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Fiji puts own soldiers' lives in peril in Golan Heights

8/7/2013

By MICHAEL FIELD

In a startling amateur fashion Fiji’s military regime has put its own peacekeeping soldiers in grave peril by revealing which side of the Syrian conflict they support.

The revelation comes in an inept story on state Fiji Broadcasting which has Russia promising the 500 Fijian soldiers on the Golan Heights full support in Syria. Russia backs and arms the Bashar Hafez al-Assad regime which is being opposed by an array of rebel groups. Much of the Golan Heights is under rebel control and they will now learn, via Fiji Broadcasting’s Internet site, that the Fijians are with the Russians.

The Fiji Broadcasting story says Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medevdev has endorsed and promised assistance to Fijian troops in the Golan Heights.This was confirmed by Fiji coup leader Voreqe Bainimarama in the Solomon Islands, and a week after his visit to Moscow to watch the Rugby Sevens World Cup. Bainimarama thanked the Russian government for the support.

Russia says it stands by Fiji. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a strong backer of the Assad regime, singled out Fiji's contribution to United Nations peacekeeping efforts and the recent deployment of the first 182 Fijian troops in the Golan Heights as an example of Fiji's continuing commitment to engage with the international community.

Click to see full video HERE

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WHERE IS THE KHAIYUM CONSTITUTION? "In order to stick to September 2014 election timeframe, we need to have the constitution in place fairly soon because there is a lot of work that needs to be done in preparation for elections." Khaiyum, April 2013

6/7/2013

2 Comments

Thanks to http://discombobulatedbubu.blogspot.com/2013/07/taki-arse-has-posted-yet-another-press.html for the 100 faces picture.

Darling Grubby,

It has been fun working with you and the boys from Corevice improving the media presence of the Glorious Leader and the True Leader. That new camera that records facial expressions when the subject lies is amazing.

Did you notice it never stopped taking pictures the whole time FAG (Fijian Attorney General) was speaking? I have attached a clip of one short sequence and in 30 seconds it recognizes over 70 lying expressions.

Grubby if the picture above does not move have a look a the video version.

Click Here for Video Version

Talking of Lies, we need to brush up our excuses for trashing the Ghai Constitution. At the time we said it was so cumbersome it would take months to re-write the draft which would delay the elections in September 2014. We needed to have a constitution in April 2013 if we were to meet the timetable.

I quote from your web site Grubby Sheets:

“(a) Proceed with the Ghai blueprint and send it to the Constituent Assembly as per the original plan. The problem with this was that the Government feared many months of intense argument over its provisions, a delay to the proclamation of the final document, a delay to the start of the political phase of the election countdown and perhaps even a delay to the election itself, taking it beyond 2014.”

And here you go into even more detail:

Confused, I will try to leave you less confused. Senior Government people have told me they were concerned that because the Ghai Draft was so complicated, it might take up to eight months to debate some of its provisions, assuming that the Constituent Assembly is made up – as promised – of people across the political spectrum. This would have pushed the constitutional/ election timetable back until August. Then the political phase would have begun far too late to guarantee that an election could be held before September 2014. Remember,everyone would have been starting from scratch – parties, candidates, election arrangements and a formal campaign.

The Prime Minister is determined to deliver on his promise of a democratic election before September 2014. Can you imagine how the international community would react if he didn’t? Already lots of people are saying there isn’t enough time as it is. The Government assumed that the Ghai Commission would come up with a reasonably compact constitution that could be considered by the people’s representatives quickly. When that didn’t happen, it made the case for overturning some of the Draft Constitution’s provisions even more attractive. Hope this goes some way to addressing your confusion.

Here we are in July 2013 another 4 months on and there is still no sign of the constitution. I know the Glorious Leader has been too busy with his holidays to even look at the draft constitution. Where has he been since April. France 2x, USA, New Caledonia, PNG, China 2x, Russia, Middle East Etc. Etc.

He earns more on his Per Diems in a month than I earn in a year on my salary. Just as well like you, I can supplement my income by having product placement in the Ministry of Miss Information Pictures and Videos. Toyota has been paying me well and I need to renegotiate my deal with Fiji Water.

Hugs and kisses

Shazzer

This is to inform the public that this letter is a piece of fiction. However, some of the people and events mentioned are real.

