of state in their lavish suites? Or aren’t they good enough for the Tui Cakau?
Like the man himself – a convicted treasonist and accused paedophile – it is obscene. And the sooner the Cakaudrove mafia is sent packing, the better off the Fijian people will be.
And that’s just the staff from State House, Fiji. It doesn’t include the rest of the Fijian delegation to UNGA. And guess who is the most prominent face in that? Yep, the Minister for Bonking and Weed.
It’s time to bring this farce to an end.
When we finally get an election date, Fiji, vote these bastards out.
But what do we care, suckers?
Woo hoo!
This is unbelievable. Our leaders have betrayed us. We are doomed.
Hope someone remembers to take out Travel Insurance for the president. If the aged and frail president falls ill while in the USA and has to receive Medicare there, the costs will be “crippling”. And guess who will end up paying the Mega bill. But then he seems to have quite a few pre-existing medical conditions that might not get insurance coverage anyway.
Great time for the people in the States who were scammed by Lynda Tabuya and her fat busting fake pills to send a protest delegation to “receive” her in NY.
A scamming minister and a convicted treasonist President, and accused paedophile – what a wonderful representation of Fiji.
Fiji voted this Orwellian lot in.
The country deserves such leadership for this very reason
If elections are held, they will elect another lot of Pigs as in Animal Farm.
Nothing will change
The smart money is to leave them to their fate and think of the next generation and relocate if possible
Let’s leave it to the GCC, Rewa,Cakaudrove and Lau to sort out.
Wonder what happens to the West and the commoner ?
Shafted,yet again? Oh well
The country is such a Nirvana for ITaukei surely they would stay?
Graham you are being very unreasonable. Of course the President needs his butler. Who else would know how to mix his gin and tonics? And ‘domestic staff for HEP’ is essential for the slicing of a lemon for his G&T. And they will obviously need to be supervised during this important enterprise by a ‘Team Leader’. How churlish of you to suggest that he should be deprived of such essential assistants!
But you forget that these people are entitled to these privileges. They are iTaukei and this is their land and their government. Vulagis have no right to criticise how the iTaukei run their affairs . These are special people, God’s chosen people.
I hope they are taking enough supply to f nappies for the President. He would stink the whole business class on the plane wouldn’t he?
But GD you did not speak out when he was made a Speaker of the House after the election.
Yeah, I know you made a misjudgement.
Really? I don’t think I could have been more critical of Naiqama Lalabalavu.
https://www.grubsheet.com.au/an-appeal-to-every-mp-naiqama-lalabalavu-is-unworthy-to-be-head-of-state-yalo-vinaka-please-reject-him/
Not that anyone took much notice.
https://www.grubsheet.com.au/happy-halloween-from-miss-trick-or-treat-and-dracula/
That link is about the Head of State not the Speaker position. Are you trying to outdo Wily Wylie?
In anycase, Baimaan was also supposed to “keep the bastards honest”, wasn’t he?
Oh dear (sigh). He’s an accused paedophile and you are a pedant. I didn’t support him being appointed Speaker either.
We need to tighten our belts they said. We need to control expenditure they said. And what do they do… send old peoples home across countries.
WTAF?
I thought it must be a typo when I saw Naiqama’s airfare but it is not. $45K WTAF? 30% (offical stats but I am told it is much higher) people in poverty and yet we see this kind of extravagance.
Pardon my French but this Government including the President should f**k off like yesterday.
This is selfishly careless when a justification cannot be made out in the face of our current financial predicament.
The moment it become obvious this country was not going interested in good governance was the tax holiday.
Who was responsible?
We need a COI in the public interest to make sure this never happens again.
Fiji people have been sold out.
But all the critics forget another thing. When they return from their extravagant jaunt, Fiji will be a better place!!!
When you think about it, the UN will be a better place, because, you know, iTaukei, they bring a lot of good shyte along to everywhere.
Isn’t the woman minister wanted by US officials for some sort of fraud?
I’m not aware of that but there are certainly scores of Mom and Dad investors in America who would love to get their hands on Lynda Tabuya and husband Rob Semaan. Their business went belly-up leaving creditors out of pocket to the tune of more than $100-million Fiji dollars.
It has been well covered in these columns.
https://www.grubsheet.com.au/lynda-tabuyas-pas
Oh yes that’s right, the business going bust… Pity those investors can’t get some sort of stay order for her when she’s there… Guess there would have to be some sort of legal proceeding against her for officials to be alerted and act….
Thanks for highlighting these extravagances.
