 | Moonlighting for Rabuka |  'I TRUST YOU to take me to the moon.' |
The Financial Management Act Section 27A:
Fijileaks: Our Founding Editor-in-Chief was, and has been, one of the most vocal critics of the 1997 Constitution of Fiji, pointing out that the enforced post-election coalition Cabinet of parties that crossed the five per cent threshold was designed on the mistaken belief that Coupist Sitiveni Rabuka and his underling Jai Ram Reddy would WIN the |
“In 2015, when I got back into Parliament and became the leader of the National Federation Party, Mr Reddy told me again, that if you ever have an opportunity to work with Mr Rabuka again, you can trust him. That’s the kind of relationship that these men were able to build and what I’m doing today. The agreement that we have signed with Mr Rabuka is an agreement to take this country forward. It is an agreement where we trust each other.” |
BLIND LOYALTY
|
The late Sir Vijay Singh, 18 May 1999:
"I have been a Minister. I have been in public life. Where did Mr Rabuka come, trained to be a politician, trained to be a prime minister? He was an army man. At least most of these people have been in public life in one way or the other - trade union, business. We are willing to say that Mr Rabuka is the only man who can run the govt but nobody else can. How do they run all the other things."
|
|
Sir Vijay on Reddy-Rabuka and the 1997 Constitution
|
Sir Vijay on NFP candidate WADAN NARSEY
|
BIMAN PRASAD: 'I TRUST THE COUPIST''
National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad says despite the events of 1987, he trusts The People’s Alliance party leader Sitiveni Rabuka to take the country forward.
He made the comment while speaking to supporters during a campaign meeting in Tavua recently.
“We have a history of working with Mr Sitiveni Rabuka, the leader of The People’s Alliance,” he said. “Yes, we remember 87. “We know what happened 35 years ago but we also know that Mr Rabuka, after the 1992 election, worked with our then leader Jai Ram Reddy who was the leader of the Opposition.
“They worked together and brought the 1997 Constitution. Mr Rabuka invited Mr Jai Ram Reddy, the first Indian leader to go and address the Great Council of Chiefs.
“Mr Reddy, in that speech, said that our people came here not to dominate, not to conquer, but to work together with our indigenous people of this country.”
Prof Prasad said the strong relation forged in 1999 between Mr Reddy and Mr Rabuka has continued until today.
“I trust Mr Rabuka and Mr Rabuka trusts me and the National Federation Party. Mr Jai Ram Reddy told me in 1999 when I asked him why are you going with Rabuka? And he said because I trust the man.
“In 2015, when I got back into Parliament and became the leader of the National Federation Party, Mr Reddy told me again, that if you ever have an opportunity to work with Mr Rabuka again, you can trust him. That’s the kind of relationship that these men were able to build and what I’m doing today. The agreement that we have signed with Mr Rabuka is an agreement to take this country forward.
“It is an agreement where we trust each other.”
National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad says despite the events of 1987, he trusts The People’s Alliance party leader Sitiveni Rabuka to take the country forward.
He made the comment while speaking to supporters during a campaign meeting in Tavua recently.
“We have a history of working with Mr Sitiveni Rabuka, the leader of The People’s Alliance,” he said. “Yes, we remember 87. “We know what happened 35 years ago but we also know that Mr Rabuka, after the 1992 election, worked with our then leader Jai Ram Reddy who was the leader of the Opposition.
“They worked together and brought the 1997 Constitution. Mr Rabuka invited Mr Jai Ram Reddy, the first Indian leader to go and address the Great Council of Chiefs.
“Mr Reddy, in that speech, said that our people came here not to dominate, not to conquer, but to work together with our indigenous people of this country.”
Prof Prasad said the strong relation forged in 1999 between Mr Reddy and Mr Rabuka has continued until today.
“I trust Mr Rabuka and Mr Rabuka trusts me and the National Federation Party. Mr Jai Ram Reddy told me in 1999 when I asked him why are you going with Rabuka? And he said because I trust the man.
“In 2015, when I got back into Parliament and became the leader of the National Federation Party, Mr Reddy told me again, that if you ever have an opportunity to work with Mr Rabuka again, you can trust him. That’s the kind of relationship that these men were able to build and what I’m doing today. The agreement that we have signed with Mr Rabuka is an agreement to take this country forward.
“It is an agreement where we trust each other.”
“In our meeting at one of the mahogany growing areas, we were told that the Government and the
TLTB had renewed the leases of their land without their consent,” says Savenaca Narube, the Leader of Unity Fiji.
Narube adds, “We have been told this story on numerous occasions around Fiji. The landowners are
losing control of their land.”
