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By Hagar Cohen and Tiger Webb
ABC News, Australia, 12 October 2017
A global public relations firm has attempted to influence Fiji's diplomatic relationship with Australia and New Zealand on numerous occasions, according to two former Fijian public servants.
Ewan Perrin, a former permanent secretary in the Bainimarama administration, told Background Briefing the international public relations firm Qorvis "calls the shots" on all government communications.
Mr Perrin said he was sacked by the Fijian Government for his refusal to become a "lackey" for the firm, when he would not follow instructions to send a controversial email — the content of which had been drafted by a Qorvis consultant.
At one point, Mr Perrin said he was instructed to hand-deliver a letter to a Fijian newspaper, castigating the editor for his unfair treatment of the Prime Minister.
"I did not draft it, and was not involved in any discussion about the topic," Mr Perrin said.
"I was not expected to do anything except sign that letter and deliver it … I didn't agree ethically with the content and the tone of the letter."
Mr Perrin refused to deliver the letter.
"I made a decision at the time that it was more important that I maintain my standards," he said.
Government positions controlled by PR firm
The former public servant said this was part of a broader pattern of behaviour aimed at controlling the position of permanent secretary in Fiji's Information Department.
"The [position] was not being treated as a respected advisor to the minister … [it] was, 'Sign the document, make the statement, don't bother trying to think about anything,'" Mr Perrin said.
During his time as permanent secretary, Mr Perrin said the office of the solicitor-general asked him to sign a sworn affidavit in court without first reading it. He declined to do so, calling the request "extraordinary".
After Mr Perrin's departure from the Fijian public service in May 2016, his position was not publicly advertised.
Instead, an acting role was filled by Bernadette Bainimarama — the daughter of the Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama.
While Ms Bainimarama is no longer in that position, other key communications roles have been filled by relatives of top officials.
Mr Perrin does not call into question the talent of these appointees, but has issues with the lack of transparency.
"You can call it nepotism or cronyism or whatever you want to call it, but it's unhealthy," he said.
What is Qorvis? Qorvis is a Washington DC-based international public relations firm.
In a promotional video on its website, Qorvis says its services include "preparing executives, ambassadors and even Nobel laureates for media appearances".
The company's past clients include Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Kurdistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
When one insider left Qorvis, he was quoted by the Huffington Post as saying: "I just have trouble working with despotic dictators killing their own people."
Fijian budget papers show the country's Government paid Qorvis an fee of $FJD1 million ($623,000 AUD) in the 2016-17 financial year.
In a statement to Background Briefing, executive vice president Greg Lagana said Qorvis's work in Fiji is to help the Government deliver "clear, truthful and consistent information and messaging".
Over a two-month period, no government official agreed to be interviewed or provide any comment to Background Briefing.
Qorvis consultants influencing Pacific diplomatic
Robin Nair, a former senior public servant, has listed a number of occasions where he believes Qorvis has attempted to influence Fiji's diplomatic relationships with other countries, including Australia and NZ.
Mr Nair said he was a "direct eyewitness" to a conversation, during which a Qorvis consultant told Prime Minister Bainimarama that he had been insulted by a senior NZ diplomat.
In Mr Nair's account, the Qorvis consultant said the diplomat in question — NZ High Commissioner Mark Marsden — said Mr Bainimarama should be "behind bars".
In response, Mr Bainamarama is alleged to have told the high commissioner that he could be expelled from Fiji.
According to Mr Nair, Mr Marsden later denied making any derogatory statements about Mr Bainimarama.
The NZ Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the incident, but said in a statement that NZ and Fiji enjoy a "productive and positive relationship".
Mr Nair said the breach of protocol is distressing.
"I find it outrageous … [the Qorvis consultant] was trying to continue this destabilisation of relations with our immediate neighbours," he said.
Leaked documents from April 2017 reveal the extent of confusion relating to Qorvis's role in Fijian diplomatic circles.
In one email, a Qorvis consultant requests a Fijian diplomat meet with a specific minister ahead of a climate change conference.
Citing approval from the Fijian Attorney-General, the email caused the diplomat — Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva — to ask her superior, "This may be a good time to clarify: who gives me instructions on matters of foreign affairs?"
Qorvis declined to respond to the specific allegations raised in this story.
Hagar Cohen reports:
UPDATE: Since the program was published Graham Davis has contacted the ABC and denied the specific claims made about him by Mr Robin Nair. In a statement, he says that Mr Nair's view that Mr Davis has attempted to destabilise Fiji’s relationship with Australia and New Zealand is false.
He also denies telling the Fijian Prime Minister that the NZ High Commissioner had said Mr Bainimarama should be behind bars. Mr Davis says he didn't "refuse to respond", instead he says he declined.
