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Fijileaks: Bainimarama correct to disagree with Kepa on boarding places for rural and maritime students but when will he KICK out his siblings from jobs he gave them - where is the level playing field on his part?

14/4/2015

17 Comments

 

Like Fijileaks, the Fiji Times merely reproduced the Opposition press release, so it is wrong for Bainimarama to lambast Fiji Times!

“Ro Teimumu refers to indigenous people as “victims” of the Government’s policy. This is a lie. The real victims are students living in rural and maritime areas who have been deprived of proper access to education because the sons and daughters of families living in urban areas have taken their places in Government boarding schools.”


Fijileaks
: What about all the military and naval officers who
were NOT to benefit from his treasonous coup?
What about the Bainimarama Family below?

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The reported comments by the Opposition Leader, Ro Teimumu Kepa, in yesterday’s Fiji Times about the Government’s plan to open up its schools to rural and maritime students are inflammatory, divisive and a threat to national unity, says Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Speaking in a media conference this morning, the Prime Minister said the comments display an astonishing ignorance and confirm Ro Teimumu’s unfitness for high office. “Ro Teimumu refers to indigenous people as “victims” of the Government’s policy. This is a lie. The real victims are students living in rural and maritime areas who have been deprived of proper access to education because the sons and daughters of families living in urban areas have taken their places in Government boarding schools.”

“The vast majority of these students from urban areas - many of them children of civil servants, those who work at managerial level in the private sector and statutory authorities and in the professions – are readily capable of attending a variety of schools as day scholars.”

“Whereas those from rural and maritime areas come from families who have no choice but to send their children to boarding school because other options are simply not available. However, these people have often been excluded because the available positions have been taken up by students who could have been sent to other schools.” He said is a basic issue of fairness and justice that these fully-funded Government schools that also offer boarding facilities give priority to those who lack other avenues to gain an education. These include Queen Victoria School,Natabua High School, Adi Cakobau School, Labasa College and Ratu Kadavulevu School. “Our policy has been determined purely on the basis of need and it is highly irresponsible for Ro Teimumu Kepa to cast it in any other light. There is no threat to indigenous culture or the indigenous way of life. On the contrary, many indigenous children who have been disadvantaged by the policies of previous Governments will now be given an important opportunity for the first time.”

“More places in our boarding schools are being freed up for rural and maritime students, whether they come from Lau, Kadavu, Lomaiviti, Rotuma, the interior of the big islands or any other more isolated part of Fiji. So this is a huge leg-up for students in those areas and their families, who can now be rest assured that they will have the same opportunity as any other Fijian to get on in life.”

“Ro Teimumu needs to answer a basic question: What did she do to open up places in Government boarding schools for rural and maritime students when she was Minister for Education in the Qarase Government? The truth is that in this and in so many other instances, Ro Teimumu has acted against the interests of ordinary people by preserving and defending the privileges of the elite. These are people who can afford alternatives that less advantaged Fijians cannot.”

“The FijiFirst Government stands for equality, justice and fairness. And we make no apology for giving rural and maritime students the same opportunities as those from urban families to gain a proper education. It is the cornerstone of our philosophy as a Government - that every Fijian be given the same opportunity in life, irrespective of who they are or where they come from.” “I am especially concerned about the manner in which Ro Teimumu Kepa has chosen to cast this new policy in blatantly ethnic terms. The real “tabu” in Fiji should benot to attempt to spread alarm based on false information and try to create division for political purposes. There is no ethnic dimension to this issue at all.”

“It is the most basic test of leadership in the Fijian context and Ro Teimumu has failed it. She has demonstrated, yet again, the Opposition’s obsession with the rights of one ethnic grouping over others – even when no threat to those rights exists. And in doing so, she has demonstrated, yet again, SODELPA’s unfitness to govern.”

“The Fiji Times also stands condemned for yet another grossly irresponsible piece of journalism. Rather than report dispassionately and in the interests of national stability, the Fiji Times is controlled by a cabal that manipulates the news agenda and uses inflammatory language to create disunity, division and instability and to advance its own political interests,” he concluded.


Read more at: http://fijilive.com/news/2015/04/opposition-comments-are-inflammatory-pm/60797.Fijilive
Copyright 2015 © Fijilive.com
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The expensive ELITE Xmas CHOW in a posh hotel - RESERVED for the FAMILY
17 Comments
Johnny
14/4/2015 01:49:25 am

Teimumu' is completely out of her senses and she seems to have poured hot water on herself than bainimarama with her ill thought response. She should have taken the moral high ground by staying put and waiting for the right opportunity when evidence would have proved otherwise. With her outburst, she has made SODELPA look like a fools party and will definitely lead to loss of some very loyal supporters from maritime and rural areas which SODELPA was enjoying till the last election. SODELPA needs to realise that an effective opposition is not one that hoots their mouth at every opportunity but one that maintains patience and hits the hardest at the right opportunity. Teimumu has dug a big grave for herself and SODELPA unnecessarily this time.

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Political Landscape
14/4/2015 02:01:25 am

The current stature of political leaders is at the lowest ebb in post independent Fiji, a no school PM and an angry no policy Leader of Opposition,all shaming the nation on world stage.

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Vili
14/4/2015 02:54:05 am

Johnny is right. Mrs Kepa has fools for political advisors. They cant think strategically. This whole issue, like her boycott of Indian PM, only serves to expose her shallowness.

As for the comments of "Political Landscape" - human history has shown that you dont need a university education to be a leader.

Any fool can have a university degree. But no fool can be a successful leader.

Which university was Ghenghis Khan an Alumini of?. Alexander the Great? Napoleon Bonaparte? Dwight Eisenhower? Mao Tse Tung?