This is criminal and such glaring examples of how the current mob are abusing the taxpayer funds. In the case of the Presidential delegation, I am sure it is a farewell present from Rabuka before the next election and before his term ends.
Why can’t Tarakinikini read the Government statement?
And what has become of Rabuka’s brief knee jerk reaction curtailing Ministerial travel. That seems to have lasted only days!
Apart from Lynda’s recent global trotting record, doesn’t the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change and GOF see why, she as Minister needs to stay put and oversee the preparations, planning and logistics for the UNFCCC pre COP which is only weeks away. Where are your priorities? I am told the event’s preparations is in a mess, driven mainly by Australia which has allegedly provided all the funding.
Again why does Fiji need people from the capital go to these events, at great cost, when we have our reps in New York and Washington DC.
This is why Baiman Bastard Prasad and his fiscal review committee chairman, Richard the Rat, who is no less a bastard, raised VAT to 15%. To fund this type of extravagance and wastage by ITaukei elite.
Richard, a bitch of a man, gained by the VAT offsetting his firm, Munro Leys client Fiji Water, a 7 year tax holiday. Badia Baiman taxed ordinary people while granting friends like Tappoos major concessions. This included increase in duty-free liquor to three bottles. Yes, this is how Biman was serving the poor .
There are many other corrupt and dodgy practices by Baiman that has yet to surface. Under his watch , Munro Leys got contracts for FNPF and Aspen. Rabuka arse licker Biman has had his comeuppance. This nincompoop’s political career is over and he will take the National Federation Party down with him. As for the vile Richard Naidu, Karma awaits. He may be feeling very smug, but he will not get away.
I’d strongly suggest that expenses for GVT be capped in the annual budget and the local airline which I assume has some GVT ownership provide these seats off book so as not to have a conflict of interest when it comes to public disclosure.
Having said that I would not expect a delegation of leaders of any country to have to fly economy in any case as that is totally unreasonable. Most Gvmnts invest in their own transport but that would be a disaster in FJs case. If the cabin walls of a Fj owned gulfstream 800 could speak it would tell tales best reserved for R25+ audiences.
If you are all so hell bent in complaining about the status quo then rally yourselves by way of vote, wait until Nov and shut up..
Why is unreasonable for leaders to fly economy when the small island country is $11b in debt? Is that not the best thing they should be doing?
What on earth justifies spending this kind of money on travel expenses, when the normal working class person doesn’t earn that in one year?
PM & President should just s**k each other 😁
Highly probably that those prices are retail but not the actual billed amounts. I can fly FIRST class from my location to JFK (16hr NONSTOP) with an airline that is much better than Fj airways for a fraction of the cost (approximately $15,000 FJD). Gvt prob claim the balance as their pocket money for a few coffees and tips in the big apple…Hospitality sector pricing is quite inflated in a Trump era so prob makes sense….lol
It’s no surprise that the robbers who run FJ airways can get away with such pricing…Without the monopoly or desire by better airlines to compete , FJ airways would quickly realize that their fares are pathetic , unrealistic and not worth the service that they actually deliver.
It is their entitlement. The iTaukei have special entitlements in their own land. Do you see any Kaindia on the list? The Kaindia are just paying the bills as they should and they should just shut up as they do not understand how the iTaukei culture and traditions work.
The iTaukei are very special people, unique in the universe. In Australia we call the mentally challenged special people. The iTaukei are all special – ask them.
“It is their entitlement. The iTaukei have special entitlements in their own land”
Let the iTaukei’s pay for it with a levy imposed on them.
Actually not unlike Germany where they allow all the immigrants in to swell the pension coffers….lol whip them into submission, sit back and pick up the cheque!
I’ve always thought it’s a terrible shame FJ can’t find level headed governance with a vein of integrity in them. Look at Singapore…One of the newest countries in the world They practically drained a swap …assembled a bunch of capable individuals and built an economic giant that rivals most large western developed economies…All this in the middle of a muslim infused delta. Just goes to show with a bit of graft the impossible can be achieved.
Can’t say the same for old FJ..They sanctified the lifestyle of the majority of their population a long time ago… You can thank the Brits for that one! Problem is they never really ratified Independence and the architects of that era prioritized profit over nationhood building. If you build a string backbone , nurture it and feed it well you end up with the fruits of labor. That was the blueprint for Singapore. FJ potentially has some of the brightest minds of any tiny island nation in the world. A skill base that could blitz any industry balance sheet globally . It has bones of potential but the mindset of a sloth ! A great country that could be much better.