ABC News, Australia, 12 October 2017
A global public relations firm has attempted to influence Fiji's diplomatic relationship with Australia and New Zealand on numerous occasions, according to two former Fijian public servants.
Ewan Perrin, a former permanent secretary in the Bainimarama administration, told Background Briefing the international public relations firm Qorvis "calls the shots" on all government communications.
Mr Perrin said he was sacked by the Fijian Government for his refusal to become a "lackey" for the firm, when he would not follow instructions to send a controversial email — the content of which had been drafted by a Qorvis consultant.
At one point, Mr Perrin said he was instructed to hand-deliver a letter to a Fijian newspaper, castigating the editor for his unfair treatment of the Prime Minister.
"I did not draft it, and was not involved in any discussion about the topic," Mr Perrin said.
"I was not expected to do anything except sign that letter and deliver it … I didn't agree ethically with the content and the tone of the letter."
Mr Perrin refused to deliver the letter.
"I made a decision at the time that it was more important that I maintain my standards," he said.
Government positions controlled by PR firm
The former public servant said this was part of a broader pattern of behaviour aimed at controlling the position of permanent secretary in Fiji's Information Department.
"The [position] was not being treated as a respected advisor to the minister … [it] was, 'Sign the document, make the statement, don't bother trying to think about anything,'" Mr Perrin said.
During his time as permanent secretary, Mr Perrin said the office of the solicitor-general asked him to sign a sworn affidavit in court without first reading it. He declined to do so, calling the request "extraordinary".
After Mr Perrin's departure from the Fijian public service in May 2016, his position was not publicly advertised.
Instead, an acting role was filled by Bernadette Bainimarama — the daughter of the Fijian Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama.
While Ms Bainimarama is no longer in that position, other key communications roles have been filled by relatives of top officials.
Mr Perrin does not call into question the talent of these appointees, but has issues with the lack of transparency.
"You can call it nepotism or cronyism or whatever you want to call it, but it's unhealthy," he said.
What is Qorvis? Qorvis is a Washington DC-based international public relations firm.
In a promotional video on its website, Qorvis says its services include "preparing executives, ambassadors and even Nobel laureates for media appearances".
The company's past clients include Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Kurdistan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
When one insider left Qorvis, he was quoted by the Huffington Post as saying: "I just have trouble working with despotic dictators killing their own people."
Fijian budget papers show the country's Government paid Qorvis an fee of $FJD1 million ($623,000 AUD) in the 2016-17 financial year.
In a statement to Background Briefing, executive vice president Greg Lagana said Qorvis's work in Fiji is to help the Government deliver "clear, truthful and consistent information and messaging".
Over a two-month period, no government official agreed to be interviewed or provide any comment to Background Briefing.
Qorvis consultants influencing Pacific diplomatic
Robin Nair, a former senior public servant, has listed a number of occasions where he believes Qorvis has attempted to influence Fiji's diplomatic relationships with other countries, including Australia and NZ.
Mr Nair said he was a "direct eyewitness" to a conversation, during which a Qorvis consultant told Prime Minister Bainimarama that he had been insulted by a senior NZ diplomat.
In Mr Nair's account, the Qorvis consultant said the diplomat in question — NZ High Commissioner Mark Marsden — said Mr Bainimarama should be "behind bars".
In response, Mr Bainamarama is alleged to have told the high commissioner that he could be expelled from Fiji.
According to Mr Nair, Mr Marsden later denied making any derogatory statements about Mr Bainimarama.
The NZ Department of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the incident, but said in a statement that NZ and Fiji enjoy a "productive and positive relationship".
Mr Nair said the breach of protocol is distressing.
"I find it outrageous … [the Qorvis consultant] was trying to continue this destabilisation of relations with our immediate neighbours," he said.
Leaked documents from April 2017 reveal the extent of confusion relating to Qorvis's role in Fijian diplomatic circles.
In one email, a Qorvis consultant requests a Fijian diplomat meet with a specific minister ahead of a climate change conference.
Citing approval from the Fijian Attorney-General, the email caused the diplomat — Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva — to ask her superior, "This may be a good time to clarify: who gives me instructions on matters of foreign affairs?"
Qorvis declined to respond to the specific allegations raised in this story.
Hagar Cohen reports:
UPDATE: Since the program was published Graham Davis has contacted the ABC and denied the specific claims made about him by Mr Robin Nair. In a statement, he says that Mr Nair's view that Mr Davis has attempted to destabilise Fiji’s relationship with Australia and New Zealand is false.
He also denies telling the Fijian Prime Minister that the NZ High Commissioner had said Mr Bainimarama should be behind bars. Mr Davis says he didn't "refuse to respond", instead he says he declined.
