 |  Is Professor Konai Thaman’s letter a swan song of a ‘failed’ septuagenarian? |
SOM NAIDU, another 'Griper' against Professor Ahluwalia, is yet to respond that he failed to return to USP to fulfil his Study Leave Bond Conditions after he was sent to Australia in 1990 for further study. In 2016 he appeared at USP to take up a position and went off again in 2020 to Australia with $130,000 in back pay.
As for the Thamans, why didn't the couple speak out when Randy Thaman's former student Rajesh Chandra was VCP? And moreover, the poor taxpayers of the university region, including Australia and New Zealand, would have saved millions, tens of millions, from the widespread abuse of office by ex-VCP Chandra under the watch of Fijian government representative, Winston Thompson.
Thompson and ARC Chair Mahmood Khan had successfully blocked the BDP Report
from being released at the August 2019 Nadi Council meeting.
In her letter to the USP Council (11 February 2021), KONAI THAMAN pines for a true Pasefikan to take on the USP. Hello, who then was the man from Fiji, Rajesh Chandra, 'The Indian Maharaja' who grind USP to the ground? Was he not a Pacific Islander as defined by the Constitution of Fiji? She talks about Pasefikan. Was it The Pacific Way to storm into the Ahluwalias house like thieves in the night, round them up, and deport them out of Fiji?
Surely, Konai Helu Thaman is aware of the uncalled for treatment of her husband Randy Thaman, as we have revealed, by former VCP Chandra and Anjeela Jokhan, now Permanent Secretary for Education. She keeps describing Professor Ahluwalia as Ex-VCP (Sorry, he is still VCP, Madam Konai).
***2018 was USP’s 50th anniversary year and Emeritus Professor Randy Thaman was allegedly given $20,000 to write up the Anniversary Book. Perhaps this is what he and ex-VCP Chandra were planning when Chandra went on PC Winston Thompson approved Professional Development Leave three months from retirement (see stories in Fijileaks and BDO Report). Two years later, the University is still waiting for the book and Associate Professor Jacqueline Leckie of Otago University had to step in and compile it. In the meantime, the new VCP should be asking Professor Randolph (Randy) Thaman about
the $20K to assist with the USP Budget
"I first met Pal in Nauru where he was interviewed and later appointed by the USP Council. He was pleasant enough but, as a Tongan, I was not impressed by his recounting of his many and varied experiences in different universities, as if to impress. Later, at that meeting, when he was appointed, I was a little shocked because there were a couple of applicants who had Pacific experience and sounded better, in my estimation, but I chose to let this doubt go...Finally, I believe that ex-VCP Ahluwalia, because of his divisive influence, vindictive tendencies and proven lack of leadership qualities, needs to go. First, as a permit holder in Fiji until recently, I knew the conditions associated with my work permit. "
Fijileaks: Has Konai Thaman finally taken up Fiji citizenship?
Konai Thaman From Prof Konai Helu Thaman
Suva, Fiji.
Date: 11.2.2021
To: Members of the USP Council
Subject: USP: a personal reflection
Dear Members of the USP Council:
I apologise at the outset for taking up your time but needed to convey to you a somewhat different perspective of what has been going on at USP over the last three years or so and my and others’ dissatisfaction with the leadership, attitude and performance of ex-VC Pal Ahluwalia.
I joined USP in 1974 and left at the end of last year. However, I essentially ceased to be a full member of staff since I turned 65 yrs.old, due to the USP policy of forced retirement (unless one is ‘needed’ by USP). Since 2011 I have continued to work on either 12-month or 6-month contracts, either part-time or full-time depending on a ‘need’ perceived by a manager at USPI. In this capacity, I was not entitled to anything other than annual leave and disqualified from having the option to continue my service on the USP Senate and Council in the past three years.
From 1975 until 2018, I served at the School of Education which later became the Department of Education, and again reverted to the School of Education until this year’s restructure. Over the last 3 years I served at the Oceania Centre for Art, Culture & Pacific Studies, where my work was mainly focused on developing and teaching courses in Pacific Studies, reviewing the Post Graduate Diploma in Pacific Studies, and teaching a post graduate flexi-school (PA419) in Niue in early 2020. As a ‘retiree’, I was not allowed to continue to supervise MA and PHD students, although I did so on an informal basis.
