Fijileaks
  • Home
  • Archive Home
  • In-depth Analysis
    • BOI Report into George Speight and others beatings
  • Documents
  • Opinion
  • CRC Submissions
  • Features
  • Archive

Hunter on Rabuka: We should allow him to get rid of Bainimarama 

1/3/2017

18 Comments

 
By RUSSELL HUNTER

Former US ambassador to Fiji the late Don Gevirtz remarked in a conversation with me that Sitiveni Rabuka was a man “with a horde of demons to confront”.

There can be no doubt he was right. Rabuka is guilty of all the sins that Victor Lal and others have piled at his door – and probably many more besides.

The man has a past. It’s all, or mostly, there on the public record.

But might he not also have a future?

If the main objective for Fiji now is to rid itself of Bainimarama and his gang of crooks and thieves it might be useful to become pragmatic about the means to achieve it rather than  dwelling too much on the past. For while the vilification (however justified) of Rabuka here and elsewhere will be music to the ears of Frank Bainimarama and his cronies, it does nothing to advance their removal.

And if we accept that politics is the art of the possible, there can be little upside in continuing to campaign for the impossible.

Rabuka’s immunity is the virus that has infected Fiji since1987. Anyone who doesn’t like an elected government and can persuade or bribe the military may use it to illegally remove that government and then declare themselves immune from prosecution for all crimes. Unless, of course, that person happens to be George Speight – but that is another matter.

That chain of immunity – the cause of so much woe in Fiji – needs to be broken. And Frank is not about to even stretch it.

The chain will only be broken by a return to the rule of law as enshrined in the 1997 constitution (ask Rabuka about it) which has never, even according to Anthony Gates in the days when he was a judge, been legally rescinded and remains in force.

That means, among other things, a return to freedom of movement, of association, of expression and media. It means a return to the independence of the courts, the separation of powers and the sanctity of the ballot box. It means a return to the independence of the police force.

It’s hard to argue with such aspirations. But who will deliver them? 

The task is gargantuan and will require more than a politician. For, as I and others have pointed out, Frank will not be removed by an election. In a system overseen by his principal ally and rigged heavily in his favour, he’ll “win” any ballot. People power is all that he need fear. And that is what Rabuka might – just might – be able to bring to being.

Before then, though, he’ll need to rediscover his political and social mojo. The decision to boycott the multifaith service designed to gain political mileage for Bainimarama while the cyclone victims suffer on was the right one.

​But it was abysmally communicated to a media controlled by the regime. He will need to do better than that.


But he’ll achieve nothing from the prison cell to which so many wish to condemn him.

Meanwhile, that same past shows Rabuka as a man capable of learning and listening.

We should allow him to put his future to the test with open minds.

*The above is a personal opinion and not that of Fijileaks.
 
18 Comments
Gulong
1/3/2017 10:31:17 am

Thank u Russell Hunter for expressing yr opinion. U have suffered at the hands of Bainimarama thugs and we respect yr right to express yr opinion though some may disagree with it. If all Prime Ministers Rabuka's was probably the worst. He presided over the $120 million Fiji National Bank loss and bidirectional, and refused a public inquiry to protect his cronies and probably himself. He swept essential infrastructure majntenance and upgrading under the carpet si much so that when Bainimarama came to power st least he had the courage to bite the bullet and address the inherited infrustructure deficit bequeathed on him by previous governments especially Rabuka's. I, however, agree with you that Frank must go. If he is honest about his abilities he should step aside by not standing in the coming general election. Fiji desperately needs to be taken into another direction to serve the needs of future generations. Unfortunately none of the current crop of leaders Frank, Khaiyum, Rabuka, Biman or Baba are visionary enough. They would do the country a huge favour by taking all the hangers on in their respective political parties and brexit from the Fiji political scene

Reply
Spot-on
1/3/2017 12:03:37 pm

...and Dream On...

Reply
DREAM ON INDEED
1/3/2017 10:10:35 pm

A young healthy man is taken into police custody and is later found dead with all visible signs of torture. The COP says police will not discuss. Case closed!!

If these thugs have no respect for human dignity and human life will they give any damn to what the fiji people say or wish regarding the political future of this country? To these thugs vision, ethics, morals, values ....doesn't mean anything. The only thing that matters to them is enjoy as much as they can at the expense of the public purse (even the 2015 audit report has never been placed before the parliament) and loot the public purse as much as they can as if it was a bottomless pit.