In the above ABC program, the documentary also mentions Fijileaks, citing a letter we published where Robin Nair seemed to be acting against his adopted country - Australia. Nair, while accusing Graham Davis in the above ABC program, however, claimed to the program that his letter was not trying to undermine Australia. We had pointed out as follows [21 July 2017]: "NAIR was brought in by Bainimarama to reform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) but has left a terrible mess behind as he was ordered to "fly out of the messy nest". Incidentally, the ingratiating, obsequious tone of his correspondence published below was a feature of Nair's correspondence with Bainimarama right up to the time he was terminated. He repeatedly adopted a grovelling posture and kept telling Bainimarama that he (Bainimarama) presided over the best government in Fiji's history. What a difference a day makes! Moreover, in his correspondence, Nair is urging a foreign leader (Bainimarama) to adopt a much tougher line against Australia and especially in relation to Fiji's re-engagement with the Pacific Islands Forum. It is, many Australians would claim, a startling betrayal of his duty to Australia as a citizen and a retired diplomat on an Australian Government pension"
www.fijileaks.com/home/robin-nair-flapping-his-wings-against-bainimarama-has-sent-the-media-into-a-frenzy-but-correspondence-on-us-reveal-a-controversial-side-to-his-character-and-crusade-against-his-adoptive-australia-treason
http://fijivillage.com/news-feature/War-of-words-erupt-between-Sayed-Khaiyum-and-Prasad-on-Qorvis-motion-ks5r92
From Fijileaks Archive, May 2016:
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Coming later: As the world reels from Hollywood movie mogul
HARVEY WEINSTEIN's predatory sexual crimes, we will reveal more on sexual pervert Caligulas of Fiji's Diplomatic Corps:
"HE put his hand up my skirt and was rubbing my thighs. When I complained, HE abused his Fijian Diplomatic Status and got DUBAI POLICE to lock me up in a police cell for a night. I gave an interview to the Fiji Sun about the incident and they promised to publish it as FRONT PAGE story but so far it has not been published yet...."
Fijileaks:
We suggest file a complaint with the Fiji Police, for them to re-open the case although the crime allegedly took place in Dubai, for Fiji's own 'Harvey Weinstein' to be brought to book
In mid-August, Ronan Farrow, an NBC News contributor, had secured an interview with a woman who was willing to appear on camera, in silhouette, her identity concealed, and say Harvey Weinstein had raped her, according to four people with close knowledge of the reporting. It was a pivotal moment in a testy, months-long process of reporting a story that had bedeviled a generation of media and Hollywood reporters.
Farrow had a lot of material already. In March, he had acquired a damning and much-coveted audio recording in which Weinstein admits to having groped an Italian model. He had interviews with former executives and assistants who’d worked closely with Weinstein who spoke about the culture of harassment and abuse he perpetrated. And now he had someone ready to accuse Weinstein of rape, on camera.
But at that moment Farrow was also caught in the pincers of an NBC News edict. He had been told by executives at NBC News that he didn’t have enough reporting to go on air with his Weinstein story, according to four sources, and he had been told by the network to stop reporting on it. NBC tried to put a stop to the interview with the woman accusing Weinstein of rape. The network insisted he not use an NBC News crew for the interview, and neither was he to mention his NBC News affiliation. And so that was how Ronan Farrow wound up paying out of his own pocket for a camera crew to film an interview.
As a project for NBC News, Farrow’s story was effectively dead. Later that month, he received permission to take his reporting to another news organization.
The story that resulted, published Tuesday by The New Yorker, was a blockbuster: multiple women accusing Weinstein of rape and other sexual misconduct, accompanied by the audio of Weinstein admitting to sexual assault.
Farrow had a lot of material already. In March, he had acquired a damning and much-coveted audio recording in which Weinstein admits to having groped an Italian model. He had interviews with former executives and assistants who’d worked closely with Weinstein who spoke about the culture of harassment and abuse he perpetrated. And now he had someone ready to accuse Weinstein of rape, on camera.
But at that moment Farrow was also caught in the pincers of an NBC News edict. He had been told by executives at NBC News that he didn’t have enough reporting to go on air with his Weinstein story, according to four sources, and he had been told by the network to stop reporting on it. NBC tried to put a stop to the interview with the woman accusing Weinstein of rape. The network insisted he not use an NBC News crew for the interview, and neither was he to mention his NBC News affiliation. And so that was how Ronan Farrow wound up paying out of his own pocket for a camera crew to film an interview.
As a project for NBC News, Farrow’s story was effectively dead. Later that month, he received permission to take his reporting to another news organization.
The story that resulted, published Tuesday by The New Yorker, was a blockbuster: multiple women accusing Weinstein of rape and other sexual misconduct, accompanied by the audio of Weinstein admitting to sexual assault.
