Fijileaks
  • Home
  • Archive Home
  • In-depth Analysis
    • BOI Report into George Speight and others beatings
  • Documents
  • Opinion
  • CRC Submissions
  • Features
  • Archive

DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT FOR CONVICTED KILLER: As plans are afoot to arrest Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho for CRIMES OF TORTURE, it emerges KILLER Francis Kean has Diplomatic Passport against the rules

31/7/2020

 

"Diplomatic Passports are issued to the President and spouse, the Prime Minister and spouse, Government officials working in Diplomatic Missions and Government Ministers. It is scarlet red and valid for ten years but subject to duration of appointment/official status."
The Fiji Department of Immigration

Picture
A diplomatic passport from Fiji lets you travel to 96 countries/territories without a prior visa.
Picture
DRACULA GUARDING BLOOD BANK: Francis Kean turns Prisoner to Prison Commissioner. And George Speight is still behind bars. Talking of Rehabilitation, ah????

"On Saturday the 30th of December, 2006 Mr. Samuel Whippy married Ms. Ateca Bainimarama at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva. The wedding reception was held at the Royal Suva Yacht Club. John Whippy a relative of the groom attended the reception. Francis Bulewa Kean, Commander of the Fiji Naval Forces and uncle to the bride joined the celebration. During the course of the evening several fights broke out between guests. The deceased was involved in some of those fights. He was drunk. At about 2.00am John Whippy left the Yacht Club with Peter and Samuel Whippy. They talked. The groom bade them farewell. Peter went to get a taxi to take both him and John home. When the taxi pulled up Peter sat in the back seat and he told John Whippy to get into the car. As John Whippy was assisted to the taxi he was in an ugly drunken mood. I accept he used vulgar language that provoked Mr. Kean into firmly telling him to mind his language and go home. In his drunkenness the deceased ignored this direction and kept up his belligerent tirade.  Francis Kean  then left the Suva Yacht Club and ran towards Mr. John Whippy yelling in Fijian, "Stop that taxi." The accused then came up to John Whippy and punched him three times in the face. John Whippy first hit his head against the taxi light then fell heavily to the ground on his back. While he was lying on the ground  Francis Kean  kicked him on the chest. The accused was dragged away by an unidentified woman but returned to kick John Whippy’s head. Asaeli Duvusole intervened and grabbed the accused warning him to do no more harm. John Whippy lay unmoving by the side of the taxi. A Corporal of the Fiji Military Forces checked his pulse he could find none. John Whippy was lifted into the taxi and quickly taken to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. Doctor Ashika Lata Sen saw John at 1.46am. He did not have either a pulse or cardiac rhythm and he was not breathing. Despite her best efforts to resuscitate him John Whippy did not revive. He was pronounced dead at 2.20am on 31st December 2006. Mr. Kean, John Whippy’s life was precious and its value should not be underestimated. There must be exceptional circumstances before the court can suspend a term of imprisonment. I have searched for those circumstances in your case but can find none. An immediate prison sentence must be imposed. You are sentenced to
eighteen (18) months in jail."

Gerard Winter
JUDGE
At Suva
Friday 26th October, 2007

Meanwhile, among TORTURE charges, Qiliho is also accused of tampering with the car of the former Fiji High Court Judge Winter which could have resulted in the loss of his life in post-coup Fiji

SIGN PETITION BELOW, led by the newly formed and United Kingdom based, The Coalition for
Defence of Human Rights in Fiji:


https://www.change.org/p/fijians-all-over-the-world-keep-qiliho-out-of-uk

Picture

NEW ZEALAND AND UNITED STATES assist the Fiji military terror chief Sitiveni Qiliho with transit visas to fly to London to take up study at the Royal College of Defence Studies. HIS VICTIMS prepare to go to COURT

30/7/2020

 

'Keep Human Rights Abuser Qiliho Out of UK' petition passes 1,200
Fiji Media run by 'KADER KHAN' of Fiji collude in secrecy
3:46 AM - Jul 30, 2020 - UK in Fiji Tweeted of the SECRET FLIGHT

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture


SIGN PETITION BELOW:

https://www.change.org/p/fijians-all-over-the-world-keep-qiliho-out-of-uk

From Amnesty International archive: How General Pinochet's detention changed the meaning of JUSTICE, 16 October 2013

Former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet was detained in London on 16 October 1998 in a move that changed the idea of international justice forever. Fifteen years on, two of the story's key players - Spanish lawyer Joan Garcés and former Amnesty International Chile researcher Virginia Shoppeé - share their memories of an event than stunned observers on both sides of the Atlantic.

On 3 October 1998, Virginia Shoppeé was sitting at her desk in Amnesty International's London headquarters, doing her daily skim through the latest news on Chile, when she came across a surprising dispatch from L'Agence France-Presse. Chile's former president, the retired general Augusto Pinochet, was about to travel to Europe - including the UK.

Amnesty International had done a lot of work denouncing the atrocities carried out by Pinochet's regime, which was responsible for the disappearance of more than 3,000 people and the torture of thousands more in a 17-year reign.

Shoppeé's intial thought was that Pinochet’s trip to Europe offered an opportunity to highlight that work.

She discussed the issue with Javier Zúñiga, the then director of Amnesty International's Americas department, and drafted the first of many documents on Pinochet that the organization would issue in the ensuing weeks.
The document reminded all European governments, including the UK, of their obligation to detain Pinochet under the rules of the Convention against Torture. But Shoppeé admits now that she never thought Pinochet’s arrest would actually be possible:

“We issued that first document about Pinochet’s visit to Europe because we thought it was the least we could do, but we didn't expect any great repercussions. I had been in Chile seven months earlier, meeting politicians, victims and their relatives as well as NGO representatives. None of them were thinking about Pinochet’s detention. Human rights violations under his government were considered a closed case.”