I have enjoyed my 46 years being a staff member of USP. During this time, I completed my PhD (part time) and occupied various positions from AL through to a personal chair as Professor of Pacific Education & Culture; awarded a UNESCO Chair in teacher education & culture in 1998-2017; served as s Head of School of Humanities, Director of the Institute of Education, Pro Vice Chancellor, and Acting Deputy VC in 2004, when Prof Rajesh Chandra was Acting VC after the passing of VC Siwatibau. I consider myself so fortunate to have served our unique island region under 8 different USP VCs. As well as this privilege, I was also, at different times, a long-serving Senate representative in the USP Council, until 3 years ago when Prof P. Ahluwalia was appointed.
It is within the above contexts and experiences, that I offer to you my humble opinion on what is going on at USP and offer a way forward. For me, the last ten years working for USP was not a very enjoyable time: in fact, it was the saddest time for me. It was not because of any financial reason (I was offered inducement when that ‘program’ was invented but refused because I felt that I did not need to be induced to work in my own university), but mainly because I felt I could do more for students ( in teaching and supervising) but was not allowed to do this because of institutional policies which by the way, are almost always created by senior management in general and VCs in particular, usually to stamp their presence on the governance of the institution. I would suggest that you might want to find out how many policy changes have occurred in the last 10 years, and more particularly the last 3 years, often without due consultation. USP has had clear policies and processes, but sadly they have been ignored and/or changed to suit the circumstances and personal wishes of some leaders and/or senior management, resulting in confusion and quick fix solutions, often sidelining or causing some of our most qualified staff to look elsewhere for employment. Look no further than the current composition of the USP Council itself and its various committees.
Which brings me to ex-VCP Pal Ahluwalia. I am not in a position to comment on his deportation for obvious reasons. First, as a permit holder in Fiji until recently, I knew the conditions associated with my work permit. Fiji is a sovereign nation like all the other USP member countries. It does not need to consult anyone before it acts in relation to its citizens and/or those holding work permits. When some USP member governments decided to require permits for USP staff to teach and/or research in their various places, they did not consult the USP Council; they informed Council and USP Senior Management of the changes they had made. Secondly, I am not privy to the activities of the ex-VCP in relation to Fiji outside of his work at USP. My comments here therefore are made in the context of his performance at USP, mainly at the Laucala campus.
I think it’s fair to say that when Prof Ahluwalia took over from Prof Chandra, a lot of people saw him as a breath of fresh air. He was friendly and spoke about his being a ‘spiritual’ person, an announcement which was very pleasing to many Pacific staff and students, who often describe themselves as people of faith. The new VCP was, as some said, seen as a ‘savior’. There were also quite a few people who felt ‘wronged’ by Prof Chandra, or for that matter, by persons in his inner circle. Not surprisingly, many of them are currently the main supporters of the ex-VCP Pal Ahluwalia. Some of them have been ‘rewarded’ while others, who did not overtly demonstrate on his behalf, when he was stood down by the Executive Committee, or did not join in prayer meetings intended to seek spiritual guidance, are sidelined or simply ignored.
I first met Pal in Nauru where he was interviewed and later appointed by the USP Council. He was pleasant enough but, as a Tongan, I was not impressed by his recounting of his many and varied experiences in different universities, as if to impress. Later, at that meeting, when he was appointed, I was a little shocked because there were a couple of applicants who had Pacific experience and sounded better, in my estimation, but I chose to let this doubt go. Later while on my morning walk, I met him with a couple of staff members who were his walking mates. He told me that he was about to take a paper to Council regarding governance issues under VCP Chandra and that he wanted to talk to me. I accepted the invitation. He told me again he wanted to talk to me when he visited the OCACPS to speak with some of the staff. And again when I ran into him near the book shop he told me that his secretary would contact me with a time for a meeting and I told him that I was free anytime he wanted to talk. Unfortunately, neither he nor his secretary ever contacted me and I assumed he did not really need to talk to me. It was then that I decided to keep an eye on the guy, who seemed to always say he would do something, but never seemed to do so.
In the meantime, I had some time to watch and listen to him in various contexts and capacities, e.g. talks at public lectures hosted by USP, “consultations with staff”, etc. and was not impressed. He was so obsessed in revealing mismanagement and lack of good governance in the previous administration that he seemed to forget about his own way of doing things, assuming that his way was good governance and anyone else’s was not; and he did not seem to have a clear plan for the future. I saw cronyism creeping in just as it did with our previous VCP. I began to see that his actions did not always align with his words – but I still wanted to wait because I realized that he did not really understand the region and working in a regional institution, which is quite different from working in a ‘normal’ university.