Thanks to http://discombobulatedbubu.blogspot.com/2013/07/taki-arse-has-posted-yet-another-press.html for the 100 faces picture.

2 Comments

Cash-strapped Fiji Government pays for ‘gold-and-diamond-encrusted sledgehammer’ Hong Kong barrister to try to crack jurisdiction issue in Dr Mere Samisoni case; DPP asked to drop dangerous driving charge

3/7/2013

12 Comments

Clive Grossman brought from Hong Kong

York, England, 2 July 2013 - Supporters of former parliamentarian and businesswoman Mere Samisoni have expressed astonishment that the military-run and increasingly impoverished Fiji government has paid for one of Asia-Pacific’s most sought-after and expensive criminal barristers to argue an obscure point of law in a Suva courtroom. London-born Clive Grossman – both a Queen’s Counsel and Senior Counsel in Hong Kong – appeared last Friday (28 June) for the government prosecution, to argue before the country’s Chief Magistrate that stay applications should only be heard in Fiji’s High Court.

Grossman’s surprise involvement came as lawyers for Dr Samisoni were appearing in front of Chief Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili’s Court on Friday seeking a stay proceeding against the single count of inciting political violence that Samisoni and two others face, and arguing the Magistrates Court had complete jurisdiction to order a permanent stay.

Her family allege that the charge against Dr Samisoni – who founded the popular 30-store Hot Bread Kitchen chain before turning to politics where she won the Lami Open seat on the outskirts of Suva for the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua party (SDL) - is politically motivated. Dr Samisoni has been a tireless and outspoken critic of the regime of military strongman Frank Bainimarama who led the December 2006 coup that unseated the SDL government.

Chief Magistrate Ratuvili has said that the stay application would be reserved until August 6 when he will deliver his decision. ‘It seems absolutely incredible that the Fiji government should involve a barrister of Mr Grossman’s expense to argue this point,’ said a family statement issued on behalf of Dr Samisoni, a grandmother of twelve. ‘The prosecution’s whole conduct has been about defending the indefensible with their limitless budget and a desire to abuse the legal process to dupe, delay and deny their political opponents.’ ‘Talk about using a gold-and-diamond-encrusted sledgehammer to try to crack a nut.’

Dr Samisoni was first arrested in December 2011 and charged a month later along with former SDL parliamentarian Mataiasi Ragigia, and Apete Vereti and Semisi Lasike. Ragigia died in October last year without having the chance to prove his innocence. Grossman’s earning power as one of the pre-eminent criminal barristers of his generation stands in stark contrast with the court system in Fiji, which reflects the deteriorating state of the country’s public finances. By contrast in Hong Kong, renowned barristers like Grossman could charge between HK$10,000 (FJD2,500) and HK$50,000 (FJD12,000) an hour just to study documents.

Last year Grossman represented Raymond Kwok, one of the brothers at the centre of the conspiracy and corruption charges filed against Sun Hung Kai Properties. The Hong Kong Standard reported that the main lawyer to brother Thomas Kwok was retained for three years with an annual fee of HKD30 million (FJD7.4 million).

But Grossman made his name helping the late Nina Wang win a legal battle for control of her late husband Teddy Wang Teh-huei's Chinachem business – after he was kidnapped in 1990 and declared legally dead in 1999. At the time of her own death in 2007, her estate was said to be worth HKD40 to 50 billion (FJD10 to 12 billion).

The Samisoni family believe Fiji’s military regime’s big splash on legal counsel like Grossman signals the prosecution’s intention to find Samisoni guilty – whatever the cost – and then demand the state’s legal fees are paid by the defendant in an attempt to financially cripple one of Fiji’s few indigenous success stories. ‘This represents an abuse of process, and an abuse of civil and political human rights,’ stated the family.

2. Dr Mere Samisoni Seeks Stay on Grounds Of Abuse of Process and Human Rights.

Dr Samisoni’s on-going stay application before Chief Magistrate Ratuvili has been further delayed after Defence QC Peter Williams had to argue a jurisdiction point on Friday 28 June.

Hong Kong QC for the prosecution, Clive Grossman, submitted that the practice in Fiji was for the High Court to hear stay applications, where Williams had argued that Fiji’s Magistrate Courts indeed have legal jurisdiction to hear stay applications, based on Fiji and international case law, and questioned why Fiji would be only country not to grant its Magistrates the power to order permanent stays. Williams also made the point that the law takes precedence over an illegal custom and simply practising something did not make it lawful.