However, judicial procedures to arrest Pinochet had already been started by Joan Garcés in July 1996, a Spanish lawyer and former advisor to Salvador Allende, the former Chilean president who had been ousted - and who died - in Pinochet's coup d'etat.

Garcés thought it may be possible to indict Pinochet using the principles of universal jurisdiction which, in theory, allowed any state to investigate and prosecute individuals for crimes committed in other countries.

The lawyer recalls that he was encouraged by developments relating to atrocities carried about by the military regime in Argentina:

“The Spanish National Court had admitted in 1996 a lawsuit filed by victims of torture and enforced disappearances in Argentina after Parliament had ruled in 1985 that universal jurisdiction could be applied in cases of crimes against humanity, terrorism and genocide”.

Garcés filed a similar lawsuit on Chile, and his team started to gather evidence before the Spanish National Court. Dozens of victims of the Chilean military's repression travelled to Spain to give testimonies:

“We were waiting for the appropriate moment to ask for an international arrest warrant against Pinochet. It was a complex issue. We had to wait until he travelled to a country with a judiciary that was powerful and independent enough to resist the political and diplomatic pressure that his detention would cause.”

That moment arrived when Pinochet’s visit to the UK was confirmed. On 15 October, Garcés' team filed a motion for a Pinochet's arrest warrant before the Spanish National Court to extradite him to Spain to stand trial. It was sent to the UK authorities and, early the next day, Pinochet was placed under arrest. He was held in custody at The Clinic, an expensive private hospital where he had just had an operation.

It was the first time a former head of state had been arrested based on the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Garcés’ team then worked with Amnesty International to support the extradition request. The organization took a leading role in trying to ensure the then retired general would be sent to Spain to face trial, as Shoppeé explains:

"Pinochet’s detention was a milestone in the struggle for human rights. We could not let it be just a four-sentence piece in a newspaper. We had to seize the opportunity and help bring him before a court."

UK magistrates ruled in 1999 that Pinochet should be extradited to Spain, but it never happened. The then UK Home Secretary Jack Straw ordered his release on health grounds in 2000, after a controversial medical test stated Pinochet was not fit to appear before a court and he returned to Chile a free man that same year.

Garcés and Shoppeé believe that politics came into play. However, they agree that, although the outcome of Pinochet's detention was not as they had hoped, it was an essential turning point in the fight against for human rights. Garcés says:

“English magistrates took the process seriously and, finally, the prevalent position was the one we thought was in line with the international law. But at the end of the day the British government did not allow it to happen because of political pressure from the Chilean and Spanish governments and economic, diplomatic and other dark interests."

“We should not forget that Pinochet died as a fugitive from justice. He was clear that international society saw him as a criminal."

On the day of Pinochet's return to Chile, dozens of judicial requests against him began. Shoppeé says:

“Pinochet did not come back to Chile as an innocent man - as a former president unfairly accused - but as a person guilty of human rights violations whose extradition had not been allowed for health reasons."

“The victims’ claims were again a public issue. Chile had changed. It was no more the Chile I had visited in March 1998, where nobody wanted to speak out about the military government’s crimes against humanity. Chile had to face the atrocities of its past - a past the country was denying until Pinochet was put under custody in London.”

The United Kingdom has 'UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION' over a small number of serious offences, including TORTURE, which means a person accused of committing these crimes in another country can be brought to justice in British courts. A private prosecution can be brought in universal jurisdiction cases. It is open to any individual to initiate criminal proceedings by applying to Westminster Magistrates Court in London for a summons or an arrest warrant. The court must simply be shown some information that an offence has been committed by the accused, and it does not need to decide that there is a realistic prospect of conviction - The Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom

Picture
Picture

ESTRANGED 'POT AND KETTLE FFP COUPLE' hurl 'lasulasu' claims in the Parliament: NFP president Pio Tikoduadua reveals a private e-mail from his days in PM's Office on economy. Khaiyum screams its treachery

29/7/2020

 

FBC: AG accuses Tikoduadua of Treachery

PictureNand
By EDWIN Nand
Multimedia Journalist
[email protected] | @EdwinNandFBCNews




Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has accused Opposition MP Pio Tikoduadua of practicing treacherous politics.

Sayed-Khaiyum was responding to Tikoduadua’s use of a private email between him and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama while debating the budget in parliament.

He says Tikoduadua, who was at the time the Permanent Secretary in the PM’s Office did not read the entirety of the email.

“There is no conspiracy. In fact, there’s an email that says if we had used those base figures it would have shown a growth in 2008 when the world knew we did not grow in 2008. They’re now trying to obfuscate the issue. The reason you are yelling is that you’ve been caught out. “

The Economy Minister also thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership, adding he would never follow a politician like Tikoduadua.

“You can die a thousand deaths for a leader like him then for the treacherous politics that you profess. Even for 1 minute, I will never join you.”

Sayed-Khaiyum says the use of the email by Tikoduadua and the National Federation Party was an attempt to mislead Fijians because the Opposition has no response to the new budget.

Fijivillage News: By Vijay Narayan, Dhanjay Deo
Don’t feign empathy for the poor, don’t feign your patriotism, intellectual input and credibility by producing some email that was not read in full - AG

Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told Members of the Opposition not to feign empathy for the poor, and not to feign their patriotism, intellectual input and credibility by producing some email that was not read in full.

While speaking during his 2020/2021 National Budget Right of Reply, Sayed-Khaiyum says the opposition is yet again misleading parliament during the budget debate.

He also says he is concerned that the Leader of the Opposition, Sitiveni Rabuka supported the budget on budget night but then went against it during the debate.