Fiji is doomed.




Jai Chand
1/3/2017 06:16:22 pm

Wonderful! So by the same logic, we can call upon Bainimarama in a few years to 'get rid' of the next dictator,,,,,through 'people power'.

Reply
Conchybola?
1/3/2017 08:52:58 pm

Russell I'm glad you think the same as I.
Rabuka is a terrible person for committing those heinous deeds against humanity and in particular, Victor Lal, whom he made persona non grata.
However we have here the terrible twins aided and abetted by equally corrupt Madams Justice (more than one).
These terrible people NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED at the earliest possible polls.
We the people have had enough of cronies feeding their bank accounts with our taxes.
RABUKA has done this with his cronies as well and one of the beneficiaries of this coup has been a prosecutor during Rabuka's term and couldn't find any evidence then.
SHAME- lessly helping herself and husband along the way. We NEED RABUKA. Since Biman is an idiot like mahend reddy, there is but little choice to vote for. HOPE party is an idiot freeloaders party not worth wasting time on and Lynda Tubuya is in the same basket.....basket cases.

Reply
Rajend Naidu
1/3/2017 10:44:54 pm

Editor,
Rule of Law in a Democracy
Mass killer Anders Breivik lost his human rights case against Norway
( ABC 2/3 ). The man who insanely shot dead 77 young people in Norway claimed his human rights as a prisoner was being violated.
The mass murderer should consider himself a very lucky man he is imprisoned in a progressive European democracy like Norway which has such profound regard for the rule of law and human rights that it is prepared to give the mass murderer's pathetic human rights breach claim a proper court hearing.
Imagine what his fate would've been like if he was thrown in a cockroach and rat infested prison in a banana republic or a military dictatorship where scant attention is paid to the human rights of law abiding citizens, let alone convicted criminals?
He would've been lucky if he was thrown in jail at all!
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Reply
Rajend Naidu
2/3/2017 01:19:16 am

Editor,
Rotten Political Leaders.
The French men and women who sacrificed so much to fight to end the rule of self-serving tyrants and their aristocratic cronies to establish a people's parliament and democracy based on Liberty,equality and fraternity ( see The French Revolution by Christopher Hibbert, 1980 ) would be ashamed today that a political leader who stands accused of keeping his wife on a fake job for over a decade on public money insists on contesting in the French presidential elections ( " I'll fight to the end " : Francois Fillon vows to stay in French presidential race despite summons from magistrates over " fake jobs " scandal. Telegraph 2/3 ).
What is he fighting to the end for?
Not for the good of the country and its people. It's to maintain his privileged political position.
We have rotten self-serving leaders like that aspiring for political leadership using the means of democratic elections to stay in power.
It's up to the people to guard against that with appropriate " people's power " action which we see happening in France against Fillon.
We must draw lessons from that.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Reply
Refugee
2/3/2017 01:17:57 pm

One lessen I draw Mr. Naidu is that the Frenchman Fillon’s folly, a fake job, for the wife, on the public purse is no different (morally or criminally) from our Fijianman Frankie’s folly of FAKE Leave-Pay, on the public purse. Frankie shamelessly pocketed nearly $F200K of Fijian tax-payers’ money and earning himself the deserving title of the ‘puppet’ – the one who can’t think and feels no shame – a puppet.

But the man responsible for this CORRUPTION is none other than the turncoat illegal Minister of Finance of the Frankie’s Dictatorship, now more famously known as the ‘daaku’. The rumour is that daaku is presently busy arse-licking the former coupist and the $140Million tax-dollar blunderer, the racist-rambo, for a coalition, in our forthcoming elections whereby the puppet, the racist rambo and the daaku would all be contestants.

And just to hammer the point in, the daaku did not donate even a cents’ worth of rice or dhal to the Girmit Center refugees, despite collecting $Millions of Dollars, in India. Our thorough review of receipts reveal neither did the puppet or the racist rambo - give a cents' worth of rice or dhal to the refugees.