The decision for whether Magistrate Courts can hear stay applications was reserved until August 6 when Chief Magistrate Ratuvili will deliver his decision.

In and out of Fiji's legal system

Dr Mere Samisoni

3. Fiji DPP Asked to Drop Charge Against Grandmother MP

In a separate development, dangerous driving charges against Dr Samisoni could finally be dropped after magistrate Lashika Fernando asked Dr Samisoni’s lawyer Heeni Phillips to write to the Director of Public Prosecutions to obtain their consent.

Phillips contended in court on June 27 that the manner in which Dr Samisoni was arrested in August last year was both unlawful and illegal and noted that the alleged accident resulted in no damage to either of the cars involved, and questioned why it required eight policemen and three police dogs to bring her into custody.

The car following Dr Samisoni is believed to be driven by an officer from Fiji’s anti-corruption body, FICAC, which was set up after the military coup, and has been criticised in many quarters for hounding opponents of prime minister Bainimarama.

The court was told that after her arrest Dr Samisoni was driven from one police station to another for three hours, and repeatedly questioned despite her New Zealand-based lawyer insisting that police respect her right to maintain her silence.

The dangerous driving charge is due to be heard in Court on July 11.

A statement released today (2 July) by the Samisoni family said:

“The manner in which Dr Samisoni was arrested on 3 August 2012 was unlawful and illegal. The police did not give her reasons for arresting her. They could not provide reasons either to New Zealand legal counsel.

Any female, young or old, in Suva should certainly worry about their safety if the DPP does not withdraw this charge as it certainly gives the appearance that DPP are complicit in anti-woman practices, are in favour of illegal police arrests and illegal joy riding around Suva with females who have been detained illegally. Prior to advancing their prosecution they should have taken into consideration Dr Samisoni’s age and the minimum standards of legal process for the police operation.

Eight police on the back of a police truck, including three police dogs, took Dr Samisoni on a joy ride of Suva for approximately three hours before informing her she was to be charged with dangerous driving.

The charge too is a fiction. The person who should have been charged was the FICAC officer who drove at high speed behind Dr Samisonis car, endangering public safety. He veered onto a side footpath to avoid ramming Dr Samisoni’s car and continued on at high speed. It is noted that certain "legal" people in the FICAC car have different versions of what occurred.

Back at the Police station the officers then questioned Dr Samisoni, ignoring her legal counsel reiterating that Dr Samisoni would be maintaining her right of silence. Police also kept repeating the same questions for a number of hours.

Police then illegally took her mobile with the aid of a search warrant containing false and erroneous information. Police stated Dr Samisoni had falsified documents according to the search warrant. This was a complete lie.

Dr Samisoni appeared at Suva Magistrates Court last Thursday (27 June) where Heeni Phillips, barrister from New Zealand, asked Her Worship Fernando for a stay of the charge or in the alternative withdrawal of the charge.

The Magistrate suggested Ms Phillips write to the Director of Public Prosecutions to obtain their consent before the matter returns to Court 11 July 2013.”

An indigenous success story in Fiji

Minting Legal Connection: Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum's Hong Kong Lawyers and Fiji

Judge Madigan

Elizabeth Yang

Gerard McCoy

Michael Blanchflower

Clive Grossman & Blanchflower are in Parkside Chambers

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The Bumbling Buffoon: Bainimarama fails to recognize Russian PM and ends up shaking hands with interpreter instead. Fiji's dopey "Mr Bean"

2/7/2013

8 Comments

ITS THAT MAN AGAIN:
Bainimarama curse struck
Fiji 7s team -
his support spelled doom in Moscow

8 Comments

The Current Fiji Coup: The Course Ahead by Sitiveni Rabuka. He says Fiji is turning into "a nation of parasites because of a culture of spoon-feeding and vote buying"

1/7/2013

9 Comments

Rabuka speaking at Otago University

Paper delivered at the UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO FOREIGN POLICY SCHOOL

Pacific Geopolitics in the 21st Century

“…I believe that the Dictatorship will not succeed, that the future belongs to democracy and freedom.”