Sayed-Khaiyum says Rabuka had said on July 17th that we have to be positive when you talk about the measures that have been announced in the budget, it is a courageous budget and it is up to us to critique it properly and hopefully the nation can get behind it and they achieve the goals to get the economy back on track.

He also highlighted that Rabuka was discrediting the RBF in his budget response speech but then went on to quote the RBF figures to back his own argument.

The Minister for Economy also says there was nothing sinister in him sending an email to the Prime Minister in 2013 about how the GDP base figures were being calculated. Sayed-Khaiyum says Pio Tikoduadua and the NFP Leader are now caught out for suggesting what was not happening.

He then highlighted the story from a Bollywood movie in the 1980s where the late Kader Khan acted as the Opposition Leader and was telling a favourite reporter how to cover stories. Sayed-Khaiyum alleges that is what Biman Prasad and Fiji Times have conspired to do.

Pio Tikoduadua on the contents of Aiyaz Khaiyum's email to Bainimarama

"Mr Speaker, I have in my possession an email given to me by the Prime Minister that was sent to him by the Attorney General on 15th December 2013. The PM – who was also Finance Minister from mid-August 2008 to September 2014, asked me to arrange a meeting with the AG as per the email and duly wrote his instruction on that email. As you all know I was the Permanent Secretary in the PM’s office at that time.
I will not read the entire email that contained the honourable Attorney General’s concerns about the need to increase the GDP base after the figures released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics estimated the 2012 growth to 1.7% when according to AG, a growth of 2.2% was announced in the budget.
I will read the concluding paragraphs that clearly prove the AG’s obsession with electioneering and not reality.
I quote: -
“It is very disconcerting that the PS (permanent secretary) Finance and PS Planning recommended the release of these figures. They should have known that this will directly contradict the announcements made by the Bainimarama Government and in particular by you in your annual budget address
The AG continued: -
“As elections will be held in less than 9 months, politicians will highlight that;
1. The economy is not doing well based on Government’s own numbers released by FBOS (Bureau of Statistics).
2. Government Debt is much higher in both absolute terms as well as ratio of GDP, and
3. Credibility of Government’s policies and the results would be attacked as the data for growth and debt show that things are worse off”.
“It is therefore important that FBOS recalls the GDP release under the 2008 base, as it contains major flaws or errors which will negatively impact this Government as we move towards elections”.
Let me repeat why the AG wanted the GDP increased: -
“It is therefore important that FBOS recalls the GDP release under the 2008 base, as it contains major flaws or errors which will negatively impact this Government as we move towards elections”.
He concluded: -
“It is also recommended that we have a meeting with Ariff Ali from RBF (Reserve Bank of Fiji) to give you a full appraisal”.
Mr Speaker, at that time Ariff Ali was the Chief Manager Economic Group of RBF, who in 2014 was appointed Deputy Governor, and in 2017 appointed Governor.
Mr Speaker, nothing is more clear than the indisputable evidence that I have just outlined in Parliament of how the honourable Attorney General influenced the honourable Prime Minister in agreeing to bend the reality and truth for political supremacy. That is what I call weak, indecisive leadership that readily condescends to his AG.
Instead of castigating his AG, the PM readily accepted his ploy to concoct economic data with the help of the then senior RBF official so that both, who under the Fiji First constitution, are the only two persons eligible to become party leader, could disingenuously wing their way into power in September 2014.
Mr Speaker, I am glad that I quit that government after only 9 months because my conscience could not allow me to serve two masters who were scratching each other’s backs while the nation and its people were being led up the garden path.
For me, sacrificing my $200,000 salary and pension was necessary to avoid becoming a “Yes-man”, like all others currently in the Fiji First Party singing praises to the two-man rule, which is responsible for the destruction of this nation’s social, economic and political fabric through politics of connivance, deviousness and deception."
Picture
Picture

"He (Khaiyum) then highlighted the story from a Bollywood movie in the 1980s where the late Kader Khan acted as the Opposition Leader and was telling a favourite reporter how to cover stories. Sayed-Khaiyum alleges that is what Biman Prasad and Fiji Times have conspired to do."

“You can die a thousand deaths for a leader like him [Bainimarama] then for the treacherous politics that you [Tikoduadua] profess. Even for 1 minute, I will never join you.”
Aiyaz Khaiyum to Pio Tikoduadua on Frank Bainimarama

Picture

Fiji Military Terror Chief Pursued by 1,000 Petitioners: 'Keep Human Rights Abuser Qiliho Out Of UK', THEY plead with the Royal College of Defence Studies as VICTIMS submit testimonials of human rights crimes

27/7/2020

 
Picture

The United Kingdom has 'UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION' over a small number of serious offences, including TORTURE, which means a person accused of committing these crimes in another country can be brought to justice in British courts. A private prosecution can be brought in universal jurisdiction cases. It is open to any individual to initiate criminal proceedings by applying to Westminster Magistrates Court in London for a summons or an arrest warrant. The court must simply be shown some information that an offence has been committed by the accused, and it does not need to decide that there is a realistic prospect of conviction - The Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom

Picture
Professor Brij Lal
Picture
Picture
Persecutor Qiliho, now Police Commissioner

“He (Sitiveni Qiliho) covered my face with his spitting and slapped me around to the point of breaking my glasses. He told me that if I did not leave by the first flight the next day (to Australia) my family would have to fetch my body from the morgue."
The distinguished Professor Brij Lal

Picture
WITNESS: Ratu Uluilakeba Mara

"Lt Col Qiliho also responsible for [torture of] Prf Brij Lal in the cell, abused, slapped him, spat in his face and stomped on his glasses.
Brij will never forget his FACE!!"

Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, the former RFMF Chief of Staff,
28 July 2011

Picture
Picture
Picture

The Petition to the Royal College of Defence Studies in London

In 2006, Fiji military overthrew a democratically elected multi-party government resulting in a wave of arrests, beatings, violence, torture and human right abuses of opponents who protested against the coup.Brigadier Sitiveni Qiliho, promoted to the brigadier rank and made Land Force commander, became the Royal Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) most notorious perpetrators of human rights violations.

Amnesty International report will attest to the claims. A leading Fijian professor residing in Australia describes how Qiliho tortured him at the barracks:

“He (Qiliho) covered my face with his spitting and slapped me around to the point of breaking my glasses. He told me that if I did not leave by the first flight the next day (to Australia) my family would have to fetch my body from the morgue.’

There are a host of other documented evidence against him and the abuses he perpetrated against his opponents. In 2015, Australian government intervened and denied him a visa to study for a year at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra.

He then became Police Commissioner, appointed by military strongman and prime minister Frank Bainimarama, and has continued to abuse the regime’s opponents.

Now, he has disclosed that he is shortly coming up to London to take up a study at the prestigious British military academy, the Royal College of Defence Studies.

We urge his offer to study to be rescinded and he be informed that like Australia, the Royal College of Defence Studies is no longer welcoming a prominent human rights abuser to their London study academy.

SIGN PETITION BELOW:


https://www.change.org/p/fijians-all-over-the-world-keep-qiliho-out-of-uk


AUSTRALIA ANSWERED PRAYERS IN 2015: The former Australian Prime Minister Julie Bishop had denied him study visa, for his murky human rights record, including spitting and slapping Professor Brij Lal at the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in 2009. He had been detained by the military over criticism of the post 2006 coup Interim Government's decision to expel Australian and New Zealand diplomats. Professor Lal was one of the authors of the 1997 Constitution which the military regime abrogated in 2009 when the Fiji Court of Appeal ruled that the post-coup administration was illegal. Both Professor Lal and his wife Padma Lal remain banned from their native Fiji Islands indefinitely.

Picture
Picture

Like now, the Fijian media had splashed his study offer all over Fiji but in the end the Australian Prime Minister ruled that he was unwelcomed, and that he was one of the Royal Fiji Military Force's most notorious perpetrators of human rights violations

Picture
Picture

Fijileaks: Anyway, why should a man over 50 plus (when retirement age is 55 in Fiji, except for coupists and their supporters) should be given a place at the RCDS in London? Why not to a more promising young officer, either from the Fijian Military or Police Force? Since 2006 coup, Bainimarama has been rewarding Qiliho for his thuggery, brutality,  and loyalty, fast tracking all his promotions, promoting him from Lieutenant-Colonel to Brigadier-General to Police Commissioner. He is an officer who was always allowed to be ARMED with a PISTOL. Sending him to London is nothing but a ruse, to appoint him on his return, as the next Commander of the Fijian Military, so he could continue to intimidate and subdue the cowering population under his thuggish military boots!!!

Picture
Picture
Picture

BRUTALLY BEATING THEIR WAY TO THE TOP: One becomes Police Commissioner and the other, Rear-Admiral Viliame Naupoto, is Commander of the RFMF. The Royal College of Defence Studies course is just a big ruse on part of FFP government, for Qiliho to replace Naupoto next year, and to ensure intimidation rife at the 2022 general election

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

FRCA'S NEW TAX MOB. Taxman who installed gadgets in cash registers in supermarkets and hardware stores to catch CHEATS part of FRCA team who allegedly destroyed Draft Revenue Report 2019 from IT system

26/7/2020

 
Picture
Picture
Picture

We had promised to reveal the Email Fazrul Rahman allegedly wrote to Visvanath Das. So far, neither Rahman nor Madam Fane Vave have responded to us. We had passed them a copy of the E-mail for comments. In theory, FRCA's IT system should have daily or weekly data backups to a server at a different site. This is a business continuity measure in case a cyclone or other natural disaster damaged the server rooms in the main HQ building. Deleting data itself is not allowed under official rules but may not itself be an offence. But deleting or changing the data may be an offence like aiding and abetting.

Subject: Re: Draft Revenue Report July 2019
'Be assured, that our end all drafts on revenue report have been deleted and erased.'
Fazrul Rahman allegedly to Visvanath Das,

​5/08/19,
4.45PM,
CC: Fane W. Vave, Emily E. Yalimaiwai

'As discussed with PS and Minister the budget was about $580m more in revenue to show very low deficit for debt. This is final report...Emily get your IT Team organized to delete emails and draft reports from everywhere on our system...Andrew/Fazrul. Meet me today after work as we need to discuss how to adjust next budget amounts.'
Visvanath Das allegedly to Fazrul Rahman, 5/08/19, 4.28PM
CC: Fane W. Vave, Emily E.Yalimaiwai, Andrew F. Malani, Karishma H. Kumar

Picture
Picture

In 2016 FAZRUL RAHMAN, the then acting General Manager Taxation revealed the plan to install the gadgets in supermarkets and hardware stores to Fiji Parliament's Public Accounts Committee: 'The movement of the $2.8billion in Fiji's economy had not been formally monitored. This is black economy and Government is losing out $176million in taxes. FRCA is going to effectively put a particular gadget that is going to prescribe cash register that if somebody comes to the store to buy stuff, the DATA gets entered and we will receive the DATA on time..." He also disclosed to the Fiji media that FRCA's 'acting Chief Executive Officer Visvanath Das was currently in Germany studying how the new system works'. Three years later, in 2019, we accuse the two, along with others, of deleting their own DATA from FRCA system, of EMAILS and DRAFT REVENUE REPORTS of July 2019. 