The Leader of Unity Fiji continues, “Landowners confirmed to us that the lease on their land for mahogany started with five cents per acre per year. This is an insult to the landowners. The lease is well below the market value of their assets. This exploitation, which is pervasive in Fiji, has contributed to the perpetual poverty that the landowners have been suffering for a very long time.”
“Landowners give their land for development in the hope that they will make a reasonable return on their assets. But they have been badly let down. And to add salt to injury, the leases have been extended without their approval,” says the former Governor.
“The landowners told us that the mahogany trees took 30 years to mature. While waiting for the trees to mature, landowners cannot survive on the lease payments. When the trees mature, other companies are contracted to harvest them. Landowners are only paid the stumpage which is grossly insufficient for their 30 year wait,” explains Narube.
“I also heard for the first time the serious environmental damages that the mahogany trees cause to streams. The mahogany leaves clog up the streams, turns the water black, and kills the fish and plant life which are important sources of food for the villagers. This necessitated a reassessment of the appropriateness of the trees to Fiji. This has not bee done before leases were renewed.”
“The wealth from the mahogany forests is harvested by millers and exporters while the landowners
remain in poverty.”
Narube says, “We were informed that the governance of the industry is heavily politicised. The Prime Minister and the Attorney General are personally involved at the Council level. This is unheard of. The purposes of their involvement are unclear. From what we have seen, they are there for political purposes only and not for the interest of landowners.”
Narube concludes, “The story emerging from the mahogany forests is a tragic reflection of what is happening across the country. The resource owners are not receiving anywhere near the market return of their assets. In interfering in the governance of the industry and in doing nothing to rectify the matter, this Government is leading and abetting this exploitation. Our natural resources are our future. But sadly, and for too long, we lack the leadership and the vision to realise our dreams.”
TLTB had renewed the leases of their land without their consent,” says Savenaca Narube, the Leader of Unity Fiji.
Narube adds, “We have been told this story on numerous occasions around Fiji. The landowners are
losing control of their land.”
The Leader of Unity Fiji continues, “Landowners confirmed to us that the lease on their land for mahogany started with five cents per acre per year. This is an insult to the landowners. The lease is well below the market value of their assets. This exploitation, which is pervasive in Fiji, has contributed to the perpetual poverty that the landowners have been suffering for a very long time.”
“Landowners give their land for development in the hope that they will make a reasonable return on their assets. But they have been badly let down. And to add salt to injury, the leases have been extended without their approval,” says the former Governor.
“The landowners told us that the mahogany trees took 30 years to mature. While waiting for the trees to mature, landowners cannot survive on the lease payments. When the trees mature, other companies are contracted to harvest them. Landowners are only paid the stumpage which is grossly insufficient for their 30 year wait,” explains Narube.
“I also heard for the first time the serious environmental damages that the mahogany trees cause to streams. The mahogany leaves clog up the streams, turns the water black, and kills the fish and plant life which are important sources of food for the villagers. This necessitated a reassessment of the appropriateness of the trees to Fiji. This has not bee done before leases were renewed.”
“The wealth from the mahogany forests is harvested by millers and exporters while the landowners
remain in poverty.”
Narube says, “We were informed that the governance of the industry is heavily politicised. The Prime Minister and the Attorney General are personally involved at the Council level. This is unheard of. The purposes of their involvement are unclear. From what we have seen, they are there for political purposes only and not for the interest of landowners.”
Narube concludes, “The story emerging from the mahogany forests is a tragic reflection of what is happening across the country. The resource owners are not receiving anywhere near the market return of their assets. In interfering in the governance of the industry and in doing nothing to rectify the matter, this Government is leading and abetting this exploitation. Our natural resources are our future. But sadly, and for too long, we lack the leadership and the vision to realise our dreams.”
“The role of China with respect to any aspects to security and the deeper and meaningful engagement would raise questions about our own fundamental principles and values of democracy, human rights and media freedom.”
*Fijileaks to NFP's Pàntú:
*Your people (Indo-Fijians) lived under Chinese style dictatorship, under the racist 1990 Constitution from 1992 to 1999 (where they were disenfranchised, and constitutionally barred to be Fiji's Prime Minister, President, and were excluded from top Civil Service positions).
*Rabuka's SVT, like the Chinese Communist Party, ruled Fiji, with gross infringement of human rights, trade union rights, religious freedom (Sunday ban, no Diwali or Eid etc).
*No media freedom (except when Fiji Times journalists were prepared
to Kama Sutra the SVT leader) for exclusive news stories.
*What planet are you, Ponga Professor, living on, Mr Indo-Fijian Pàntú?