Perhaps you should have prospected for oil beneath the waves 50 years ago…I’m sure its there! Find a niche and develop a world class supply to meet demand. As it stands your primary industries are dilapidated. There is little desire to aspire to higher standards. Status quo is sufficient. Mediocrity is the menu of choice.
I once heard someone say that the FJ rugby team has the ability to beat any team in the world on its day but they will only rise to the occasion when the opposition is better but they also lower themselves to the meet the standard of opponent if that very opponent demonstrates inferior ability . That would explain all the shock losses over the years to teams like Uruguay, Portugal etc.. when clearly they should have blown them off the park!!!
For me that explains a lot about the mentality of people there. They are only interested in the moment….Nothing else…No forward planning…no sense of ability/potential and no desire to make things happen.
I reckon they should have taken the whole GCC with them. That way the whole world would have seen the traditions and culture of an unelected, revered and useless body from Fiji nad how pathetic they all are. A small delegation of 9 pathetics with a nappy wearing President who can hardly stand up with a sprinkling of prostitute ministers just will not have that great an impact. A delegation of 90 or so idiots would be timeless and would have really put Fiji on the map. I think there may still be time to change the make up of the delegation.
One word springs to mind and it’s a nemesis of the mentality there….”ATTITUDE”
Workplace, sports field, GVT!!! In just abt every nook and cranny you will find that it’s corrosive and pernicious.
I offer the go along as the President’s Spiritual Advisor on this junket. To advise on which Tennessee whisky or Kentucky bourbon for the butler to mix for the Prez.
A Question of Trust and Accountability
Rabuka, his appointed President, his Cabinet and this coalition government have now had ample opportunity to demonstrate what they are made of. They have shown us, repeatedly, how they govern, how they respond when challenged, and how willing they are to stand by decisions when public scrutiny becomes uncomfortable.
At the next election, the question is no longer whether they deserve a chance. They have already had their chance. The question is whether the people of Fiji believe they have earned another one.
For the past few years, taxpayers have watched public money being distributed and commitments being made while ordinary Fijians struggle with the rising cost of simply keeping a household afloat. Government money is not the Prime Minister’s money, the President’s money, or the coalition’s money. It belongs to the people who work, pay taxes and carry the consequences when government spending creates bigger burdens.
And money aside, there is an even more fundamental issue: leadership and integrity.
Flip-flopping on important issues, avoiding straight answers, selectively addressing misconduct when it suits the political agenda, and looking the other way when those in power behave badly are not signs of strong leadership. Holding office does not automatically confer integrity, credibility or competence.
Positions are privileges, not personal entitlements.
Fiji deserves leaders who can be held accountable, who can explain their decisions honestly, and who understand that public office is a responsibility to the people—not a reward for occupying a seat at the table.
Too many in this coalition appear to have mistaken political power for public legitimacy. The people, however, get the final say.
Vakamadua. There should be no shame in admitting mistakes and correcting course. But there should be shame in continuing to defend conduct that falls short of the standard expected from those entrusted with running a country.
And now, regarding this latest expenditure: will the President reconsider the trip in the national interest, or does he genuinely believe the value of his participation justifies the cost to the very taxpayers who are expected to fund it?
That is a reasonable question for citizens to ask.
At the next election, Fiji’s people can answer an even bigger one: have these leaders actually added value—or have they simply been free riders on the public purse?
Again I reteriate the reality of Fiji.
It all begins here;
L – Legalevu
L – Lawakilevu
L – Limuri Tamanilevu
Oelei to come out of it, we need young leaders who think in national interest not vanua politics.
I really hope all the GCC members will be included in the team. They are doing a grand job of keeping Fij divided on racial lines.
Also there contribution towards keeping vulagis out and helping Raphuka elected as PM is unmatched. They truely deserve the reward.
Only vulagis are complaining. It is in our blood, “kana mada nikua, raica mada mataka”. And we hate any itaukei who thinks otherwise…..!
In Fiji , living within your means is for poor people .
The pointy end of the hierarchy shamelessly live off the government purse.
While villages have no running water, this sort of extravagance is immoral.
Even the house girl is going!
And look at the diversity of the group? Not a single indofijian or any other ethnicity in the delegation that is supposed to be representing Fiji!
Rabuka really needs to do some soul searching. Such a group would have never represented Fiji during the Bainimarama era. It always was a diverse group then made up of meritorious individuals of various ethnicities.
So what’s the accommodation and allowances adding up to?
Shameful…….if indeed they have any sense of shame.
Rambo needs to sell Kadavu.