In 2020, after allegedly aiding and abetting Das, Rahman was up before an USP audience explaining Aiyaz Khaiyum's COVID19 Budget

Picture

Our allegations, despite the acting CEO Fane Vave claiming our first email from Visvanath Das, was a poorly photo-shopped, is supported by a SECOND EMAIL, allegedly from FAZRUL RAHMAN, who had responded to Das on 5/08/19 at 4.45PM, confirming the destruction of emails and draft report

Picture
The Pied Piper: Madam Vave
Picture

Fijileaks to Acting FRCA CEO Madam Fane Vave: 'All you, SIX,
HAND YOURSELVES TO FIJI POLICE AND FICAC. You, the Pied Piper, told  Fiji media that you have filed a complaint against us to FICAC and Fiji Police over 'fake photo-shopped Das e-mail'. Since you have our contact detail, give us the contact details of those dealing with the case so we can lodge a counter report against you, and the GANG OF FIVE.'. You claim you can't find the e-mail from Das to you all in the system. Madam Pinocchio, 'How could you, if you all WIPED not only one but other emails from FRCA's IT system?'

Picture
Picture
Picture
LYING through His BEADS: Das
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

FIGHT BACK AGAINST SITIVENI QILIHO STARTS TO GATHER MOMENTUM
SIGN PETITION BELOW TO ROYAL COLLEGE OF DEFENCE STUDIES, LONDON:

https://www.change.org/p/fijians-all-over-the-world-keep-qiliho-out-of-uk

COVID19 BUDGET IS BETRAYAL OF THE POOR: Labasa businessman Charan Jeath Singh says Budget full of empty and meaningless bluster

25/7/2020

 

"Where is the equality of sacrifice, consistency of policies, and reprioritisation of expenditure that they demand from all others and exempt the rich, powerful, and privileged?"

PictureC J Singh
"It is an unashamedly pro business and tourism focused budget, which completely ignores the importance of the informal sectors and the need to maintain growth and support for the hundreds of thousands others who are trapped in poverty, unskilled and without any opportunities and alternatives. These vulnerable communities do not have any structured platform or organisation to voice their hardships and seek solutions for their daily suffering." 

By Charan Jeath Singh
Former Member, Fiji Parliament and Ex-Mayor of Labasa, Businessman


This budget is full of empty and meaningless bluster with almost nothing for at least a third of the people of the country. The entire presentation was like a celebrity event, centred around the vanity and ego of one person, full of contradictions, failure to understand the negative multiplier effects of his ill considered policies and a complete lack of empathy for the poor.  

On the one hand, he talks about turning the pandemic crisis into new opportunities, and on the other hand declares “we cannot promise more suffering will not follow.” This is not the budget of hope and aspirations; equity and fairness, but one of disaster, despair and distress. It is partisan, punitive, unbalanced and regressive to the extreme.

Just sugar coating it with high sounding sloganeering buzzwords like Bula Bubble, Road to Recovery and Blue Town Recovery and Modelling of Savusavu, does not hide the fiscal policy failures of this government and its inability to find the right answers for its people. 

1. PUNISHING THE RURAL SECTOR

The rural agricultural sector which still supports some 60 % of the national population in the villages,koros and maritime settlements, have not just been ignored but severely punished.

Given its size and significance, disappointingly, it received only a 70 words mention and a 30 second soundbite in the Minister’s address of about 90 minutes. If this is any reflection of the government’s regard for this sector, then people have every right to be alarmed and concerned. There was not a single reference to the raging poverty in the informal sectors, escalating cost of living, problems facing the food growers, market vendors, fisherman, carrier drivers, school children, elderlies, sick and the homeless  and the wider subsistence community.

The rest of the live televised show was all about tourism, business relief packages and removal and reduction of duties. Job creation  front and centre as he stated. It was spiced liberally with praises of his own government‘s Covid performance , even drawing some very invalid and questionable comparisons with Aust and N.Z. The Cabinet, Arif Ali and his own Ministry of Economy came for special accolades by him, leading up to the highly immodest claim that their “love for the country has been the beating heart behind this budget creating solutions.” Clearly when it comes to bragging and proclamations of self righteousness, the Minster has not lost his trademark form.

In lauding those praises, he overlooks the fact that all these people, even during this current pandemic, are on 6 figure salaries and that they have all taken an oath to serve the people. They are all paid to perform and to perform conscientiously in the best interests of our people. Their efforts and contributions pales into insignificance when compared to our frontline medical staff, security and border control personnel and an overwhelmingly cooperative and patient general public. 

2.  PRO BUSINESS AND TOURISM

It is an unashamedly pro business and tourism focused budget, which completely ignores the importance of the informal sectors and the need to maintain growth and support for the hundreds of thousands others who are trapped in poverty, unskilled and without any opportunities and alternatives. These vulnerable communities do not have any structured platform or organisation to voice their hardships and seek solutions for their daily suffering.

Under the current electoral system, they have no local Members of Parliaments to go to, nor any appropriately coordinated local level village advisory councils, district administration, or any other support agencies. So where do they take their grievances to? None of the MP’s have a district office or a physical point of contact where the poor can access them. They can’t all be directly ringing up the PM or the Minister of Economy with their problems. This is not how representative democracy operates. Just holding a couple of town hall meetings is no way of gauging the publics’ real problems and hardships. But this is exactly what has happened. If the consultation process is flawed and, more so, conducted in an environment of fear and lack of freedom, then obviously the outcomes are also flawed.
 

However, the formal sector comprising business, manufacturing, retail, tourism and transport groups have the advantage of their own organisations, lobbyists, power brokers and back channel links to government policy makers. The proof of their overwhelming satisfaction with the budget is evident from its loud cacophony of joy and chorus of sycophantic endorsement. They have got more than their fair share of help. Now the govt must ensure that they deliver the jobs and keep to their part of the bargain rather than just using those policy advantages to protect their private profits.  
 