(Edward Shevardnadze, former Soviet Union Foreign Minister, 1990)

FOR FIJI, THE FUTURE BELONGS TO FREEDOM

WHERE WE ARE

In October 2012 I made a personal submission to the Commission appointed by the Interim Military Government of Fiji and the Commission was headed by Professor Yash Ghai.

I made the Submission based on three Assumptions:

1.    That the Bainimarama Government shall ‘adhere to the Constitution’ as stipulated to the writer in Commodore Bainimarama’s letter dated 14 May 2007;

2.    That the Constitution referred to in the letter of 14 May 2007 is the one officially known as the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1997 of the Republic of the Fiji Islands; and

3.    The Peoples’ Charter for Change, Peace & Progress is to be an integral character of the future governance for the Republic.

All these Assumptions have been proven wrong.

The Commission’s Report has been trashed by the Interim Government who have come up with their own Draft Constitution which, to date is still to be promulgated by Decree.

The National Voters’ Registration which was closed sometime last year is being resumed with the Government repeatedly assuring the Fiji public and the International Community that General Election will be held in September 2014.

Commodore Bainimarama, the Interim Government Prime Minister has said he will contest the Elections, but has not formed a Political Party. This is in spite of the fact that he had made it known that neither he nor any in his Cabinet would contest the General Election.

The Political Parties in Fiji have had to make some changes to adhere to the new Regulations decreed into place by the Interim Government. These have not been easy, but it is encouraging to note that all have tried to comply with the requirements of the Decree, albeit grudgingly.

There are voices of dissent that the Decree and the Draft Constitution militate against the concept of free and fair democratic elections, but we must remember that the 1992 General Elections that my party won was run in accordance with the 1990 Constitution and its Electoral Provisions which were not what one would class as based on the basic tenets of free and fair democratic elections. It, however, allowed ‘the people’ to elect their own representations into Parliament where they would have the people’s mandate to amend and correct any anomalies in that Constitution and its Electoral Provisions in a Democratic way.

The result of the first elections under the Fiji 1990 Constitution was the review of that Constitution, in accordance with the Constitution Review provisions of that Constitution. The Review of the 1990 Constitution was undertaken by a Commission headed by one of the then Pacific’s most respected learned leaders, the late Sir Paul Reeves a former Archbishop of Wellington and former Governor General of New Zealand.

The Sir Paul Reeves Commission recommendations were reviewed by a Joint Parliamentary Select Committee which produced the Constitution Amendment Bill which I as Prime Minister moved in the House, seconded by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Jai Ram Reddy who after our elections defeat in 1999 became President of the Fiji Court of Appeal and later, a Judge in the International Court of Justice which presided over the Human Rights Abuses and war crimes hearings in Rwanda.

That Constitution Amendment was enacted by the Parliament of Fiji when it was unanimously passed in both chambers and assented to by the then President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on 25 July 1997, exactly seven years after the promulgation of the 1990 Constitution which had the mandatory Review Provisions that it be reviewed within seven years after its promulgation on 25 July 1990.

The Preamble of the 1990 Constitution contained, among other things the history and evolution of the Constitution of Fiji from 1970 to 1987 then described the fount of the authority by which the then President, Ratu Sir PenaiaGanilau decreed the Constitution into Law with the words;

“…IN EXERCISE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN ME AS PRESIDENT OF THE SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF FIJI, AND ACTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ADVICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE CABINET OF THE INTERIM GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI, I HEREBY DECREE AS FOLLOWS…” then followed the Chapters, Sections and Provisions of Fiji’s 1990 Constitution. Among the Sections was Section 161 on the Review of the Constitution which stated; “This Constitution shall be reviewed after a period of time but before the end of seven years after the promulgation of this Constitution. Thereafter, the Constitution shall be reviewed every ten years.”

The Preamble of the 1997 Constitution which was the result of the review stipulated in that Section 161 had these words:

“WE THE PEOPLE OF THE FIJI ISLANDS, etc., etc.

WITH GOD AS OUR WITNESS, GIVE OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

As the executor of the Military Coup of 1987, I can say that the re-democratisation of Fiji was not completed until ‘We the people of Fiji’ gave ourselves that Constitution of 1997. That Constitution has been claimed by the Interim Government of Commodore Bainimarama to have been abrogated by the post-2006 coup President of Fiji in 2009, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, although the declaration by the Fiji Court of Appeal that the abrogation is null and void stands unchallenged.