Get real bro

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Poor Comparison
14/4/2015 06:12:19 am

Vili should not quote medieval conqueres when no schools existed to bring comparison , the point is the current PM and Leader of Opposition lack capacity in qualification, astute and simple policy making to be in leadership roles.

Prior to elections last year the two came on air to debate and both exposed the lack of knowledge on even 2013 constitution,such is a sorry state of national leaders.

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Tome
14/4/2015 01:51:10 pm

PM's comment now running shallows to all Itaukei. He lost the plot!!

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Tome
14/4/2015 02:04:05 pm

I thought students supposed to school the nearest school in their vicinity as per FF policy?

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Just Shows
14/4/2015 03:20:54 pm

Just shows how stupid we all are in electing unschooled politicians to legislative bodies like our parliament. Bainimarama and his cohorts are dragging this whole nation into the abyss. The reform policies they have implemented and are planning have made Fiji poorer and less prospective to investors.

It is not surprising that Ro Kepa and the opposition members are strongly opposed to the measures the FFP government is taking because the measures are taken for the simple reason of destroying the native cultures and traditions.

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Johnny
14/4/2015 10:56:59 pm

@just shows,
Which part of native culture does it say for poor maritime overwhelmingly native students to be denied a place @boarding schools so that a ratu/adi or a cohort of one them can get taxpayer funded luxury of staying in a boarding at the expense of those that have no alternatives in their own islands? You seem to be one of those who have lost all senses in blindly following another blind. The opposition have made some good recommendations since being elected but the comments by Teimumu is a kick in the gut for all Fijians as it was uthough full and a no brainer. If you are really a native, you should know the struggles and abuses that these poor students from the maritime zones face in getting a decent level of education. Shooting the idea down without looking at the merits is more dumb than bainimaramas qualification.

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Ro Temu
14/4/2015 04:00:29 pm

For the sake of credibility in the Opposition. and a well thought out policy making the angry and single minded Ro Kepa should make way for someone else in the party.
All her energy currently is directed at indigenous rights and race issues which is blurring her vision of national issues.It would do her subjects great service by retreating back to the province and engage any government of the day for more indigenous issues in health, infrastructure, employment etc.
She simply can't be seen as an alternative Prime Minister of Fiji but there are others within Sodelpa very capable of leading Multi Cultural Fiji into the future.

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Chun Mun
14/4/2015 06:47:40 pm

Professor Biman Prasad would make a much better Leader of the Opposition

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Vili
15/4/2015 01:35:07 am

@ Ro Temu

So who, pray tell, within the SODELPA is the person you think is capable of "...leading multicultural Fiji into the future"?

Ratu Isoa Tikoca? That mediocre ex Army officer who was loyal like a dog to Rabuka?

Bill Gavoka? As Chairman of the FRU he could not even organize a credible lottery. Remember the FRU ticket fiasco.

Semi Karavaki? He is so steeped in Seventh Day Adventist evangelism and thinks he is the next Billy Graham! He believes women should be closeted in the home and not be given freedom of choice to engage in all sorts of sports eg boxing!

Give us some names please!

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Tomasi
14/4/2015 05:25:55 pm

Unlike Voreqe, Ro Teimumu speaks with wisdom and experience on serious matters and issues of significant importance to the nation and all our different communities.On the enrolment policies of the Governemnt boarding schools, Ro Teimumu knows more and understands better than Mahendra and Voreqe because she was a former Minister for Education, a former schoool teacher and a parent. She is well familiar with the origins and the development history of those schools and her constructive criticism of current Government policy must be taken into serious consideration by the Government of the day. Let us remember that she is the leader of the Upposotion parties in Parliament. That gives her even more right to speak and to speak wisely, truthfully and frankly. The least Voreqe should do is to accord her that right to speak and listen to the substance of what she says. This is my strong advice to Voreqe who gets paid as the PM but has no understanding neither the capacity to decide on solemn matters of state and the future of the Fijian people. Vinaka.

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tattoofj
14/4/2015 07:00:34 pm

I don't understand what the Ro lady's issue is. There is this school which not everyone could attend and reforms were put in place that anyone could go to any school. How does this affect the itaukei, if anything, it just helps them.

She is just trying to gain political mileage by using the race card - just like yester year Fiji. An idiot of the highest order I reckon.

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Bainime
14/4/2015 08:52:54 pm

Please PM just do not bother about RT's words because she will always comes out on top since she a Chief and man do not fight with ladies, just like your plan to have a lady as the Speaker knowing the Opposition will respect want ever non sense she'll brings to the House...grow up mahn!

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Bahuki
15/4/2015 12:33:00 am

In some way this does expose some flaws in both frankie and kepa on how they handle the political situation where one is concerned with the itaukei affairs while the other is a high school dropout....( I heard)....

It sure does put to question the credibility of the PM and the opposition also as mentioned in the previous comments. But yeah there are others in parliament capable of leading the nation into the future if not those two.

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Yes Vili
15/4/2015 04:03:06 am

The 3 names you suggested may well serve Sodelpa better and in time prove their worth as alternative PM.

They have past credentials and may well lead multiracial Fiji and progress indigenous issues and all citizens equally.

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Ratu Sai
15/4/2015 08:06:39 pm

People are missing the point. The schools concerned cater for student from all over Fiji and all walks of life not the elites as alleged by government. The only criteria is the required level of pass or mark attained. Now if the schools are reserved for the maritime and rural students what happens to the standard? Do they abolish the requisite pass level that is currently in place? What is wrong with consulting stakeholders before such major changes?

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