3. DUTY REDUCTIONS WITHOUT ANY RELIEF FOR THE POOR
 
The Minster misleads the nation that by simply reducing or removing the import duties, the sufferings of the poor will be alleviated

The relief that has been provided through the widely hailed duty reductions is more of a public relations jig , devoid of any major real benefits to the majority of ordinary Fijian families. 

For example just consider the following.

1. Food Item.
 
Of the 1600 items with duty exemptions and reductions, 83 relate to food, of which the most affordable for the ordinary people being sardines and herrings. The other 70 or so are either not in common use or clearly unaffordable and well outside their reach.

 How many of our people consume or can afford to buy imported lettuce, carrot, gherkins, cherries and apricots?  How many would if the choice was between cassava, flour, sugar and these expensive imports? Who are the people in Fiji who can treat themselves to these expensive foods? Certainly not the poor rural folks and those who have lost their jobs.    

2. Alcohol Products

Likewise, duty reductions on some 60 alcohol related products is another example of a meaningless concession. In the middle of this severe crisis, how many of our people are thirsting for cheaper alcohol, beer, spirits, gin, whisky, wine, vermouth, liqueur, vodka, stout, RDT and single malt beverages? Most of our despairing citizens have not even heard of these drinks, forget about being able to buy them. Where is the duty of social responsibility of this govt when in fact they should be encouraging families to spend only on essentials rather than making alcohol more accessible? After all, is it not the same FFP, that during the 2018 election campaign ridiculed Biman Prasad for suggesting a minor reduction in the duty for beer?

The assertion by the Minster, that the reduction in alcohol duties is to attract the Tasman tourists is ridiculous. No Australian or Kiwi tourist will ever travel to Fiji tempted by the bribe of cheaper beer and spirits. Alcoholic drinks of all types are much cheaper in their own countries. They come to Fiji for the experience of our friendly people, diverse cultures and our rich flora and fauna. It is of serious concern that a Minister who makes no secret of his supposed superior knowledge of all things, including economics and public finance, predicates a $60 million tourist subsidy package on such unrealistic assumptions.  

3.  Cars, vehicles etc.

The list of these ill conceived and meaningless duty reductions goes on. From item no 1160- 1476,  (316 ) items , it covers duty reductions for cars, hybrid, non hybrid, luxury vehicles, trucks, tankers, machinery,  locomotives ,trailers and even aeroplane, cruise ships, yachts and bizarrely warships. It does not get any more laughable than this.

How many of our poor people need luxury cars, aeroplanes or warships and how does this create greater economic activity, more jobs and get food on their family’s table?  No other country in the world would consider these grandiose schemes as part of a credible stimulus package. The economic mantra globally is one of austerity, not reckless profligacy to subsidise the lifestyles and tastes of the rich through luxury cars, vintage wines, whiskies  beers and vodkas.

4. Gold, diamond, Precious stones and white ware

Of what real benefit are these duty reductions to the ordinary Fijians who do not have money for adequate food, shelter, education, transport and health needs? This a govt that has clearly lost its contact with its people.

5.     
In his zeal for duty reductions, the Minister has obviously forgotten that he is killing the local producers, manufacturers , retailers and service sectors by reducing their competitive advantage. This is a no brainer 101 economics. This will lead to massive dumping of cheaper Asian goods, thereby killing our local industries, draining  our overseas reserves and negating the more sensible strategy of import substation.

THE STABBING OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

Tragically, the worst blow of the night was reserved for those 14,000 cane farmers, thousands of truck operators and 10,000 plus cane cutters and their families. In precisely 70 words and within 30 seconds, of his imperious 90 minutes speech, the Minister crushed the hopes and compounded the anguish of our bleeding cane farming community; representing some 200, 000 of our people by announcing that the price per tonne of cane would be reduced from $85 to $70.  On what basis, economic analysis, research, consultation, advice and authority was this decision taken? A decision of this economic magnitude which affects the livelihood and wellbeing of some 200,000 plus people directly and indirectly, is well outside the mandate of unelected bureaucrats, ministers, or, indeed, even a govt, unless it can be publicly and fiscally fully justified. These decisions will have intergenerational impacts and cannot be left to the whimsical instincts of the incompetent and ignorant.  

Not only does this represent a serious 18% loss to every cane farmer, but also at the projected forecast of 1.8 million tonnes, a reduction in gross revenue of about $30 million for one of the most important, yet persistently undervalued sectors of the country. Most credible economists and governments agree that the most effective way of revitalising the economy is to encourage greater public spending. It is a fact that the $30 million taken away from the cane sector would have served as a powerful lubricant to reignite the stagnant economy.

This government does not have the heart, the conscience and compassion to support our cane farming community; its own sons, daughters and citizens even to a value of $180 per head. Yet it is willing to underwrite a $ 60 million lifeline and lay the red carpet to 150,000 foreign tourists by offering each a $400 subsidy. All to revitalise one sector. Nobody begrudges the tourist sector, but nobody can argue that the rural informal sector has been treated unfairly without its rightful entitlement to help and support.
 

Where is the real spirit of Fiji and its respect for the rights of its own people? No country discriminates and denigrates its own citizens, least of all against foreigners.  

This is the industry which has been the bedrock and loyal beast of burden upon whose shoulders Fiji’s prosperity and development has been built over the last 150 years.

Who cannot see the double standards of the Minister, who on one hand reduces the meagre $10 bus fare assistance of our elderlies, cuts their pensions and yet sees no contradiction in continuing with the construction of the Prime Minister’s multimillion dollar office complex.

