Fijileaks still waiting to hear from Vijay Narayan but he tells Newswire:
Witness No 1: Hon Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum to Privileges Committee:
What then happened I will tell you the full story, Mr Chairman.
When we broke for morning tea, I met Honorable Draunidalo and said to her, "Why do you get so violent in your reactions?"
She sort of smiles. I have known her from before, in fact she worked for me, I was her Manager when I was working for the Colonial Group of Companies. So I do have a relationship with her and I asked her, "Why do you get so violent?" I said, "You did not have to call him a fool." I said.
"You could have come up with a smart response like, "Well, we are not as obtuse as you are. "Obtuse means thick, you could have said that, and that is acceptable. She said, "Aw, I am not as eloquent as you are" and that is where we left it. I then went and sat down, Mr Chairman, to have my tea.
I then received a text message and I have got copies of that here, which I am happy to pass on to the Committee, from Vijay Narayan who is a News Editor of Communications Fiji Limited and the Legend News Station and he said:
"Bula Sir, you had raised a Point of Order saying that Draunidalo called Reddy a fool, she then got up and said 'calling us dumb natives, you idiot'. Will this matter be taken further? Thanks, Vijay.
My response was, "I did not hear the second part, did you hear it?"
He then responded and said: "I have the recording, Hansard should have it, it was very clear."
I then said, "Okay".
I then went immediately to the Honorable Speaker and showed her this text message. I said I did not hear it, and she said that she did not hear it and then I said,
"Well, let us see what the Hansard says", for me to be able to respond to Vijay.
Vijay then in the afternoon at 16.06 texts me and says:
"Hi Sir, Vijay here, any comments on that Draunidalo comment in Parliament? Will any action be taken?"
I responded and said, "We need to hear it ourselves before making any comment."
Then he says: "Thanks, we will wait for that."
That was the end of the exchange with him.
Fijileaks: It was none other than VIJAY NARAYAN who was also instrumental in the suspension of Ratu Naiqama from Parliament of Fiji; Narayan is yet to respond to Fijileaks:
http://www.fijileaks.com/home/fijis-new-stasi-media-help-khaiyum-get-lalabalabu-banned-from-parliament-for-two-years-communications-fiji-ltd-audio-recording-used-to-inflict-severest-penalty-on-tui-cakau-is-fiji-on-brink-of-civil-war
http://www.fijileaks.com/home/coups-could-bring-positive-changes-to-a-nation-claimed-zambian-mp-outside-parliament-the-national-assembly-charged-him-with-contempt-supreme-court-threw-out-case-saying-nothing-to-do-with-parliament
http://www.fijileaks.com/home/the-lalabalavu-suspension-inter-parliamentary-union-governing-council-meeting-in-zambia-rules-two-year-suspension-over-remark-made-outside-parliament-inappropriate-and-council-hopes-suspension-will-be-lifted
Barbara Dreaver: Fiji's journalist blacklist is a disgrace
According to Prime Minister John Key the 2006 Fiji coup is ancient history and the time is right for his official visit this week.
But it still isn't right for everyone.
Remnants of the military dictatorship still remain – and some journalists who specialise in the Pacific, including myself as TVNZ's Pacific Correspondent, are still banned.
Why? What on earth are they afraid of?
Fiji held its democratic elections in 2014, the country made its choice, and is now intent on letting the world know it is free and fair.
Yet it persists in maintaining some undemocratic actions.
Restricting, banning and persecuting media is in every military dictator's handbook – I get that.
But has or has not Fiji moved on from this?
Being locked up in a detention centre for the night, being threatened and having the Geneva Convention breached when a New Zealand Government representative was denied access to me was unpleasant.
But that was in 2008 – eight years ago.
From a personal perspective I was born, went to school, worked and lived in the pacific - and I have close family in Fiji, as I do many Pacific countries.
I am half I-Kiribati, which means I cannot travel home unless I travel with the Air Force as commercial flights are through Fiji.
From a professional perspective, the ban means it's not just Fiji I can't report from, but also Kiribati and Tuvalu which both count on flights from Fiji.
I have strong professional relationships with both the governments of Kiribati and Tuvalu – both of which face huge challenges with rising sea levels and isolation – and want their stories told.
Neither country is impressed that I am restrained from travelled there.
As part of a Ministerial delegation this week I went to those countries, and was granted "special permission" to transit for one hour through Nadi Airport.
The people of Fiji deserve to have their stories told no matter who they are or who they vote for.
Journalists should not be banned in any democratic country.
The fact that the New Zealand delegation headed by the Prime Minister cannot include the national broadcaster's Pacific Correspondent is a disgrace.
*Other journalists banned from Fiji include former pacific correspondents for the ABC and Fairfax, Sean Dorney and Michael Field.
Fijileaks: Also on the banned list is Russell Hunter, the former publisher-in-chief of Fiji Sun for revealing that Frank Bainimarama's Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chauhdry was hiding $2million in an Australian bank account
According to Prime Minister John Key the 2006 Fiji coup is ancient history and the time is right for his official visit this week.
But it still isn't right for everyone.
Remnants of the military dictatorship still remain – and some journalists who specialise in the Pacific, including myself as TVNZ's Pacific Correspondent, are still banned.
Why? What on earth are they afraid of?
Fiji held its democratic elections in 2014, the country made its choice, and is now intent on letting the world know it is free and fair.
Yet it persists in maintaining some undemocratic actions.
Restricting, banning and persecuting media is in every military dictator's handbook – I get that.
But has or has not Fiji moved on from this?
Being locked up in a detention centre for the night, being threatened and having the Geneva Convention breached when a New Zealand Government representative was denied access to me was unpleasant.
But that was in 2008 – eight years ago.
From a personal perspective I was born, went to school, worked and lived in the pacific - and I have close family in Fiji, as I do many Pacific countries.
I am half I-Kiribati, which means I cannot travel home unless I travel with the Air Force as commercial flights are through Fiji.
From a professional perspective, the ban means it's not just Fiji I can't report from, but also Kiribati and Tuvalu which both count on flights from Fiji.
I have strong professional relationships with both the governments of Kiribati and Tuvalu – both of which face huge challenges with rising sea levels and isolation – and want their stories told.
Neither country is impressed that I am restrained from travelled there.
As part of a Ministerial delegation this week I went to those countries, and was granted "special permission" to transit for one hour through Nadi Airport.
The people of Fiji deserve to have their stories told no matter who they are or who they vote for.
Journalists should not be banned in any democratic country.
The fact that the New Zealand delegation headed by the Prime Minister cannot include the national broadcaster's Pacific Correspondent is a disgrace.
*Other journalists banned from Fiji include former pacific correspondents for the ABC and Fairfax, Sean Dorney and Michael Field.
Fijileaks: Also on the banned list is Russell Hunter, the former publisher-in-chief of Fiji Sun for revealing that Frank Bainimarama's Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chauhdry was hiding $2million in an Australian bank account