That Ladies and Gentlemen, is where Fiji is as we are told that a General Election under a new Constitution and its Electoral provisions yet to be promulgated – 15 months short of the promised elections date.

When we look at Fiji’s Constitutions and Elections, we find that the first General Elections under the October 1970 Constitution was held in May 1972 – 18 months after the adoption of the 1970 Constitution.

The 1990 Constitution was promulgated on 25 July and the first election held under its electoral provisions was in May 1992 – 22 months after it came into being.

Fiji went into the 1999 Elections in May, 22 months after the enactment of the 1997 Constitution Amendment Act and its electoral provisions with the result that the main architects of the Bill were thoroughly defeated in that election.

We are now into Voters and Parties registration mode, but the political party in which the Interim Government may want to continue to fight for the Fiji they are trying to promote has not been formed or registered.

In the meantime Fiji continues to consolidate its favour with new-found political ideology sympathisers, especially China, of whom we heard a lot yesterday from Professor Terence Wesley-Smith and during the launch of the book on ‘China and the International System: Becoming a Great Power’.

THE COURSE AHEAD

I started my address this morning with a quotation from Edward Shevardnadze declaring that ‘the future belongs to freedom’. In his autobiography he was not only writing about his native Georgia, but also the then Soviet Union and also the struggle his Georgia was having in the face of increasing political pressure from the Soviet Central Command which had taken a very dictatorial and oppressive attitude to people, opposing ideologies and member states since the Khrushchev era.

The Fiji situation is not dissimilar but on a different scale, magnitude and profile.

The people of Fiji, particularly in the rural areas and most of whom are indigenous Fijians, now politically correctly called Itaukei, have been promised and in some cases have seen better infrastructure development and improvements. Their land have been pooled into a Government Land Bank for government to promote the development and usage of for promised better return to the Landowners. Some new mineral mining and exploratory developments have been started since the Military regime took over in 2006, some in dubious land transactions outside the ambits of the statutory Native Land Trust Board, set up in the 1950’s to safeguard native land ownership while also making land outside of immediate support and maintenance requirements of the landowning units, available for national development projects like mining, tourism, infrastructure, electricity generation and the expansion of urban boundaries. There is now duplication or a parallel in processes for the acquisition of land for development and the protection and benefits assurance are not harmonised.

Some landowners are confused, while some are still hopeful things will turn out right.

In the meantime, the countdown to elections continues.

There have been no elections since the military government took over – municipal, provincial or national. Apart from sporting bodies and Trade Unions, all new office bearers of any note has been appointed. In recent weeks there have been pictures in the local newspaper of the Minister responsible for Elections with Diplomats of some countries at what was reported to be briefings on the Elections programme progress and also about soliciting funds to finance the promised elections.

Some of these countries including New Zealand had contributed funds for previous so-called progressive programmes towards democratisation which have been aborted or trashed by the government.

Many in the business sector were very supportive of the military regime in the early months and years of their taking over government. As repressive Tax, and assets regulations and media and religion control worsen, their sentiments changed and favour diminished.

The government’s attempt to force unity has resulted in more rigid sectarianism and polarisation into pro government and anti-government political blocks.

Because of the absence of true media freedom, reports in the pro-government media cannot be fully credible while the fearful ‘neutral’ and not government supported media cannot be bold enough to be credible also.

Social media and blog sites are full of allegations against government and also those prominently opposing government. In these cases, I have used my exposure in the social media as a bench mark, I have found more inaccurate and totally false information about myself in the few mentions I get to make me totally discount the things I see in these avenues. There are some credible sites which openly declare their authors and not use pseudonyms, but in many cases, these too are politically biased depending who bought the bread that is on their table.

The government’s attempt to weaken or even dismantle indigenous institutions and customary values have forced the new nationalistic wave of sentiments now moving towards legitimate and internationally ratified conventions for the protection of indigenous and first citizens’ rights.

The current impasse between the interim government and the Methodist Church and the dissolution of the Council of Chiefs are two factors the indigenous people will not easily forgive nor forget. The brutality shown in the early months of the regime’s rule will remain in the memory of many generations to come.

