*As debates flare over procurement fairness in Rabuka’s Fiji - fuelled by Ganesh Chand’s pointed Facebook remark that ‘being indigenous’ is no excuse to skip tenders - attention also turns to the progress, or lack of updates, on Semi Tukana’s crowdfunding to settle the pilgrims’ Fiji Airways debt, amid talk that Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka was expecting to be charged by FICAC over the Israel pilgrimage flight. |  Ganesh Chand |
    Manoa Kamikamica says SOLE Fintech was not part of the tender process for the Vodafone e-ticketing system |    |
Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica has gone on record rejecting claims that the tender process for the Vodafone e-ticketing system was bypassed. His comments came after SOLE Fintech founder Semi Tukana lamented that his company was still waiting for an opportunity to be considered, suggesting that doors had been kept closed.
But what really set the social media circuit alight was Ganesh Chand’s blunt post, skewering what he describes as a dangerous mindset: “Just because I am an indigenous, just give government contracts to my company. I don’t have to bid when tenders are called.” Chand’s point is not subtle - it’s an indictment of a creeping sense of entitlement he believes is breeding corruption, inefficiency, and, ultimately, the decay of democratic norms.
We have been warning for months that under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s leadership, some in the iTaukei business community appear to think that their ethnicity is now a business qualification in itself. The return of the vakavanua old boys’ club has, in certain quarters, morphed into the belief that being iTaukei automatically puts you at the front of the queue for government projects, grants, and concessions - regardless of merit, cost-effectiveness, or capacity.
This is not an abstract concern. Fiji’s history is littered with the wreckage of state contracts handed out as political favours, leading to inflated costs, failed projects, and, worse, a public culture where competence is secondary to connections. When that happens, public procurement ceases to be about delivering services - it becomes a currency of political reward.
Kamikamica, to his credit, has publicly rejected the idea that SOLE Fintech was ever in line for the e-ticketing contract without going through proper process. But his remarks alone will not undo the growing perception that “our time to eat” has replaced “the best company for the job” as the operative procurement philosophy.
The danger is not just financial. As Chand points out, this mentality - ethnic entitlement to state resources - can be the seed from which racism, abuse, and dictatorship grow. Once it becomes normal for one group to believe the machinery of the state exists to enrich them first, the constitutional promise of equality before the law is quietly hollowed out.
And here’s the rub: if this culture takes root now, it will be wielded just as easily by tomorrow’s political enemies. Corruption and entitlement are non-partisan diseases; they spread quickly and they survive regime change.
So yes, let’s reject the claim that tender processes can be skipped. But let’s also reject the dangerous fiction - being whispered in business circles and hinted at in public - that being iTaukei under Rabuka’s government is a procurement advantage in itself. Because if the only real tender is to “our own”, then the tender process isn’t just broken - it’s irrelevant.
*A stark reminder from Fiji’s economic history: the collapse of the National Bank of Fiji in the 1990s - looted to destruction largely through unsecured and un-repaid loans to politically connected iTaukei borrowers - remains one of the country’s most costly and avoidable financial scandals, and a warning that cash-cow connections and Christ must never come into play when public money or national assets are at stake.
But what really set the social media circuit alight was Ganesh Chand’s blunt post, skewering what he describes as a dangerous mindset: “Just because I am an indigenous, just give government contracts to my company. I don’t have to bid when tenders are called.” Chand’s point is not subtle - it’s an indictment of a creeping sense of entitlement he believes is breeding corruption, inefficiency, and, ultimately, the decay of democratic norms.
We have been warning for months that under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s leadership, some in the iTaukei business community appear to think that their ethnicity is now a business qualification in itself. The return of the vakavanua old boys’ club has, in certain quarters, morphed into the belief that being iTaukei automatically puts you at the front of the queue for government projects, grants, and concessions - regardless of merit, cost-effectiveness, or capacity.
This is not an abstract concern. Fiji’s history is littered with the wreckage of state contracts handed out as political favours, leading to inflated costs, failed projects, and, worse, a public culture where competence is secondary to connections. When that happens, public procurement ceases to be about delivering services - it becomes a currency of political reward.
Kamikamica, to his credit, has publicly rejected the idea that SOLE Fintech was ever in line for the e-ticketing contract without going through proper process. But his remarks alone will not undo the growing perception that “our time to eat” has replaced “the best company for the job” as the operative procurement philosophy.
The danger is not just financial. As Chand points out, this mentality - ethnic entitlement to state resources - can be the seed from which racism, abuse, and dictatorship grow. Once it becomes normal for one group to believe the machinery of the state exists to enrich them first, the constitutional promise of equality before the law is quietly hollowed out.
And here’s the rub: if this culture takes root now, it will be wielded just as easily by tomorrow’s political enemies. Corruption and entitlement are non-partisan diseases; they spread quickly and they survive regime change.