No wonder the VOTERS threw Rabuka-Reddy into the rubbish heap
Fijileaks: We must fear Rabuka's growing influence and control of NFP and Prasad and NOT the Chinese. It is rich coming from an Indo-Fijian who has already surrendered our birthright to lead Fiji (he wants to be Rabuka's Deputy Prime Minister only). We have no doubt that PAP leader Rabuka 'Chinese Whispered' into Pàntú's ears to raise the alarm. Rabuka cannot speak out, for he was after the 1987 coups who opened Fiji up to the Chinese. (PS: We have no problem with the Chinese, for three of our Editor's sisters-in-law are Chinese, two Fiji-born whose ancestors have been in the country for over a century, and one is from mainland China). Since Prasad has entered into a coalition with PAP and is prepared to be a second-class 'politician' under Rabuka's PAP, he should.
SHUT UP or B****R off from the election contest.
*In the memory of our Indian indentured labourer ancestors and the
Indo-Fijian women who were raped, beaten up, tortured, and their Indian womanhood violated by Coupist Rabuka and his marauding racist thugs, we must consign this Ponga Professor into the rubbish dump, along with his i-Taukei Fijian candidates, who have bought his coalition pact
*A Vote for NFP is a VOTE for Coupist Rabuka as Prime Minister
National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says the visit by Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong is timely because he’s concerned about China’s growing influence in Fiji and the region.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Prasad says he hopes they will address this issue and reset Fiji’s relationship with Australia.
Professor Prasad claims China is slowly making in-roads in Fiji and it will inevitably affect relations with our development partners.
“You know it’s time that Australia and New Zealand re-look at whether the principles or the way they’ve been dealing with governments, like what we have in Fiji and perhaps those in the Solomon Islands is fundamentally pushing Pacific Island countries away from them.”
He further claims China’s relationship with Fiji could have development partners question Fiji’s values.
“The role of China with respect to any aspects to security and the deeper and meaningful engagement would raise questions about our own fundamental principles and values of democracy, human rights and media freedom.”
However, Australia’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong is adamant its long-standing bond with Fiji and other Pacific Island countries will not be shaken.
“That our commitment to you is this, that we will work with you to make our Pacific family even stronger, we will listen and we will hear you, your ideas about how we can face our shared challenges and achieve our shared aspirations together.”
Wong has made it clear that her visit to Fiji four days after being sworn into government is a reflection of her commitment to strengthening ties and partnerships with Fiji and the Pacific.
China’s Embassy in Fiji says it will hold a media briefing after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s state visit where this issue will be addressed.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Prasad says he hopes they will address this issue and reset Fiji’s relationship with Australia.
Professor Prasad claims China is slowly making in-roads in Fiji and it will inevitably affect relations with our development partners.
“You know it’s time that Australia and New Zealand re-look at whether the principles or the way they’ve been dealing with governments, like what we have in Fiji and perhaps those in the Solomon Islands is fundamentally pushing Pacific Island countries away from them.”
He further claims China’s relationship with Fiji could have development partners question Fiji’s values.
“The role of China with respect to any aspects to security and the deeper and meaningful engagement would raise questions about our own fundamental principles and values of democracy, human rights and media freedom.”
However, Australia’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong is adamant its long-standing bond with Fiji and other Pacific Island countries will not be shaken.
“That our commitment to you is this, that we will work with you to make our Pacific family even stronger, we will listen and we will hear you, your ideas about how we can face our shared challenges and achieve our shared aspirations together.”
Wong has made it clear that her visit to Fiji four days after being sworn into government is a reflection of her commitment to strengthening ties and partnerships with Fiji and the Pacific.
China’s Embassy in Fiji says it will hold a media briefing after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s state visit where this issue will be addressed.
 Haroon Ali Shah |   |
“That’s a lie. I understand that the chair of the tender committee made a statement but it’s also a breach of the law. You cannot make those kind of allegations without any facts. Unfortunately, this one particular recording we received was in a remote rural area. Some people may not necessarily have access to information so there are people standing up there and campaigning and essentially telling lies.”
Aiyaz Khaiyum responding to Haroon Ali Shah
TENDERING CONTRARY EVIDENCE From Fijileaks Archives
 |  |
  |  |
Fijileaks: In April 2022, the former FFP Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma appeared on the Australian based Sashi Singh's Talking Point.
*He was crying his heart out regarding the treatment he received at the hands of Aiyaz Khaiyum and that Ministers are “held on a tight leash”, afraid to openly make open-ended statements in public. Singh didn't raise the Fijileaks 'Health Scam' issue with Sharma that had made headlines on the ABC and FBC news, including Radio New Zealand International. As expected, the print media in Fiji did not touch the story. Since our founding in 2012, not a single story from us has been followed up by the Fiji Sun and the Prasad-Rabuka-Motibhai Fiji Times. After our exposure, Sharma was presented with two options: RESIGN or be marched to FICAC. He chose the first option.
His case involved the Gross Abuse of Government's Tender Process
From Fijileaks Archive:
"Dr. Neil Sharma’s action to collude and release confidential information to an unsuccessful bidder Mr. Vashu Devan is unwarranted, unprofessional, unethical and corrupt conduct. The dissemination of confidential evaluated tender document which had price analysis from all the bidders to an unsuccessful bidder and later award tender to the same company is corruption at its highest helm."
Dr Neil Sharma admits he revealed the tender bids to Vashu Devan which warrants criminal prosecution by FICAC but Khaiyum fears trial will expose how he vetted and approved Indo-Fijians as FFP candidates who now turn out to have 'skeletons' in their bags!
"Our preliminary investigations has found that Dr. Neil Sharma, Mr. Vashu Devan and Mr. Arveen Chandra have misled the Acting Prime Minister/ Prime Minister (Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum) and engaged in corrupt conduct in relation to their manipulation of tender process in order to ensure that the tender is awarded to Mr. Vashu Devan’s Company" -
FICAC FINDINGS, Jan-March 2012
Fijileaks: We have run scores of stories on abuse of the Tender Process
Attorney General and Minister responsible for Elections Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says every single dollar collected by a candidate or a political party must be accounted for however the National Federation Party says Sayed-Khaiyum has no right to talk about strict compliance to election fundraising laws by political parties and candidates because he is the General Secretary of FijiFirst.
Sayed-Khaiyum says it was brought to their attention where people who have been announced as provisional candidates are going out doing fundraising.
Sayed-Khaiyum says some people are saying this is okay however this is not and businesses are also not supposed to contribute to political parties.
In a statement, NFP President Pio Tikoduadua says Sayed-Khaiyum blatantly ignores the fact that as General Secretary of FijiFirst, he is responsible to ensure his party and candidates strictly comply with all laws.
Tikoduadua says Sayed-Khaiyum is behaving like the laws only apply to the Opposition and not FijiFirst.
He says the Attorney General may be the Minister responsible for Elections but he cannot enforce the laws.
Tikoduadua says they know how FijiFirst accumulated millions of dollars in donations leading up to the 2018 elections and their hand-picked fundraisers are in overdrive.
The NFP President says Sayed-Khaiyum lacks the credibility and political morality to tell others how to be accountable and transparent.
Sayed-Khaiyum also says certain political parties are announcing on Facebook about doing some things but they are not saying where they will get their funding from.
He says this is a breach of the Financial Management Act.
Sayed-Khaiyum adds says they have received recordings of some people campaigning and telling lies that Government is not calling for tenders.
He says this is a breach of the law and people cannot make such allegations without having facts.
Sayed-Khaiyum says they are looking at the legal avenues available to have some corrective measures put in place.
Sayed-Khaiyum says it was brought to their attention where people who have been announced as provisional candidates are going out doing fundraising.
Sayed-Khaiyum says some people are saying this is okay however this is not and businesses are also not supposed to contribute to political parties.
In a statement, NFP President Pio Tikoduadua says Sayed-Khaiyum blatantly ignores the fact that as General Secretary of FijiFirst, he is responsible to ensure his party and candidates strictly comply with all laws.
Tikoduadua says Sayed-Khaiyum is behaving like the laws only apply to the Opposition and not FijiFirst.
He says the Attorney General may be the Minister responsible for Elections but he cannot enforce the laws.
Tikoduadua says they know how FijiFirst accumulated millions of dollars in donations leading up to the 2018 elections and their hand-picked fundraisers are in overdrive.
The NFP President says Sayed-Khaiyum lacks the credibility and political morality to tell others how to be accountable and transparent.
Sayed-Khaiyum also says certain political parties are announcing on Facebook about doing some things but they are not saying where they will get their funding from.
He says this is a breach of the Financial Management Act.
Sayed-Khaiyum adds says they have received recordings of some people campaigning and telling lies that Government is not calling for tenders.
He says this is a breach of the law and people cannot make such allegations without having facts.
Sayed-Khaiyum says they are looking at the legal avenues available to have some corrective measures put in place.
 |  |
Fijileaks: We are aware that Fiji paying up the millions it is withholding will only embolden and benefit the thoroughly compromised Prasad-Rabuka USP academics (NOT all), but for students and the future of the regional university, the new Foreign Minister, PENNY WONG must demand payment.
* Vice-Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia, who was deported from Fiji, has been cleared of any wrongdoings. The last one, Project Striker by KPMG, said that there was nothing that he had done wrong. Let Fiji embrace China if it wants to become another Sri Lanka in the
South Pacific
 Fijileaks: *As members, and major donors to USP and the Forum, Australia and NZ should insist that Fiji must, in the interest of good governance and transparency, pay up or else withhold their direct budgetary assistance to the FFG until it pays up its dues. |  Penny MUST Drop, Wong. Let us hope that someone finally understands the financial plight of USP after not understanding it for a long time  |
*We understand the former Prime Minister Morrison was also too preoccupied in trying to woo Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz Khaiyum away from the Chinese which allowed Solomon Island's PM Sogovare to slip away from his radar.
*So much for the Vuvale Accord. Aiyaz Khaiyum's conduct in the USP Council was totally unacceptable and very anti Vuvale spirit.
*Australia and New Zealand should assist the USP Council to set up a dispute mechanism to address such abuse and not allow it to fester.
*We hope when Wong meets Fiji's Foreign Minister Bainimarama she will compare their travelling allowances. In Bainimarama's case, he pockets $3,000 per day, on top of his salary and other perks as the Prime Minister.
*The Malaysian-born Australian Foreign Minister PENNY WONG has come a long way in her political career. She held Malaysian citizenship until 2001.
* Thankfully, she was NOT Foreign Minister of Fiji in 1987, for SITIVENI RABUKA would have overthrown her in his racially motivated COUP. In 1987, he deposed and locked up KRISHNA DATT as Bavadra's Foreign Minister, claiming Datt was a Libyan and Soviet Union stooge in Fiji
SYDNEY -- A day after being sworn in as Australia's first foreign-born foreign minister, Penny Wong was thrown straight into the diplomatic fray on Tuesday as she accompanied new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the Quad summit in Tokyo.
Wong brings a lot of experience to the role, having previously served as climate and finance minister and as shadow foreign minister since 2016. She will need these chops to help a prime minister with little diplomatic experience navigate the spillover from the Ukraine war and an acrimonious relationship with China.
Wong was born in 1968 in the Malaysian part of Borneo to an Australian-born mother and Chinese Malaysian father. After her parents split up, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Adelaide in South Australia at the age of 8.
Growing up in 1970s Australia as the country was opening up to more non-European migrants, especially refugees from Vietnam, Wong experienced racial discrimination and bullying. She often faced verbal attacks and saw anti-Asian slogans painted outside their home
.
A strong sense of injustice drove her to outperform her classmates in academic subjects and on the sports field. She managed to get a scholarship to Scotch College in Adelaide, one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Wong first sought a career in medicine, but after spending a year at hospitals in Brazil on a volunteer exchange program she realized she was not cut out for dealing with death and blood. She switched her major from medicine to law and arts at the University of Adelaide, and graduated with honors in 1992.
After working for a trade union and the local government, she was elected to the Senate for the Australian Labor Party in 2001. In her maiden speech in parliament the following year, she criticized Prime Minister John Howard's use of race as a political issue.
"I seek a nation that is truly one nation, one in which all Australians can share, regardless of race," Wong said.
Wong is also the country's first openly gay female national politician and was instrumental in legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017. She broke down in tears when the result of the referendum on marriage equality was announced.
She lives with her partner, Sophie Allouache, and the couple are raising two daughters, Alexandra and Hannah.In 2007, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Wong as minister for climate change and water, making her the first Australian cabinet member to be born in Asia. She went to Bali, Indonesia, to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Australia's behalf.
She was appointed as finance minister in 2010, going on to serve as Labor's Senate leader when the conservative Liberal-National coalition took power in 2013.
Since 2016, she had been the shadow foreign affairs minister. She used her role to attack the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his handling of key diplomatic relationships.
A Roy Morgan survey of 1,409 Australians in March found that Wong was the most trusted politician in Australia. The same poll showed that Morrison was the least trusted.
Neil Thomas, an analyst at Eurasia Group, said Wong would bring "a new dynamism" to the role of foreign minister. As a political force in her party, "Wong's gravitas would help boost the role of diplomacy in Australia's China policy."
Wong has a close friendship with Albanese, who is likely to lean heavily on her for foreign policy.
Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, said China would likely seek to make life difficult for Wong.
"The Chinese government will no doubt try to test her in some fashion. And she will have to respond," McGregor said. "But I think she's not inclined to take a soft roll."
During the election campaign, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, which is historically close to Canberra, and Wong hinted that her Labor government will retain Australia's tough stance against Beijing.
"We understand the reality of China's assertiveness and aggression. We understand that our region has been reshaped," Wong told reporters on April 23. "We understand that the key to ensuring Australia's security is securing our region. And that means a foreign policy that is more active and more vigorous in our region."
Wong brings a lot of experience to the role, having previously served as climate and finance minister and as shadow foreign minister since 2016. She will need these chops to help a prime minister with little diplomatic experience navigate the spillover from the Ukraine war and an acrimonious relationship with China.
Wong was born in 1968 in the Malaysian part of Borneo to an Australian-born mother and Chinese Malaysian father. After her parents split up, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Adelaide in South Australia at the age of 8.
Growing up in 1970s Australia as the country was opening up to more non-European migrants, especially refugees from Vietnam, Wong experienced racial discrimination and bullying. She often faced verbal attacks and saw anti-Asian slogans painted outside their home
.
A strong sense of injustice drove her to outperform her classmates in academic subjects and on the sports field. She managed to get a scholarship to Scotch College in Adelaide, one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Wong first sought a career in medicine, but after spending a year at hospitals in Brazil on a volunteer exchange program she realized she was not cut out for dealing with death and blood. She switched her major from medicine to law and arts at the University of Adelaide, and graduated with honors in 1992.
After working for a trade union and the local government, she was elected to the Senate for the Australian Labor Party in 2001. In her maiden speech in parliament the following year, she criticized Prime Minister John Howard's use of race as a political issue.
"I seek a nation that is truly one nation, one in which all Australians can share, regardless of race," Wong said.
Wong is also the country's first openly gay female national politician and was instrumental in legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017. She broke down in tears when the result of the referendum on marriage equality was announced.
She lives with her partner, Sophie Allouache, and the couple are raising two daughters, Alexandra and Hannah.In 2007, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Wong as minister for climate change and water, making her the first Australian cabinet member to be born in Asia. She went to Bali, Indonesia, to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Australia's behalf.
She was appointed as finance minister in 2010, going on to serve as Labor's Senate leader when the conservative Liberal-National coalition took power in 2013.
Since 2016, she had been the shadow foreign affairs minister. She used her role to attack the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his handling of key diplomatic relationships.
A Roy Morgan survey of 1,409 Australians in March found that Wong was the most trusted politician in Australia. The same poll showed that Morrison was the least trusted.
Neil Thomas, an analyst at Eurasia Group, said Wong would bring "a new dynamism" to the role of foreign minister. As a political force in her party, "Wong's gravitas would help boost the role of diplomacy in Australia's China policy."
Wong has a close friendship with Albanese, who is likely to lean heavily on her for foreign policy.
Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, said China would likely seek to make life difficult for Wong.
"The Chinese government will no doubt try to test her in some fashion. And she will have to respond," McGregor said. "But I think she's not inclined to take a soft roll."
During the election campaign, China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, which is historically close to Canberra, and Wong hinted that her Labor government will retain Australia's tough stance against Beijing.
"We understand the reality of China's assertiveness and aggression. We understand that our region has been reshaped," Wong told reporters on April 23. "We understand that the key to ensuring Australia's security is securing our region. And that means a foreign policy that is more active and more vigorous in our region."
SRI LANKA WAS DANCING TO THE CHINESE BEAR:
"Look: the Muslims are here, the Hindus are here, the Catholics are here. All the same blood. This is the real Sri Lanka."
 |  |
WARNING: Anyone turning up in the traditional i-Taukei attire will be chased out of the dinner hall. It is a strictly Black Tie Event
RABUKA’S JUSTIFICATION OF THE 1987 COUP AN INSULT: A-G
* Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Sitiveni Rabuka’s justification of the 1987 Coup is an insult to Fijians of Indian descent who were terrorised and forced to flee Fiji.
*Mr Rabuka in an interview with Fijivillage claimed that the 1987 Coup had prepared people of Indo-Fijian descent for greener pastures.
* The Fiji Sun also approached National Federation Party (NFP) Leader Biman Prasad in Parliament yesterday for his thoughts on the comments made by Mr Rabuka. However, Mr Prasad replied:
“I do not talk to the Fiji Sun. Simple.”
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said Mr Rabuka’s justification was a grave insult to those affected by the coup.
“And the fact that you have somebody like the leader of NFP just sitting by and grinning and not saying a word is a further insult to that,” he said.
GREENER PASTURES: Sure of defeat in the forthcoming election, he has already surrendered the Indo-Fijian birthright to be elected Prime Minister of Fiji. He has run away for 'greener political pasture' with his white dhoti. He is now in political bed with Sitiveni Rabuka - the man who planned his racist and violent coup so that it coincided on 14 MAY, 108 years to the day first of the thousands of Indian coolies arrived in Fiji. His racist mob went on to beat, torture, kidnap and RAPE Indo-Fijian women. The THUG is still hiding behind IMMUNITY he gave himself in the 1990 Constitution.
 |  |
An Indian coolie labourer who arrived in 1911
"When we arrived in Fiji, we were herded into a punt like pigs and taken to Nukulau where we stayed for a fortnight. We were given rice that was full of worms and kept and fed like animals. Later, we were separated into groups for various employers to choose who they wanted. We got to Navua and were given a three-legged pot, a large spoon, a bucket and a billycan, and some rice. We then went to Nakaulevu where we saw the lines.'
 |  |
*Because of the Opposition’s deafening silence over the highly irregular nature of Mohan's appointment (which means that the Minister of Public Service can abuse this process for his political and personal benefit), will this be taken as a precedent for future appointments to Government Independent Commissions and independent Statutory Boards and Commissions should the FFP win the 2022 elections?