Where is the equality of sacrifice, consistency of policies and reprioritisation of expenditure that they demand from all others and exempt the rich, powerful and privileged?

Picture

FIGHT BACK AGAINST SITIVENI QILIHO STARTS TO GATHER MOMENTUM
SIGN PETITION BELOW TO ROYAL COLLEGE OF DEFENCE STUDIES, LONDON:

https://www.change.org/p/fijians-all-over-the-world-keep-qiliho-out-of-uk

GENERAL Pinochet's GHOST awaits Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho as he plans to become the first Fijian to study at the Royal College of Defence Studies, London. Yes, for gross violation of human rights in Fiji

23/7/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
SMILING in face of JUSTICE
'He [Qiliho] covered my face with his spitting and slapped me around to the point of breaking my glasses. He told me that if I did not leave by the first flight the next day [to Australia], my family would have to fetch my body from the morgue.'
Professor Brij Lal

Picture
VIOLATED BEYOND WORDS

* For SLAPPING and SPITTING at Professor Brij Lal after taking him into custody at the Queen Elizabeth Barrack before his deportation to Australia. According to evidence in possession of the former Australian Prime Minister Julie Bishop, the distinguished Canberra based Professor Lal was interrogated by the then Land Force Commander Qiliho at the QEB.
'He covered my face with his spitting and slapped me around to the point of breaking my glasses. He told me that if I did not leave by the first flight the next day [to Australia], my family would have to fetch my body from the morgue.'
As we will see later, Prime Minister Bishop had refused a visa for him to study at the prestigious Australian Defence College in Canberra.
Professor Lal was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia) "for significant service to education, through the preservation and teaching of Pacific history, as a scholar, author and commentator". Now, Qiliho and FFP government have got him a place at the Royal College of Defence in London, through the assistance of the British High Commission in Suva, and only revealing his departure at the last minute

Did the British High Commission inform the Royal College of Defence in London that this man is widely regarded by those who opposed the December 2006 coup, as one of the RFMF’s most notorious perpetrators of human rights violations?

Picture
One of many human rights violation crimes captured in cartoon

STRATEGICALLY, he and his FFP government only began boasting about him leaving for England at the last minute but since the announcement, preparations have begun to cart him off before a British court, with the possible help of Amnesty International, to answer charges for gross violation of human rights in Fiji. Remember General Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator and President, who with the help of Amnesty International, was detained in London on 16 October 1988, in a move that changed the idea of international JUSTICE for ever. Sitiveni Tukaituraga Qiliho, a fugitive from the long arm of Fijian justice, has been accused of a raft of crimes in Fiji:

* For beating up and stomping on the bodies of up defenceless Fiji women objecting to the 2006 coup
* For allegedly setting fire to the bure (a wood-and-straw hut, sometimes similar to a cabin) in Deuba, outside the capital Suva, that belonged to the former British-born president of the Fiji Court of Appeal, Justice Gordon Ward. The Judge had refused to endorse the 2006 treasonous coup in which Qiliho played a prominent role, especially in rounding up and beating coup opponents. Justice Ward, later as the Chief Justice of Tuvalu was forced to conduct the legal proceedings by email as a consequence of being unable to travel from New Zealand to Tuvalu via Fiji as the Fijian military government refused to provide him with a visa that allowed him to travel from New Zealand to Fiji and then to transit to Tuvalu

* For threatening to kill the late and deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase if he (Qarase) returned to Suva from his enforced exile in Mavana

* For trying to protect military and police ofifcers who killed Viliame Soko

*For threatening and allegedly tampering with the former High Court judge Gerard Winter's car

* And for a catalogue of human right abuses in Fiji since the 2006 COUP

Picture
Justice Gordon Ward (above) studied law and was called to the bar at the Middle Temple and practiced from chambers in London for 12 years. In 1979 he went to the South Pacific, where he first worked in Fiji for six and a half years. He then served as a judge on the Court of Appeal of the Solomon Islands where, from circa 1988 to 1992, he was Chief Justice. He then moved to Tonga to become Chief Justice of Tonga and a judge of the Supreme Court of Tonga.

In 1995 he moved to serve as a judge in Cyprus before returning in 1998 to serve a second term as Chief Justice of Tonga, resigning in 2004 in protest at attempts to ban the Times of Tonga newspaper, a paper unsympathetic to the government, a move which he considered to be unconstitutional. On leaving this post he took up a new position as the President of the Appeal Court of Fiji. In 2007, following the December 2006 military coup, Ward and five other judges resigned as judges of the courts of Fiji.

He was the Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 2008 to 2012 and was knighted in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to the judiciary in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Commonwealth. Sitiveni Qiliho is accused of leading a group of soldiers in the night to burn down Jutsice Ward's bure in Deuba, outside the capital Suva, Fiji.

The Royal College of Defence should ask why AUSTRALIA had rejected the brutal military soldier, torturer, and human rights abuser turned Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho to study at the prestigious Australian Defence College in Canberra

Picture

"To prepare senior officers and officials of the United Kingdom and other countries and future leaders from the private and public sectors for high responsibilities in their respective organisations, by developing their analytical powers, knowledge of defence and international security, and strategic vision."
Royal College of Defence

Picture
The Royal College of Defence building in London
Picture
Picture
Picture

Qiliho was nominated by military strongman and coupist Frank Bainimarama, now Prime Minister of Fiji, to study in Australia. Bainimarama was furious. The Australians had responded that they were aware of serious allegations of human rights violations against Qiliho from Fijian Australians. And if Qiliho was to come to Australia, the Australian authorities would be obliged to investigate. In the end, he was too frightened to take up the study and remained in his position as Police Commissioner. Anyway, why should a man over 50 plus (when retirement age is 55 in Fiji, except for coupists and their supporters) should be given a place at the Defence College? Why not to a more promising young officer, either from the Fijian Military or Police Force? Since 2006 coup, Bainimarama has been rewarding Qiliho for his thuggery, brutality,  and loyalty, fast tracking all his promotions, promoting him from Lieutenant-Colonel to Brigadier-General to Police Commissioner. He is an officer who was always allowed to be ARMED with a PISTOL. Sending him to London is nothing but a ruse, to appoint him on his return, as the next Commander of the Fijian Military, so he could continue to intimidate and subdue the cowering population under his thuggish military boots!!!

