The arsonist had every right, so he thought, to torch his former academic supervisor Professor Yash Ghai's Draft Constitution for Fiji and impose his own 2013 Constitution of Fiji, and yet Professor Brij Lal, according to the Rottweiler and his puppy Timoci Natuva, should not have, as one of the architects of the 1997 Constitution of Fiji, defended his 'Constitution' from the 2006 coup treasonists including Aiyaz Khaiyum; oddly, Khaiyum had no misgiving using Brij Lal and other critics of the 2006's research materials for his Masters Thesis at the University of Hong Kong:
"Khaiyum abuses his illegal AG office by warding off foreclosure and selling his properties in exchange for IG favors; the bank unwilling to foreclose for (the entirely reasonable) fear that its expatriate managers would be DEPORTED should they do so" -
US Ambassador Steven McGaan to Washington
JOHN SAMY: Another Victim; US ambassador McGaan Peoples Charter architect John Samy told US Ambassador McGann Frank Bainimarama must return to 1997 Constitution (co-authored by Professor Brij Lal) and Parliament if Charter goals are to be achieved in post-coup Fiji
BY VICTOR LAL
In late December 2008 John Samy, credited as the architect of the Peoples Charter, had a lunch meeting with United States Ambassador Steven McGaan in Suva. The then dictator Frank Bainimarama had earlier asked McGann’s predecessor Larry Dinger in November 2007 if the United States government could provide him US$2.6million to help fund the Peoples Charter exercise, led by Samy.
It has emerged that during that lunch meeting with McGaan in 2008, Samy had expressed his grave reservations on the Charter, as McGann reported to Washington in a leaked Wikileaks cable dated 22 December 2008 under the heading John Samy and the NCBBF Process. First, McGaan explained the background to the Charter: “The National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) completed nation-wide &consultations8 on the draft Peoples, Charter this month and presented their report to the president on December 15. The NCBBF claimed to have consulted approximately 425,000 people, with more than 370,000 completing response forms, 92 percent of which reportedly fully endorsed the Charter. As reported reftels B and C, the consultation process involved a wide range of coercion and is perceived as having very little legitimacy. Opponents continue to question why, if the public truly supports the Charter, the IG remains unwilling to hold a public referendum on the document as originally promised. Meanwhile, the role the Peoples, Charter will play in Fiji,s future and how its aspirational goals will become political realities remains a mystery.”
Intimidation used to get people to endorse Peoples Charter: Samy
McGaan then turned to the contents of the meeting, informing Washington: “In a recent lunch meeting, the architect of the Peoples, Charter, John Samy, told the Ambassador that that he undertook the process thinking it would be helpful to Fiji. As political events have unfolded since the Charter’s launch in August, Samy has lost enthusiasm for the direction of the IG. He expressed disappointment about the intimidation used to get people to endorse the Charter. Samy understands now that the aspirational goals of the Charter) some of which are necessary to take Fiji away from race-based politics) will not be met without returning to the 1997 Constitution and Parliament. Ultimately, it might require a deal among all the parties and it is too soon to tell whether the PPDF can achieve this. Samy said he was looking forward to his return to New Zealand.”
Khaiyum obstacle to holding election – Samy and Parmesh Chand
In the same cable, McGann, under the heading “Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Politics of Delay” noted Samy’s disenchantment with the Peoples Charter: “Some of Samy’s frustration at the direction the IG has taken undoubtedly stems from encounters with attorney general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who remains close to Bainimarama and is strongly opposed to holding elections in the near term. Fiji’s highest ranking civil servant, Parmesh Chand, reached out to the Ambassador to express concern, both his own and on behalf of others within the IG seeking elections in 2009, about the AG’s influence with Bainimarama. Chand’s view, that the AG has captured the ear of Bainimarama in a negative way, is widely held in Fiji.”
Khaiyum defaulter on several property loans, says US Ambassador McGaan
Khaiyum abuses his illegal AG office by warding off foreclosure and selling his properties in exchange for IG favors; the bank unwilling to foreclose for (the entirely reasonable) fear that its expatriate managers would be deported should they do so
McGaan also explained why Khaiyum was holding Fiji back from going to the polls: “While ideology undoubtedly plays a role, Sayed-Khaiyum’s personal ambition and political isolation likely fuel his opposition to near-term elections. The AG is not affiliated with any major political party, has limited contacts outside the IG, and would face an uncertain future should he lose his position. He was in default on several property loans to one of Fiji’s largest banks for much of the past two years; the bank unwilling to foreclose for (the entirely reasonable) fear that its expatriate managers would be deported should they do so. He recently resolved the delinquencies by selling the properties to law firms he dishes out IG work to, for prices well above fair market value. For the time being, Sayed-Khaiyum seems firmly ensconced, having time and again proven himself as Bainimarma’s go-to guy, resolving a number of political and economic problems created by other IG ministers.”
John Samy’s candid acknowledgement to US Ambassador Steve McGaan in 2008 flies flat in the face of lying deputy secretary of the Strategic Framework for Change in Fiji, Edward Tuindau in 2011. His speech to the Melanesian despots in Nadi on 5 September 2011, Tuindau told the gathering: “The Peoples Charter process was a nation-wide inclusive and participatory process. It represents Fiji’s own way of addressing its deep-rooted, complex and fundamental problems. The NCBBF had received very strong broad-based support from the people of Fiji for the draft Peoples Charter with an acceptance rate of 64%. It is on the basis of such a feedback from the people of Fiji that the NCBBF finalised the draft document and submitted this – The Peoples Charter for Change Peace and Progress to His Excellency the late President of Fiji in December 2008 for endorsement”
The Peoples Charter architect John Samy told US ambassador Steve McGaan that INTIMIDATION was used to get the people of Fiji to endorse the Charter.