However, when the BDO Report was leaked, I was astounded by the degree of hate and vindictiveness expressed by his supporters, at many of those who were part of the previous SMT or who, according to them, benefitted disproportionately from favours bestowed by VCP Chandra. The selectivity of the negative comments used by his main supporters (both academic and non-academic) really angered me. For example, DVC Armstrong was chosen to be the sacrificial lamb…..for no other reason but that he was being paid at a level different from that under which he was appointed. No one tried to find out why – (that VCP Chandra asked him to take over the work of one of the Vice Presidents, who was terminated by VCP Chandra). Later, these same people did not say anything about the fact that only Research and International (DVC Armstrong’s section), met their strategic outcomes at the last UGC meeting.
VCP Pal’s mistreatment of DVC Armstrong is common knowledge and now Pal’s supporters are also joining in calling him names and acting in a very “un-spiritual” way. What is even more annoying is the fact that a few of these people were helped by DVC Armstrong to get to where they are today by supporting their quest for promotion and/or appointments despite opposition from some quarters. I find this state of affairs disgusting and a sure sign of hypocrisy among so called ‘spiritual’ or ‘ethical’ people. So from where I sit I see a person who manipulates people who are looking for something, anything new and promising….and in his striving to gain popularity and recognition he has failed to be a true leader, but rather a vindictive human being. He also has successfully managed to divide staff against staff and students against students, again favoring those on his side . . . again, these are not traits of a good leader. Those who are with him are rewarded and anyone who is not for him is deemed to be against him. The latter group do not get a look in. . . almost doomed to disappear from the University-scape, with some of them, mainly Pacific staff, having decided to leave USP because they do not feel appreciated, were not offered fair or timely contracts which offered security, and did not want to be part of his inner circle of ‘yes’ people.
Finally, I believe that ex-VCP Ahluwalia, because of his divisive influence, vindictive tendencies and proven lack of leadership qualities, needs to go. Some of his supporters see him as a martyr but I see him as an exploitative pretender and manipulator. During the three years he’s been here, all that he’s done is try and bring down people in the name of good governance as if he has a monopoly on the concept. I still believe that the number of breaches identified by the Executive Committee (the original one) need to be independently and properly investigated. The recent restructure has not been well thought-out, was done with inadequate consultation across all levels of staff and the region; and some people remain unsure of what to do. Others have been put in positions for which they are not fully qualified and the selection process has been criticized by some staff for lack of transparency and due process. There seems to be little time for wider and better consultation and going back to a School structure seems a retrograde step to me. In fact, the new School structure has a weird similarity to the old Faculty structure which it was meant to replace.
From where I sit, I see the silent majority among both staff and students, being sad and overwhelmed and just wanting to get on with their work or look to the sunnier side of the street. Unfortunately, the whole issue has been so politicized that anything anyone says would be taken as a sign of taking sides, or conspiracy theory, whether within USP politics or Fiji politics or both, and depending on what side you are looking from, may prefer not to listen to any arguments from another side. This is clearly demonstrated on social media, where at times, one wonders where all the love and goodness among Pacific people have gone?
It is time, in my view, for Council to move on from ex-VCP Ahluwalia, and start looking for someone from our Pacific spaces, someone who understands and has our region and people at heart. USP had a chance when the job was first advertised. A very capable man of faith – a USP graduate, a university academic, long time member of Council and advocate of Pacific leadership. But he was overlooked and the second time the job was advertised, the requirement for applicants to have full professorial (status) was inserted. Some members of Council thought that the change was done in order to rule him out. I am of the opinion that we would not be in this sad position if he was on deck. But it’s not too late. Together we can find someone – a son or daughter or the Pacific, who will be able to bring back together the dismembered pieces of corpus USP to form a renewed, reinvigorated and interconnected USP. And that we do this without the vote of our main development partners, who, whether they like it or not, tend to influence the way we look at ourselves as well as the world.
Thank you for your patience and consideration.
‘Ofa atu
Konai H Thaman
Suva, Fiji.
Date: 11.2.2021
To: Members of the USP Council
Subject: USP: a personal reflection
Dear Members of the USP Council:
I apologise at the outset for taking up your time but needed to convey to you a somewhat different perspective of what has been going on at USP over the last three years or so and my and others’ dissatisfaction with the leadership, attitude and performance of ex-VC Pal Ahluwalia.
I joined USP in 1974 and left at the end of last year. However, I essentially ceased to be a full member of staff since I turned 65 yrs.old, due to the USP policy of forced retirement (unless one is ‘needed’ by USP). Since 2011 I have continued to work on either 12-month or 6-month contracts, either part-time or full-time depending on a ‘need’ perceived by a manager at USPI. In this capacity, I was not entitled to anything other than annual leave and disqualified from having the option to continue my service on the USP Senate and Council in the past three years.