*It makes us wonder if the Opposition Parties have the right calibre of Research Officers in their Secretariats. They can regularly remind their leaders of these breaches of the basic standards, requirements, and principles of good governance in a democratic society and public service. Why are 'Adam and Steve' from PAP-NFP silent?
*We also find it quite strange and inexplicable that when it comes to questioning and challenging the illegal re-appointment of the Supervisor of Elections, the Opposition Parties seem sharply divided because only the FLP and UFP leaders are vigorously pursuing it through the Courts. At the same time, NFP, PAP, and Sodelpa are conspicuous with their deafening silence.
*We find this quite disturbing. Is this a reflection of a lack of understanding of our democratic process, i.e. the proper roles and functions of our democratic institutions?
GIRMIT HOLIDAY: Both 'Adam and Steve' shout they will give us 'Girmit Day' on 14 May. We say NEVER must we have Girmit Holiday, for it will be eternally linked to the racist's 14 May 1987 COUP.
*Yes, will they approve of same-sex marriage if and when they come to power? At the Korovutu meeting, both declared that they would remove restrictions that ban trade union leaders from participating in national politics.
*We had always championed trade union rights, but after reading
DANIEL URAI informing Fijians to only VOTE for PAP/NAG coalition in the coming elections, we say:
Keep these political rascals LOCKED OUT OF POLITICS
Why should Unity Fiji promise to scrap the trade union decree in their manifesto if the reward from Urai is his call to vote for
Coupist Sitiveni Rabuka and his sidekick Biman Prasad
*Once again, the recently politically married couple 'Adam and Steve' must tell us of their position on the same-sex-marriage in Fiji.
*We know Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama's position:
'God created Adam and Eve, NOT Adam and Steve'
 |  |
 |  |
Fiji never fails to disappoint us. We may recall the Opposite Sex Scandal
SUVA (Pacific Media Watch): A Fiji court hearing a paternity suit against former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka filed by controversial senior Fiji Times journalist Margaret Wise has been closed to journalists, report local news media.
According to the Fiji Times of 26 January 2002, the Magistrates Court hearing of the case on January 25 was closed in a move described by a court source as "not regular practice".
The paper said Magistrate Amani Rokotinaviti could not be reached for comment and questions faxed to the Solicitor-General's Office were not answered.
The police court orderly told the paper he had closed the doors on the instructions of the court clerk.
The court was to determine whether 1987 coup leader Rabuka fathered journalist Margaret Wise's 18-month-old son, the Fiji Times reported.
The lawsuit was filed by Wise after Rabuka allegedly failed to honour a settlement
.
In the first of three court hearings, Rabuka said a DNA test was in his favour.
In the following hearing, Rabuka said he could not understand the findings, but was willing to pay a weekly maintenance of F$50.
The Fiji Sun reported that Wise had rejected this and wanted Rabuka to admit paternity before a financial settlement was discussed.
The case has been adjourned until February 11.
* PMW reports: Wise has been at the centre of controversial allegations over so-called "skirt journalism", most recently in an open letter to the Sun on January 7 by New Labour Unity Party general secretary Tomasi Tokalauvere.
According to the Fiji Times of 26 January 2002, the Magistrates Court hearing of the case on January 25 was closed in a move described by a court source as "not regular practice".
The paper said Magistrate Amani Rokotinaviti could not be reached for comment and questions faxed to the Solicitor-General's Office were not answered.
The police court orderly told the paper he had closed the doors on the instructions of the court clerk.
The court was to determine whether 1987 coup leader Rabuka fathered journalist Margaret Wise's 18-month-old son, the Fiji Times reported.
The lawsuit was filed by Wise after Rabuka allegedly failed to honour a settlement
.
In the first of three court hearings, Rabuka said a DNA test was in his favour.
In the following hearing, Rabuka said he could not understand the findings, but was willing to pay a weekly maintenance of F$50.
The Fiji Sun reported that Wise had rejected this and wanted Rabuka to admit paternity before a financial settlement was discussed.
The case has been adjourned until February 11.
* PMW reports: Wise has been at the centre of controversial allegations over so-called "skirt journalism", most recently in an open letter to the Sun on January 7 by New Labour Unity Party general secretary Tomasi Tokalauvere.