Reply
Arre Bappa
2/3/2017 03:06:13 am

Why can't the people of Fiji get the soon to retiring VC and President of the USP Rajesh Chandra to get rid of Bainimarama?
He is such a charismatic leader and all that according to himself. I am sure he would love to become the leader of the nation, even become President of the country when he finishes at the USP.
But then a man under whose leadership at the USP many good academics and staff were hounded out of their job might not be the kind of leader we want to get rid of Bainimarama.
He might be shittier than Bainimarama with the power than falls into his Megalomanic hands!

Reply
Welcome Home
2/3/2017 06:16:37 am

The late Don Gevirtz was instrumental in gifting to Former PM of Fiji Rabuka a signed copy of 'The March of Folly'. An historical account by US Pulitzer Prize-winning Historian Barbara Tuchman. How visionary and insightful when the foolishness of warmongers, rabble-rousers from Troy to Vietnam was laid out so eloquently for all to discern? How many of us have made use of these insights? Too busy lining our pockets and hiding ourselves when compassion and morality required that the needless suffering of fellow Fijians demanded we stand up? Only the truly blind would argue that it is not self-evident the 1997 Constitution stands. Who would dare to object when too many lives have been taken or engulfed in ceaseless struggle to no beneficial nor sustainable outcome? Those who sup with known beneficiaries of each coup d'état since 1987 need do so using a long spoon. This infection is virulent, morbid and lasting. We all are tainted and wounded by it. Removal of all immunity provisions may be the sole inoculation ..... a singular remedy for lasting relief.

Reply
Refugee
2/3/2017 01:12:24 pm

The 1997 Constitution Lives!

Reply
Gulong
2/3/2017 07:03:14 pm

To really understand the coup culture in Fiji one has to address it at the level of the axiom and one such axiom is the divine right of a few in the military to rule over the rest of us under the guise that we need to be protected. What utter nonsense

Reply
Rajend Naidu
2/3/2017 07:50:03 pm

Editor,
Unfit to be Attorney General
Senate democratic leader says Trump's newly appointed Attorney General Jeff Session should resign after it came to light that he had lied about not meeting any Russian officials during Trump's election campaign. He had met the Russian ambassador not once but twice ( DW news 3/3 ).
One thing good about American democracy is top dog state officials can't lie and get away.
There is public scrutiny and senate oversight to ensure transparency and accountability.
That's not the case in some other countries purporting to be a democracy after going through the motions of a " democratic " election.
In such a " democracy " leaders can lie with impunity and remain parked in their positions permanently.
Does anyone require an example of this?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Reply
Refugee
2/3/2017 08:43:33 pm

I am surprised at all those who would prefer to replace an incumbent coupist with a past one! What kind of progressive thinking is that? And, Just why the fook for? Like Tomorrow, we’ll all qere qere Bainamarama to remove some other arsehole dictator, as Jai Chand says.

Frankly, Mr Hunter we don’t give a rat’s arse about Rabuka’s future –may he rot in hell, for that matter- but we certainly don’t need him in ours, thank you very much.

There is no need to remove Bainimarama ONLY to have Rabuka.

Reply
Why Delay?
3/3/2017 08:36:03 pm

Absolutely true both Jai Chand and refugee. Why wait for Bainimarama to later on remove some other arsehole dictator.

We all should support Bainimarama NOW to first get rid of old dictator Rabuka, is't it?

Reply
Rajend Naidu
2/3/2017 08:54:28 pm

Editor,
Attracted to a Lying Politician
A research study by the University of Western Australia finds Donald Trump supporters want to vote for him even if it is shown that he is lying ( news locker Politics news 3/3 ).
Now that should tell us why some of our political leaders in post coup Fiji have been so successful notwithstanding their lies.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

Reply
wilkin
5/3/2017 05:58:06 pm

Better to go with the devil you know than the devil you dont know,in this case which one is the lesser of the two evils?? !!

Reply
interesting question!
6/3/2017 01:38:09 am

Both learnt their lessons - one by running down dalo patch... and who were those boys that chased him?.... Then who was ready in full uniform already knocking at the barrack gates to let him in?

That ass still needs saving even if he's no better. Rabuka's own party SVT dumped him as leader in 1999 where as Bainimarama has all party bowing down to him. So with Bai there is stability, isn't it? or is the Fijian land under threat to Chinese?

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Contact
    ​[email protected]
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture