"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, we also wept, when we remembered Zion. We hung our lyres on the willows in its midst. For there, those who carried us away captive required of us a song; and those who tormented us required of us mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How shall we sing God’s song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalms 137:1-6)
From the late Professor Brij Lal, 10 November 2016
We will never bow before the bandits.
Their victory is pyrrhic:
Dear Victor
"I wish I knew [who was behind my banning]. What happened was this. I was taken to the QEB and was interrogated, slapped and spat upon by Sitiveni Qiliho. I remember asking him when I could return to Fiji to resume my research after he told me to take the first plane out. He said something non-committal, like 'we'll see.'
There was no paper, no interview, no due process.
After the elections in 2014, I wrote to Immigration Minister [Timoci] Natuva, who was initially quite positive. I was asked to pay some $300 to have the paper work done. When nothing happened, I asked again and was told by the Immigration Department fellows that the hiccup was at the PM's end. He refused to lift the ban.
Much later --and this is confidential -- (we have withheld the name of the political leader) raised the issue with Natuva who told him that it was No. 2 (Khaiyum) who was was blocking me.
He is the vindictive one. I believe that.
Quite bizarriely, I was told by someone that some of ASK's close Muslim supporters leaned on him not to allow me back into the country because, they said, I was the one on the Reeves Commission who had objected to the Muslim demand for separate seats.
That is completely untrue.
The issue was never raised in our deliberations simply because no one wanted more division in an already divided society.
I believe now that it is Khaiyum who is the one who is blocking us from returning to Fiji, with the support of his Muslim cohorts.
I never imagined this sort of zealous bigotry possible in a place like Fiji.
So sad, so short-sighted, but we will never bow before the bandits.
I wanted to write to you earlier to offer commiseration on the hacking of your blogsite.
I admire your courage and resilience. Their victory is pyrrhic."
Best, Brij
Petition to the Parliament of Fiji: Brij and Padma Lal
I wish to bring to the attention of the elected representatives of the people of Fiji the matter of life ban
imposed on us, myself and my wife Padma, from returning to Fiji, the country of our birth. Life ban is the
severest sanction a state can apply to any individual, and it is usually imposed for the most heinous of
crimes against humanity. We have at all times been law abiding citizens with an unblemished record
wherever we have lived. On the contrary, we both have been honoured in Fiji and the wider Pacific for
our contributions to society, including to our respective fields of academia and public service. We would
like the Parliament of Fiji to revoke the ban.
I (Brij V Lal) was deported from Fiji on 5 November 2009 and told to take the next available plane out of
the country. I was not told then or subsequently the reason for the deportation and the imposition of
the life ban on me. My wife, Padma, was refused entry into Fiji in January 2010 and similarly not
informed why this treatment was meted out to her.
I have been a principled critic of all the coups in Fiji, including the 2006 military coup. I stood up for the
values of representative democracy, the sanctity of the ballot box, the rule of law and unfettered free
speech. I believe that democracy dies without the oxygen of free speech, and that dissent and debate
are an integral part of a healthy democratic society. Nothing less would have been expected of me as a
former member of the Fiji Constitution Review Commission, headed by Sir Paul Reeves, whose report
formed the basis of Fiji’s once admired but now revoked 1997 Constitution. At all times, I dissented
within the prescribed parameters of Fijian laws.
Padma has always been the consummate professional, widely respected throughout the Pacific region
for her expertise in climate change, disaster risk management and more resource and environmental
economics more generally. She has never once publicly expressed opinions on politics in Fiji or
elsewhere, whatever her individual views may have been. We believe that she being victimized simply
for being married to me.
We have both been recognized for our public service to Fiji and the Pacific region. Marking its 70 th
anniversary, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) selected Padma as one of 70 most Inspiring
Women of the Pacific. Among numerous other awards, I have been honoured with an Officer of the
Order of Fiji, and Member of the Order of Australia as well as Australia’s Centenary Medal. Significantly,
I was chosen by the Fiji Millennium Committee as one of 75 people who helped shape Fiji’s 20 th century
history.
We would like the Parliament of Fiji to review and, if possible, revoke the life ban on us. Failing that, we
would at least like to know precisely why this severest of sanctions has been applied to us. Contrary to
the government’s assertion to the Fiji Parliament, we are not, and never have been, a danger to the
peace and security of Fiji and its people. We deeply regret the global opprobrium the ban has brought
on Fiji, and hope that this taint on Fiji’s reputation will be removed in due course.
Brij Vilash Lal, AM, BA (USP) MA (Brit. Col), PhD (ANU), FAHA
Padma Narsey Lal BSc, MSc (USP), MREnSc (ANU), PhD (Hawaii)
I wish to bring to the attention of the elected representatives of the people of Fiji the matter of life ban
imposed on us, myself and my wife Padma, from returning to Fiji, the country of our birth. Life ban is the
severest sanction a state can apply to any individual, and it is usually imposed for the most heinous of
crimes against humanity. We have at all times been law abiding citizens with an unblemished record
wherever we have lived. On the contrary, we both have been honoured in Fiji and the wider Pacific for
our contributions to society, including to our respective fields of academia and public service. We would
like the Parliament of Fiji to revoke the ban.
I (Brij V Lal) was deported from Fiji on 5 November 2009 and told to take the next available plane out of
the country. I was not told then or subsequently the reason for the deportation and the imposition of
the life ban on me. My wife, Padma, was refused entry into Fiji in January 2010 and similarly not
informed why this treatment was meted out to her.
I have been a principled critic of all the coups in Fiji, including the 2006 military coup. I stood up for the
values of representative democracy, the sanctity of the ballot box, the rule of law and unfettered free
speech. I believe that democracy dies without the oxygen of free speech, and that dissent and debate
are an integral part of a healthy democratic society. Nothing less would have been expected of me as a
former member of the Fiji Constitution Review Commission, headed by Sir Paul Reeves, whose report
formed the basis of Fiji’s once admired but now revoked 1997 Constitution. At all times, I dissented
within the prescribed parameters of Fijian laws.
Padma has always been the consummate professional, widely respected throughout the Pacific region
for her expertise in climate change, disaster risk management and more resource and environmental
economics more generally. She has never once publicly expressed opinions on politics in Fiji or
elsewhere, whatever her individual views may have been. We believe that she being victimized simply
for being married to me.
We have both been recognized for our public service to Fiji and the Pacific region. Marking its 70 th
anniversary, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) selected Padma as one of 70 most Inspiring
Women of the Pacific. Among numerous other awards, I have been honoured with an Officer of the
Order of Fiji, and Member of the Order of Australia as well as Australia’s Centenary Medal. Significantly,
I was chosen by the Fiji Millennium Committee as one of 75 people who helped shape Fiji’s 20 th century
history.
We would like the Parliament of Fiji to review and, if possible, revoke the life ban on us. Failing that, we
would at least like to know precisely why this severest of sanctions has been applied to us. Contrary to
the government’s assertion to the Fiji Parliament, we are not, and never have been, a danger to the
peace and security of Fiji and its people. We deeply regret the global opprobrium the ban has brought
on Fiji, and hope that this taint on Fiji’s reputation will be removed in due course.
Brij Vilash Lal, AM, BA (USP) MA (Brit. Col), PhD (ANU), FAHA
Padma Narsey Lal BSc, MSc (USP), MREnSc (ANU), PhD (Hawaii)