The late RUSSELL HUNTER to our Fijileaks Editor, Tues 27 May 2008:
'It is not well known etc etc. Margaret was sacked (by me) for indiscipline'
 Excerpt from Michael Field's book, Swimming With Sharks, reviewed by: |  |
"I expected Field to be more critical about media ethics and “skirt journalism” by journalists who obtained stories by sleeping with a former prime minister. [Michael] Field named two journalists, Wainikiti Waqa and Margaret Wise, who had affairs with SVT prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who staged Fiji’s first two coups in 1987...Field also notes that: “Rabuka fathered a boy with Wise and then denied it was his.” A DNA paternity test indeed found Rabuka was the father of Wise’s child: “The court found he was the father and he was ordered to pay F$30 a week.” As a veteran journalist on whom some developing world journalists in the Pacific, especially my former Daily Post ones, have looked for guidance, Field remained silent on the morality and propriety of the leading multinational media company in Fiji [The Fiji Times] allowing such a conflict of interest – not only to exist, but flourish."
Sleeping with journalists
Media ethics – or the lack of them – in Fiji has been in the news since allegations surfaced in 1999 of improper dealings by media in general and the Australian-owned Fiji Times in particular, the newspaper recently given three months by the regime to sell off 90 percent of its shareholding to local interests.
Since then debates have been rife about the balance and “agenda” of The Fiji Times, particularly raised by former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry when in office between 1999 and when he was deposed in the George Speight attempted coup in May 2000.
I expected Field to be more critical about media ethics and “skirt journalism” by journalists who obtained stories by sleeping with a former prime minister.
Field named two journalists, Wainikiti Waqa and Margaret Wise, who had affairs with SVT prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who staged Fiji’s first two coups in 1987.
On this issue, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, then cabinet minister and now Bainimarama’s Foreign Affairs Minister, called for Rabuka to resign. Field writes: “Rabuka replied that he would go, provided whoever succeeded him could prove that he had not also committed adultery.”
Field also notes that: “Rabuka fathered a boy with Wise and then denied it was his.”
A DNA paternity test indeed found Rabuka was the father of Wise’s child: “The court found he was the father and he was ordered to pay F$30 a week.”
As a veteran journalist on whom some developing world journalists in the Pacific, especially my former Daily Post ones, have looked for guidance, Field remained silent on the morality and propriety of the leading multinational media company in Fiji allowing such a conflict of interest – not only to exist, but flourish.
Field did not say anything about The Fiji Times allowing the same Margaret Wise play such a key role in penning articles, opinions and stories on Chaudhry’s People’s Coalition government, the accuracy and balance of which had been questioned and challenged by Chaudhry and his government on many occasions.
Would that have been tolerated in other democracies, including Field’s New Zealand? Would Fairfax allow such a journalistic sin to flourish?
Media ethics – or the lack of them – in Fiji has been in the news since allegations surfaced in 1999 of improper dealings by media in general and the Australian-owned Fiji Times in particular, the newspaper recently given three months by the regime to sell off 90 percent of its shareholding to local interests.
Since then debates have been rife about the balance and “agenda” of The Fiji Times, particularly raised by former prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry when in office between 1999 and when he was deposed in the George Speight attempted coup in May 2000.
I expected Field to be more critical about media ethics and “skirt journalism” by journalists who obtained stories by sleeping with a former prime minister.
Field named two journalists, Wainikiti Waqa and Margaret Wise, who had affairs with SVT prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who staged Fiji’s first two coups in 1987.
On this issue, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, then cabinet minister and now Bainimarama’s Foreign Affairs Minister, called for Rabuka to resign. Field writes: “Rabuka replied that he would go, provided whoever succeeded him could prove that he had not also committed adultery.”
Field also notes that: “Rabuka fathered a boy with Wise and then denied it was his.”
A DNA paternity test indeed found Rabuka was the father of Wise’s child: “The court found he was the father and he was ordered to pay F$30 a week.”
As a veteran journalist on whom some developing world journalists in the Pacific, especially my former Daily Post ones, have looked for guidance, Field remained silent on the morality and propriety of the leading multinational media company in Fiji allowing such a conflict of interest – not only to exist, but flourish.
Field did not say anything about The Fiji Times allowing the same Margaret Wise play such a key role in penning articles, opinions and stories on Chaudhry’s People’s Coalition government, the accuracy and balance of which had been questioned and challenged by Chaudhry and his government on many occasions.
Would that have been tolerated in other democracies, including Field’s New Zealand? Would Fairfax allow such a journalistic sin to flourish?
Fijileaks: Our Founding Editor-in-Chief has always stood
up for the LGBT community in Fiji. The Daily Post, 2005:
editor@fijileaks.com
ARCHIVES
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
October 2012
September 2012
