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DOUBLE STANDARDS: Fiji Labour Party slams the University of Fiji for hosting Khaiyum to deliver the Vice-Chancellor's lecture on social media

2/8/2017

6 Comments

 
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The “keynote address” on the non-topic was prominently promoted by the university in a half page full colour advertisement that appeared in the classified section of Saturday’s Fiji Times, obviously paid for by the university. It must have cost the university close to $2000 for the advert. Yet barely two months ago, it #refused to allow Mr Chaudhry as general secretary of the National Farmers Union the use of its campus to welcome the visiting Government of Haryana (India) Agricultural delegation because it claimed the ceremony was “political”. “This was despite repeated assurances from me that the event was non-political. It was to be an opportunity for the visiting delegation to meet with farmers and students in the cane belt." - FLP leader Mahendra Chaudhry

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Double standards by the University of Fiji

Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has hit out at the University of Fiji for practicing #discriminatory #policies.

Yesterday the university hosted Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as keynote speaker to what it described in an advertisement, as the Vice Chancellor’s Public Lecture. No theme or subject matter was stated and no other speakers were mentioned.


The “keynote address” on the non-topic was prominently promoted by the university in a half page full colour advertisement that appeared in the classified section of Saturday’s Fiji Times, obviously paid for by the university. It must have cost the university close to $2000 for the advert.


Yet barely two months ago, it #refused to allow Mr Chaudhry as general secretary of the National Farmers Union the use of its campus to welcome the visiting Government of Haryana (India) Agricultural delegation because it claimed the ceremony was “political”.

“This was despite repeated assurances from me that the event was non-political. It was to be an opportunity for the visiting delegation to meet with farmers and students in the cane belt.

“Reports in today’s Fiji Times show that Mr Sayed-Khaiyum’s “keynote address” was blatantly political. He took the opportunity to launch yet another attack on the Fiji Times and the social media. According to our sources, the rest of the speech was devoted to the achievements of the Fiji First government. Clearly a campaign speech,” said Mr Chaudhry.

“We have a right to ask what is happening and whether the University of Fiji is guilty of double standards. It is very clear that the university is itself playing politics.

“Is this the Fijiuni's ’s way of paying back for its increased $1 million handout by Mr Sayed-Khaiyum in Budget 2017/18?”

As for Mr Sayed-Khaiyum’s attack on the Fiji Times, why is he not hitting out at the Fiji Sun for its blatantly pro-government bias to the point that it refuses to publish any criticism or anti-government statements.

The nation well knows that the Fiji Sun is just a propaganda arm for the FF government. But that is fine with the Attorney General although it is a violation of the media code of ethics on balance and fair play.

6 Comments
Thinker
2/8/2017 10:46:42 am

Khaiyum at UniFiji reminds of Kamlesh Arya's Court proceedings. Arya knows who can save him from prison.

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Welcome Home
2/8/2017 01:41:24 pm

And where was former Registrar and Ambassador Pandit Kamlesh Arya?

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Ratu
2/8/2017 07:36:12 pm

The trouble when inviting politicians to speak at academic gatherings is that they tend to reveal their ignorance by the mere fact of opening their mouths or they will hijack the Occassion to promote their own political agendas. At least during Ratu Mara's time he had the concept of "Pacific Way" to speak about at universities around the world. It seems Khaiyum was lamenting about the lack of critical thinking in public discourse without puttibg forward a hypothesis to explain the phenomenon he wished to talk about. Critical thinking and the advancement of science emerges from an open and free society.m that Fiji is not.?Young free thinkers and professionals have abandoned Fiji in droves since the first military coup of 1987. Their alienation from their land of birth and the land of their forefathers continued under Khaiyum and Bainimarama who beat and threatened their way into power. Of course, there will be no critical thinking because the very climate you've created discourages it. And the University of Fiji reveals its mediocrity by providing an unquestioning environment for Khaiyum to gush his drivel for the brain washed students and fawning academic staff to applaud and in their own ignorance. The Kungdom of Tonga has the highest number of PhDs per head of population in the world but it is struggling in poverty and lack of development. The existence of the monarchy stifles innovation and free thought. Bainimarama Rex is the new kingdom in Fiji and Khaiyum as the de facto prime minister is one of the chief architects of Fiji's new repressive environment that strangles critical thinking and innovation.

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Refugee
3/8/2017 07:39:18 am

So sorry to hear of the lost opportunity by the Haryana Govt. Delegation to explain to the students of UniFiji about the currency convict Chaudhary’s million dollars Haryana Fund. Perhaps Chaudhary should have considered Mauniweni High School as the more appropriate venue for such an important meeting.

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Welcome Home
3/8/2017 09:32:01 am

The over-arching tone of the speech was 'pontifical' and over weeningly condescending. Sole saving grace? Occasional dash of humour which even Ratu Sir Kamisese would inject but never lowering the intellectual content for the audience. The University of Fiji ought to deserve better. In lieu it has been demeaned and exploited for base purposes by so many whose minds have been set on selfish and narrow interests: completely in contradiction of its constitution. When "Breath becomes Air" as eventually befalls us all, these veils will fall revealing the overriding venality and toxicity of young lives laid waste.

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Tomasi
3/8/2017 07:59:00 pm

Oh yes, it is Khaiyum again. When will this foolish boy ever learn??? Someone must ask his father and mother what they forgot to do to teach this fellow good manners. What we have in him is the Yavulo-Nadroga-Fijian version of humpty dumpty. The problem is that if we continue to spectate from the sidelines and let him continue to play his crafty QORVIS-inspired antics on the political and financial stage, he will fall and take us down with him.

I am reminded of the " I believe, I am " philosophy. We are what we believe, or our faith and beliefs determine our perceptions ofthe world, and about who we are and what we do.

Many of us believe in God. But the idea that one’s religion is the only one the whole world must embrace is a dangerous belief. However, the notion that a lying, murderous paedophile and false prophet of the devil who claims that his Islamic version of satanic rule on earth must be imposed on our planet, is one of the most dangerous threats to humanity. Many have been trapped in this global and evil web.

There’s another dangerous belief. That’s the belief in the human being. One who worships human intellect as the measure of all things has also proven himself capable of destroying the world with his beliefs. Because a human’s mind cannot help but be bribed by his own ego.

For either of these beliefs—the belief in human beings and the belief in One G d—to safely enter our world, the two concepts had to be married together.
For monotheism to work, a crucial fact about this One G d must be accepted: That He is in love with this world He has made, and especially with the people He has placed upon it.

For human intellect to function safely, we must first accept that there is something beyond intellect, something eternally and immovably good and life-affirming Who determines what is true and what is not, what is right and what is wrong.

Look through the annals of history and you will see it: When this sort of belief has guided men and women, whatever religion they followed, those people brought peace, wisdom and progress into the world.

Today, especially here in Baiyum’s pseudo-islamic kingdom of Fiji, we desperately need this marriage of beliefs. With it, we can heal our nation and our world. Vinaka.

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