From 1975 until 2018, I served at the School of Education which later became the Department of Education, and again reverted to the School of Education until this year’s restructure. Over the last 3 years I served at the Oceania Centre for Art, Culture & Pacific Studies, where my work was mainly focused on developing and teaching courses in Pacific Studies, reviewing the Post Graduate Diploma in Pacific Studies, and teaching a post graduate flexi-school (PA419) in Niue in early 2020. As a ‘retiree’, I was not allowed to continue to supervise MA and PHD students, although I did so on an informal basis.
I have enjoyed my 46 years being a staff member of USP. During this time, I completed my PhD (part time) and occupied various positions from AL through to a personal chair as Professor of Pacific Education & Culture; awarded a UNESCO Chair in teacher education & culture in 1998-2017; served as s Head of School of Humanities, Director of the Institute of Education, Pro Vice Chancellor, and Acting Deputy VC in 2004, when Prof Rajesh Chandra was Acting VC after the passing of VC Siwatibau. I consider myself so fortunate to have served our unique island region under 8 different USP VCs. As well as this privilege, I was also, at different times, a long-serving Senate representative in the USP Council, until 3 years ago when Prof P. Ahluwalia was appointed.
It is within the above contexts and experiences, that I offer to you my humble opinion on what is going on at USP and offer a way forward. For me, the last ten years working for USP was not a very enjoyable time: in fact, it was the saddest time for me. It was not because of any financial reason (I was offered inducement when that ‘program’ was invented but refused because I felt that I did not need to be induced to work in my own university), but mainly because I felt I could do more for students ( in teaching and supervising) but was not allowed to do this because of institutional policies which by the way, are almost always created by senior management in general and VCs in particular, usually to stamp their presence on the governance of the institution. I would suggest that you might want to find out how many policy changes have occurred in the last 10 years, and more particularly the last 3 years, often without due consultation. USP has had clear policies and processes, but sadly they have been ignored and/or changed to suit the circumstances and personal wishes of some leaders and/or senior management, resulting in confusion and quick fix solutions, often sidelining or causing some of our most qualified staff to look elsewhere for employment. Look no further than the current composition of the USP Council itself and its various committees.
Which brings me to ex-VCP Pal Ahluwalia. I am not in a position to comment on his deportation for obvious reasons. First, as a permit holder in Fiji until recently, I knew the conditions associated with my work permit. Fiji is a sovereign nation like all the other USP member countries. It does not need to consult anyone before it acts in relation to its citizens and/or those holding work permits. When some USP member governments decided to require permits for USP staff to teach and/or research in their various places, they did not consult the USP Council; they informed Council and USP Senior Management of the changes they had made. Secondly, I am not privy to the activities of the ex-VCP in relation to Fiji outside of his work at USP. My comments here therefore are made in the context of his performance at USP, mainly at the Laucala campus.
I think it’s fair to say that when Prof Ahluwalia took over from Prof Chandra, a lot of people saw him as a breath of fresh air. He was friendly and spoke about his being a ‘spiritual’ person, an announcement which was very pleasing to many Pacific staff and students, who often describe themselves as people of faith. The new VCP was, as some said, seen as a ‘savior’. There were also quite a few people who felt ‘wronged’ by Prof Chandra, or for that matter, by persons in his inner circle. Not surprisingly, many of them are currently the main supporters of the ex-VCP Pal Ahluwalia. Some of them have been ‘rewarded’ while others, who did not overtly demonstrate on his behalf, when he was stood down by the Executive Committee, or did not join in prayer meetings intended to seek spiritual guidance, are sidelined or simply ignored.
I first met Pal in Nauru where he was interviewed and later appointed by the USP Council. He was pleasant enough but, as a Tongan, I was not impressed by his recounting of his many and varied experiences in different universities, as if to impress. Later, at that meeting, when he was appointed, I was a little shocked because there were a couple of applicants who had Pacific experience and sounded better, in my estimation, but I chose to let this doubt go. Later while on my morning walk, I met him with a couple of staff members who were his walking mates. He told me that he was about to take a paper to Council regarding governance issues under VCP Chandra and that he wanted to talk to me. I accepted the invitation. He told me again he wanted to talk to me when he visited the OCACPS to speak with some of the staff. And again when I ran into him near the book shop he told me that his secretary would contact me with a time for a meeting and I told him that I was free anytime he wanted to talk. Unfortunately, neither he nor his secretary ever contacted me and I assumed he did not really need to talk to me. It was then that I decided to keep an eye on the guy, who seemed to always say he would do something, but never seemed to do so.