Fijileaks: And Fiji was being held to ransom by a megalomaniac and near bankrupt illegal Attorney-General Khaiyum, Bainimarama’s go-to guy thug. Khaiyum had also secretly registered the FijiFirst Party in 2009
BY VICTOR LAL
In late December 2008 John Samy, credited as the architect of the Peoples Charter, had a lunch meeting with United States Ambassador Steven McGaan in Suva. The then dictator Frank Bainimarama had earlier asked McGann’s predecessor Larry Dinger in November 2007 if the United States government could provide him US$2.6million to help fund the Peoples Charter exercise, led by Samy.
It has emerged that during that lunch meeting with McGaan in 2008, Samy had expressed his grave reservations on the Charter, as McGann reported to Washington in a leaked Wikileaks cable dated 22 December 2008 under the heading John Samy and the NCBBF Process. First, McGaan explained the background to the Charter: “The National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) completed nation-wide &consultations8 on the draft Peoples, Charter this month and presented their report to the president on December 15. The NCBBF claimed to have consulted approximately 425,000 people, with more than 370,000 completing response forms, 92 percent of which reportedly fully endorsed the Charter. As reported reftels B and C, the consultation process involved a wide range of coercion and is perceived as having very little legitimacy. Opponents continue to question why, if the public truly supports the Charter, the IG remains unwilling to hold a public referendum on the document as originally promised. Meanwhile, the role the Peoples, Charter will play in Fiji,s future and how its aspirational goals will become political realities remains a mystery.”
Intimidation used to get people to endorse Peoples Charter: Samy
McGaan then turned to the contents of the meeting, informing Washington: “In a recent lunch meeting, the architect of the Peoples, Charter, John Samy, told the Ambassador that that he undertook the process thinking it would be helpful to Fiji. As political events have unfolded since the Charter’s launch in August, Samy has lost enthusiasm for the direction of the IG. He expressed disappointment about the intimidation used to get people to endorse the Charter. Samy understands now that the aspirational goals of the Charter) some of which are necessary to take Fiji away from race-based politics) will not be met without returning to the 1997 Constitution and Parliament. Ultimately, it might require a deal among all the parties and it is too soon to tell whether the PPDF can achieve this. Samy said he was looking forward to his return to New Zealand.”
Khaiyum obstacle to holding election – Samy and Parmesh Chand
In the same cable, McGann, under the heading “Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Politics of Delay” noted Samy’s disenchantment with the Peoples Charter: “Some of Samy’s frustration at the direction the IG has taken undoubtedly stems from encounters with attorney general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who remains close to Bainimarama and is strongly opposed to holding elections in the near term. Fiji’s highest ranking civil servant, Parmesh Chand, reached out to the Ambassador to express concern, both his own and on behalf of others within the IG seeking elections in 2009, about the AG’s influence with Bainimarama. Chand’s view, that the AG has captured the ear of Bainimarama in a negative way, is widely held in Fiji.”
Khaiyum defaulter on several property loans, says US Ambassador McGaan
Khaiyum abuses his illegal AG office by warding off foreclosure and selling his properties in exchange for IG favors; the bank unwilling to foreclose for (the entirely reasonable) fear that its expatriate managers would be deported should they do so
McGaan also explained why Khaiyum was holding Fiji back from going to the polls: “While ideology undoubtedly plays a role, Sayed-Khaiyum’s personal ambition and political isolation likely fuel his opposition to near-term elections. The AG is not affiliated with any major political party, has limited contacts outside the IG, and would face an uncertain future should he lose his position. He was in default on several property loans to one of Fiji’s largest banks for much of the past two years; the bank unwilling to foreclose for (the entirely reasonable) fear that its expatriate managers would be deported should they do so. He recently resolved the delinquencies by selling the properties to law firms he dishes out IG work to, for prices well above fair market value. For the time being, Sayed-Khaiyum seems firmly ensconced, having time and again proven himself as Bainimarma’s go-to guy, resolving a number of political and economic problems created by other IG ministers.”
John Samy’s candid acknowledgement to US Ambassador Steve McGaan in 2008 flies flat in the face of lying deputy secretary of the Strategic Framework for Change in Fiji, Edward Tuindau in 2011. His speech to the Melanesian despots in Nadi on 5 September 2011, Tuindau told the gathering: “The Peoples Charter process was a nation-wide inclusive and participatory process. It represents Fiji’s own way of addressing its deep-rooted, complex and fundamental problems. The NCBBF had received very strong broad-based support from the people of Fiji for the draft Peoples Charter with an acceptance rate of 64%. It is on the basis of such a feedback from the people of Fiji that the NCBBF finalised the draft document and submitted this – The Peoples Charter for Change Peace and Progress to His Excellency the late President of Fiji in December 2008 for endorsement”
The Peoples Charter architect John Samy told US ambassador Steve McGaan that INTIMIDATION was used to get the people of Fiji to endorse the Charter.
Fijileaks: And Fiji was being held to ransom by a megalomaniac and near bankrupt illegal Attorney-General Khaiyum, Bainimarama’s go-to guy thug. Khaiyum had also secretly registered the FijiFirst Party in 2009