The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) course runs from September to July, and is delivered over three terms. Accreditation: Successful completion of the RCDS will result in the award of the post-nominal letters 'RCDS'. Masters of Arts (MA) Degree Option: The main RCDS course can also serve as the foundation for an MA in International Security and Strategy, which is currently offered by King's College, London, to those members electing to undertake additional study requirement. To complete the MA, in addition to full attendance of the RCDS course, participants must also complete: 26 additional seminars; Three extended essays (4-6000 words); A three hour exam; and A 15,000 word dissertation. Accommodation: The RCDS does not offer accommodation on site. Members either rent privately in London or maybe entitled to use the 40 Defence Inrastructure properties for RCDS in Kingston upon Thames. Overseas members join RCDS from some 50 countries each year on the basis of invitations sent by the MOD through Diplomatic channels. The majoirty are from the Armed Forces, with remaining Members being diplomats, civil servants, or Police Officers. We wonder if other officers in the Fiji military and the Police Force were aware of the invitation to go up to RCDS or was it insider JOB via the
British High Commission in Suva? Secretly snatched up by Sitiveni Qiliho? Who will be financing his study and stay in London?

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

One of the many Royal College of Defence Alumnis - General Pervez Musharraf

Picture
Picture
Picture
The former Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf, lying in hospital in Dubai, claiming he was too sick to answer high treason charges for seizing power in Pakistan. He was one of the RCD Notable Alumni. He was sentenced to death in absentia for high treason but his case is still ongoing in Paksitani courts
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Amnesty International Report, BEATING JUSTICE,  December 2016

Picture
0 Comments

FFP EMBROILED IN ANOTHER WIFE BASHING SCANDAL: High RankingĀ  Minister in FFP Government allegedly beat up wife on Tuesday after she confronted him over a secret extra-marital love tryst outside the marriage

22/7/2020

 
Picture

We have not been able to obtain a comment from FFP general secretary Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum for an automated reply from his, the Attorney-General's Office, informed us as follows:
'Please note that the Attorney-General is currently out of the office until 22 July 2020. Thank You'

Tuesday's buturaki of another wife is FFP's second scandal of wife bashing

Picture

Will the FFP Minister RESIGN or will Bainimarama have to FIRE HIM? A salutary lesson for politicians in Ministerial positions everywhere, Fiji included. It is not OK to B**K staff and give them positions of authority

Picture
Picture

TRAFFICKING IN PARADISE: As a local woman appears in court charged with trafficking two girls for sexual services, a Bangladeshi national seen with Bainimarama and Khaiyum accused of trafficking kinsmen into Fiji

21/7/2020

 

HOLDING TIGHT THE ARM OF FFP STRONGMAN and HIS LAWGIVER as he is accused of trafficking Bangladeshis into Fiji - MD Yousuf Ali

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
PARTNER IN CRIME: Accused of making passports to enter Fiji
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

MURDER MOST FOUL. More to follow: How one of two murdered victims in Ba, whose bodies are still lying in the mortuary in Fiji, and the house they rented recently burned down, had reported the businessman MD Yousuf Ali to POLICE, alleging that Ali and a group of Bangladeshis had assaulted him in Lautoka

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

The murder suspect Mohammed Masum's family desperately tried to extricate him from the clutches of the alleged human trafficker Ali in Fiji

Picture

YOU ARE FIRED: The Brussels team - that includes Bainimarama's nephew, Dan Gavidi - found out about the closure of their mission as they watched Khaiyum's Budget speech on the parliamentary live feed

20/7/2020

0 Comments

 

Fiji's Ambassador designate to Washington, Amena Yauvoli - who Aiyaz Khaiyum detests - was allowed to publicise all of his farewell calls and then found his legs cut off - a humiliation that wasn’t necessary but then the DEVIL always wears the 'COVID MASK'. Like the Brussels TEAM, Yauvoli learnt Washington Mission will close permanently during Khaiyum's Covid Budget speech in Parliament. The US Ambassador will be Khaiyum's man, Dr Satyendra Prasad, the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations in New York

Picture
Picture
Dr Satyendra Prasad

"We’re cutting $8 million in spending across our foreign missions by centralising country accreditation. Our missions in Washington DC, Seoul, Port Moresby, Brussels and Kuala Lumpur will be closed permanently, because –– in a changing trade and investment landscape –– they do not reliably make returns on government’s investment in their operations. Instead, our remaining embassies in Geneva, New York, Tokyo, London, Abu Dhabi, Wellington, Beijing, Jakarta, New Delhi and Canberra will expand country accreditation and engage more locally-based staff. For example, the New York Mission will represent Fiji in Washington, which is only one hour away by plane. "

Gavidi, "You are the light of the world...". Khaiyum kept him in darkness!

Picture

Fijileaks: Native Fijians deserve such humiliation, for they must blame themselves for silently absorbing as much indignity and humiliation that Khaiyum has dished out, especially on appointments. His puppet Frank Bainimarama, the FOOL, has become a bloody laughing clown

Picture
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Contact Email
    ​[email protected]
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012