In the meantime, I had some time to watch and listen to him in various contexts and capacities, e.g. talks at public lectures hosted by USP, “consultations with staff”, etc. and was not impressed. He was so obsessed in revealing mismanagement and lack of good governance in the previous administration that he seemed to forget about his own way of doing things, assuming that his way was good governance and anyone else’s was not; and he did not seem to have a clear plan for the future. I saw cronyism creeping in just as it did with our previous VCP. I began to see that his actions did not always align with his words – but I still wanted to wait because I realized that he did not really understand the region and working in a regional institution, which is quite different from working in a ‘normal’ university.
However, when the BDO Report was leaked, I was astounded by the degree of hate and vindictiveness expressed by his supporters, at many of those who were part of the previous SMT or who, according to them, benefitted disproportionately from favours bestowed by VCP Chandra. The selectivity of the negative comments used by his main supporters (both academic and non-academic) really angered me. For example, DVC Armstrong was chosen to be the sacrificial lamb…..for no other reason but that he was being paid at a level different from that under which he was appointed. No one tried to find out why – (that VCP Chandra asked him to take over the work of one of the Vice Presidents, who was terminated by VCP Chandra). Later, these same people did not say anything about the fact that only Research and International (DVC Armstrong’s section), met their strategic outcomes at the last UGC meeting.
VCP Pal’s mistreatment of DVC Armstrong is common knowledge and now Pal’s supporters are also joining in calling him names and acting in a very “un-spiritual” way. What is even more annoying is the fact that a few of these people were helped by DVC Armstrong to get to where they are today by supporting their quest for promotion and/or appointments despite opposition from some quarters. I find this state of affairs disgusting and a sure sign of hypocrisy among so called ‘spiritual’ or ‘ethical’ people. So from where I sit I see a person who manipulates people who are looking for something, anything new and promising….and in his striving to gain popularity and recognition he has failed to be a true leader, but rather a vindictive human being. He also has successfully managed to divide staff against staff and students against students, again favoring those on his side . . . again, these are not traits of a good leader. Those who are with him are rewarded and anyone who is not for him is deemed to be against him. The latter group do not get a look in. . . almost doomed to disappear from the University-scape, with some of them, mainly Pacific staff, having decided to leave USP because they do not feel appreciated, were not offered fair or timely contracts which offered security, and did not want to be part of his inner circle of ‘yes’ people.
Finally, I believe that ex-VCP Ahluwalia, because of his divisive influence, vindictive tendencies and proven lack of leadership qualities, needs to go. Some of his supporters see him as a martyr but I see him as an exploitative pretender and manipulator. During the three years he’s been here, all that he’s done is try and bring down people in the name of good governance as if he has a monopoly on the concept. I still believe that the number of breaches identified by the Executive Committee (the original one) need to be independently and properly investigated. The recent restructure has not been well thought-out, was done with inadequate consultation across all levels of staff and the region; and some people remain unsure of what to do. Others have been put in positions for which they are not fully qualified and the selection process has been criticized by some staff for lack of transparency and due process. There seems to be little time for wider and better consultation and going back to a School structure seems a retrograde step to me. In fact, the new School structure has a weird similarity to the old Faculty structure which it was meant to replace.
From where I sit, I see the silent majority among both staff and students, being sad and overwhelmed and just wanting to get on with their work or look to the sunnier side of the street. Unfortunately, the whole issue has been so politicized that anything anyone says would be taken as a sign of taking sides, or conspiracy theory, whether within USP politics or Fiji politics or both, and depending on what side you are looking from, may prefer not to listen to any arguments from another side. This is clearly demonstrated on social media, where at times, one wonders where all the love and goodness among Pacific people have gone?
It is time, in my view, for Council to move on from ex-VCP Ahluwalia, and start looking for someone from our Pacific spaces, someone who understands and has our region and people at heart. USP had a chance when the job was first advertised. A very capable man of faith – a USP graduate, a university academic, long time member of Council and advocate of Pacific leadership. But he was overlooked and the second time the job was advertised, the requirement for applicants to have full professorial (status) was inserted. Some members of Council thought that the change was done in order to rule him out. I am of the opinion that we would not be in this sad position if he was on deck. But it’s not too late. Together we can find someone – a son or daughter or the Pacific, who will be able to bring back together the dismembered pieces of corpus USP to form a renewed, reinvigorated and interconnected USP. And that we do this without the vote of our main development partners, who, whether they like it or not, tend to influence the way we look at ourselves as well as the world.
Thank you for your patience and consideration.
‘Ofa atu
Konai H Thaman
BDO REPORT on the former Vice-Chancellor RAJESH CHANDRA:
