GRAHAM EVERETT LEUNG: A MAN WITH TOO MANY HATS:
"HERE is trivial pursuit to attempt if you are mentally alert today. Who is the president of the Fiji Law Society? Graham Everett Leung. Correct. Who is judge advocate of the military court martial? Graham Everett Leung. Correct. Who is managing partner in the law firm of Howards? Graham Everett Leung. Correct. Who is the chairman of the Fiji Electoral Commission? Graham Everett Leung. Correct. It would not be out of place if I stated at the outset of this article why I have turned my attention to a specific individual called Graham Everett Leung. The answer is obvious. For not a day passes when one can [not] avoid reading something on him in the newspapers, because of the multiplicity of roles he is currently occupying in the country...It might be better for all and sundry in the country if Graham Everett Leung was allowed to commit hundred per cent of his service in running the Elections Office only, besides managing his successful commercial firm. After all, the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase also wants him to run the municipal polls. The 2006 general election is the most important in our nation's turbulent history and the chairman of the Electoral Commission, who is qualified and capable, needs no unwanted distraction, especially when rival politicians will be increasingly vocal and strident in their criticisms, and demanding of his time, as they set their sights in winning power...Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was also the Minister for Elections"
VICTOR LAL, Fiji's Daily Post, 4 November 2005
And when the "HAT" is snatched from the owner, we hear different TUNES
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"Leung must admit that his own Supervisor of Elections, Semesa Karavaki, has been away on study leave at the University of Queensland in Australia for quite some time and is due back at the end of the year. Karavaki is away doing a master's degree in law. It is his right to broaden his educational and legal horizons but one is again forced to ask whether the authorities that granted him study leave thought of the possible difficulties it might have on the running of the Elections Office. We just cannot have it both ways. Incidentally, if Karavaki insisted on taking the study leave, a new replacement should have been made, irrespective of one's ethnicity." - VICTOR LAL, in "A man with too many hats" - Daily Post; Victor Lal had also condemned Karavaki's decision that he was not going to oversee elections if it was conducted on a Saturday because of his religious beliefs - "Well, he should resign and let someone else run it". After the 2006 coup, Bainimarama told Fijilive.com he was responsible for Karavaki losing his job as Supervisor of Elections. "Tell him, I dictated his termination," said Bainimarama. He added that Karavaki can "take the matter to hell for all we care." "He is a kid on the block."
Leung had also lashed out at Mahendra Chaudhry and other critics that elections officials were favouring certain political parties but Chaudhry was taking none of the lashing, and called for Karavaki (above) to resign
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