So yes, let’s reject the claim that tender processes can be skipped. But let’s also reject the dangerous fiction - being whispered in business circles and hinted at in public - that being iTaukei under Rabuka’s government is a procurement advantage in itself. Because if the only real tender is to “our own”, then the tender process isn’t just broken - it’s irrelevant.
*A stark reminder from Fiji’s economic history: the collapse of the National Bank of Fiji in the 1990s - looted to destruction largely through unsecured and un-repaid loans to politically connected iTaukei borrowers - remains one of the country’s most costly and avoidable financial scandals, and a warning that cash-cow connections and Christ must never come into play when public money or national assets are at stake.
From Coupfourpointfive, 26 May 2010
From Fijileaks Archive, 23 February 2024
 *SEMI TUKANA was one of the 'Pilgrims to Israel' but paid his airfares. At the heart of the Fly Now, Pay Later Scam is the role of Fiji Airways in accepting a meagre $400,000 out of $3million to fly the 'pilgrims' into Israel, and after the Hamas attack, to fly them back to Fiji. |   |
Michael Mausio of Pacific Voyager Pilgrims’ Debt to Fiji Airways: Crowdfunding, Clarifications, and a Growing Question Mark
When Semi Tukana, founder of SOLE Fintech, announced earlier this year that he was helping facilitate the repayment of a multi-million-dollar debt owed to Fiji Airways for a charter flight to Israel, it sounded like a rare moment of corporate and community solidarity. The October 2023 charter had been organised for a group of Christian pilgrims, many of whom were caught in travel chaos as the Israel–Hamas war erupted. But behind the pious mission lies an uncomfortable reality - Fiji Airways is still waiting for its money.
The Numbers That Won’t Go Away
The debt - reported at roughly FJ$3 million - was incurred by Pacific Voyager, the charter organiser. While some payments may have been made, sources indicate that the shortfall is still in the range of FJ$2.5 million. In plain terms, the airline has not been made whole, and the outstanding sum is large enough to raise red flags in any corporate ledger.
The SOLE Crowdfunding Push
Tukana’s proposal was not for SOLE itself to foot the bill. Instead, his platform would host a crowdfunding drive, overseen by a trustee group, with weekly payment schedules published for transparency. The plan was marketed as a community effort, with every contribution channelled directly toward the debt.
SOLE had been careful to clarify that:
Transparency Promises vs. Delivery
Tukana promised public updates, including on a dedicated Facebook page. But as of now, it is unclear:
For a platform that claims to champion openness, the silence on these specifics is deafening.
The Bigger Picture
This is more than a church-group debt story. It raises governance questions about:
And hovering in the background is the spectre of FICAC. If public money, political influence, or preferential treatment for certain groups is in play, the anti-corruption watchdog may be obliged to take a closer look. Is it true that Ficac has closed the File?
When Semi Tukana, founder of SOLE Fintech, announced earlier this year that he was helping facilitate the repayment of a multi-million-dollar debt owed to Fiji Airways for a charter flight to Israel, it sounded like a rare moment of corporate and community solidarity. The October 2023 charter had been organised for a group of Christian pilgrims, many of whom were caught in travel chaos as the Israel–Hamas war erupted. But behind the pious mission lies an uncomfortable reality - Fiji Airways is still waiting for its money.
The Numbers That Won’t Go Away
The debt - reported at roughly FJ$3 million - was incurred by Pacific Voyager, the charter organiser. While some payments may have been made, sources indicate that the shortfall is still in the range of FJ$2.5 million. In plain terms, the airline has not been made whole, and the outstanding sum is large enough to raise red flags in any corporate ledger.
The SOLE Crowdfunding Push
Tukana’s proposal was not for SOLE itself to foot the bill. Instead, his platform would host a crowdfunding drive, overseen by a trustee group, with weekly payment schedules published for transparency. The plan was marketed as a community effort, with every contribution channelled directly toward the debt.
SOLE had been careful to clarify that:
- Customer funds are safe in regulated trust accounts monitored daily by banks and the Reserve Bank of Fiji.
- No SOLE account balances would be used for this purpose.
- The crowdfunding initiative is facilitated, not owned, by SOLE.
Transparency Promises vs. Delivery
Tukana promised public updates, including on a dedicated Facebook page. But as of now, it is unclear:
- How much money has been collected;
- Whether Fiji Airways has received any significant payments;
- Whether the trustee group has been formally announced or is operating as described.
For a platform that claims to champion openness, the silence on these specifics is deafening.
The Bigger Picture
This is more than a church-group debt story. It raises governance questions about:
- The prudence of Fiji Airways’ risk assessment in approving the charter;
- The accountability of Pacific Voyager in meeting its obligations;
- The transparency of high-profile crowdfunding campaigns, especially when linked to political or faith-based networks.
And hovering in the background is the spectre of FICAC. If public money, political influence, or preferential treatment for certain groups is in play, the anti-corruption watchdog may be obliged to take a closer look. Is it true that Ficac has closed the File?