International pressure on the interim government to honour internationally acceptable values have come unilaterally from the governments concerned rather than on lobbying by Fiji dissidents living in or out of Fiji. Even with the cool diplomatic relations between Fiji and its former friends, the UN continues to call on Fiji to provide peacekeeping and truce monitoring troops in the troubled spots of the Middle East, representatives of these former friends continue to promise aid toward elections even after the let downs in the past which include the trashing of the internationally funded Yash Ghai Commission report and draft constitution.

I have picked these points to try and establish the current situation in Fiji.

All the points I have highlighted cannot be easily seen, unless one has a natural intuition of the nation and its breath of life to be able to discern what is hidden from view.

In order to be able to think of the Course ahead, we need to understand the current situation which will affect the future movement of the country.

Liberty is a yearning of each human heart. Development is relative.

In my limited reading about some men we can call ‘shakers’ of world events, I have been impressed by the man I quoted in the beginning of this presentation, Edward Shevardnadze.

He saw the problems that existed in his country as I see the problems in mine.

He saw that the economy in his native Georgia ‘was weakened at its most crucial point, the workers’ standard of living’. We also see this in Fiji where Government has had to build personal homes that were destroyed in cyclones. It is a way of spoon feeding and vote buying that is not only corrupt but also dehumanising in that it erodes a man’s pride (or it should) and sense of responsibility for his wife children and future generations.

Fiji is in that mode now and if things are not changed soon we will have a nation of parasites living happily ever after in the happy isles.

GENERAL ELECTIONS

While we await General Elections, we also await the assets declarations promised by Cabinet Ministers. It would be more transparent if assets acquired since December 2006 only are declared.

Judging from the government supported and the independent but fearful media, the interim government is enjoying words of support from some chiefs and community leaders in the rural areas and some captains of industry. Interestingly, most, if not all of these were right there with me in 1987, with Chaudhry in 1999, with George Speight in 2000 and with Qarase during his term from 2001 to 2006.

Some of Qarase’s stalwarts have now been reinforced by some victims of the interim government to form the core of the new Social Democratic liberal Party. Some of the other parties are prepared to work in concert with SODELPA and fight the elections as a United Front, and there are also those that have said they will not join a united front.

All these parties should realise that in an election where there is no transferrable preferential vote, all other parties are against your chances of winning. And when you are not party to the formulation of the rules and conditions of the election, your chances of winning are further eroded.

The pro interim government party will have difficulty winning a fair and democratic election.

Following my presentation, my namesake Doctor Sitiveni Ratuva will tell us what to expect.

Maybe the organisers should have also invited Doctor Sitiveni Halapua and the three Sitivenis of the Pacific can put on a joint seminar on the how to and how not to change governments in the Pacific.

But for now the Course is clear, elections then democratic and Parliamentary re-engineering of our laws and the Constitution.

But as the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, mentioned in his soliloquy ‘Aye, there’s the rub…’ for in that re-engineering what safeguards for self-preservation the interim government has put in place could be dismantled.

What their assessment of their chances of escaping a democratic audit of their performance in the period 2006 to 2014 will eventually determine whether there will be a fair and democratic election or a pre-determined result election.

In the meantime, Fiji needs some serious self-examination to determine its secure future, similar to the one made by the two friends of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev and Edward Shevardnadze, the one they called perestroika, which led to an open minded and open eyed political chain reaction which brought about the reunification of Germany, broke up the Soviet Union and gave rise to the Commonwealth of Independent Republics which include Shevardnadze’s Georgia which has returned to its State Religion declared in the 4th Century i.e. Christianity and the continuation of the respect of native cultures and language.

CONCLUSION

We must never forget that China also learned from perestroika and will endeavour not to let that progressive Communism development which dismantled the Leninist brand interfere with the also progressive Maoist brand of Communism and its expansionism agenda into the Pacific. Aid hunger in the Pacific, particularly in Fiji will make it difficult for the former friendly aid feeders to come back into Fiji unless the elections change the leadership landscape rather than simply the democratic scenario.

The course for Fiji is clear – elections, parliamentary rule democratic normality; however, like in all maritime tragedies, the courses set for the ships are clear but captains’ decisions and icebergs are non-negotiable. And our national captain is a Commodore.

Thank you.

Rabuka's submission to Ghai Commission

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