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SODELPA's puritanical democracy stance under stress: Mick Beddoes legitimate questions puts fellow party member Rabuka in tight corner!

21/4/2014

5 Comments

 

"Both of our former Prime Ministers have already been disqualified from participating in the 2014 elections as a direct consequence of their convictions and Mr Qarase has already served his time. Yet two of their 3 usurpers, not only remain free, they are eligible to contest the general election that has been denied to the two Prime Ministers they overthrew"

Both former military commanders, remain free and despite being responsible for the overthrow of the 1987 and 2006 parliaments, both of them are eligible to contest the 2014 elections, because of the immunity they enjoy which protects them from having to ‘face up’ to any criminal charges for carrying out coups and overthrowing the elected governments of the people in 1987 and 2006 - MICK BEDDOES

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When we fail to apply the rule of law equally to every citizen our moral & ethical compass as a society fails with it. 

A Personal Opinion
By MICKE BEDDOES 


On May 1st Mr Chaudhry will be sentenced and if it involves a custodial term then he will be the second of our democratically elected Prime Ministers to be sent to prison for offences that can only be described as misdemeanors when we compare it to the capital offences committed by the usurpers of our democracy in 1987, 2000 and 2006.

Both of our former Prime Ministers have already been disqualified from participating in the 2014 elections as a direct consequence of their convictions and Mr Qarase has already served his time. Yet two of their 3 usurpers, not only remain free, they are eligible to contest the general election that has been denied to the two Prime Ministers they over threw..

The 3rd usurper, a civilian, was charged and sentenced to death, which was the penalty for treason at the time. His life was spared when the death penalty was removed for capital crimes by parliament and George Speight is still serving his life sentence for his part in the 2000 coup.

On the other hand the other 2 usurpers of our democracy, both former military commanders, remain free and despite being responsible for the overthrow of the 1987 and 2006 parliaments, both of them are eligible to contest the 2014 elections, because of the immunity they enjoy which protects them from having to ‘face up’ to any criminal charges for carrying out coups and over throwing the elected governments of the people in 1987 and 2006.

If the rule of law is supposedly applied equally to all, why is George Speight in prison while the 2 other coup leaders are free and able to contest elections? What was different about the 2000 coup from the 1987 and 2006 coups? How have we justified such an unfair application of the rule of law in this instant?

How can we as a society, think that it is somehow fair and just to punish our democratically elected leaders as harshly as we have done for their misdemeanors, which are unrelated to their term in office, while at the same time remain silent and just accept the imposition by the usurpers of a blanket immunity that protects them not only from the capital offences they committed against the state, the constitution and the people in the past, but which extends to crimes they are yet to commit in the future?  And if that is not enough, we even give them the freedom to take part in general elections, without having answered for their crimes.

There is something fundamentally wrong with us a society if we believe it’s ok to have the usurpers of our democracy, elected to our House of Representatives, where they can help make laws and dispense justice to the very people whose livelihoods, rights and freedoms they abused and suppressed, while all the time being protected from prosecution for overthrowing our previous parliaments. 

Mr Qarase and Mr Chaudhry are now disqualified from contesting elections for their misdemeanors; every other citizen who is registered to vote and eligible to contest the elections is subject to disqualification for various offences as stated in Sec 56 of the 2013 constitution. 

It is only the usurpers of our democracy and those other citizens who have aided and arbited them in the removal of our elected governments who will not face the kind of scrutiny that other citizens will be subjected to because they enjoy immunity from prosecution. This is what the regime means about everyone being equal.

The rule of law must apply equally to everyone from the law abiding citizen, the common thief to coup leaders and Presidents. But so long as we keep rewarding the wrong doers and try to make excuses for their actions as being necessary then we fail to apply the rule of law as we are obliged to do and consequently our moral & ethical compass as a society fails with it.

‘History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people’. Dr Martin Luther King Jr



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Beddoes: The two usurpers still at large from law, and now free to fight September election
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Beddoes: Ousted PM Laisenia Qarase (right) has already served his prison time
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Chaudhry freed but lost his Prime Ministership!
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Ousted PM Mahendra Chaudhry waiting to be sentenced
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George Speight still behind bars! Beddoes: "If the rule of law is supposedly applied equally to all, why is George Speight in prison while the 2 other coup leaders (Rabuka and Bainimarama) are free and able to contest elections? What was different about the 2000 coup from the 1987 and 2006 coups? How have we justified such an unfair application of the rule of law in this instant?"
5 Comments
Fire Cracker
21/4/2014 02:46:21 pm

Goodness, gracious!

Sodelpa is unravelling from within - cat and mouse politics inside Sodelpa best news for Frank's First Party!

Reply
Harbhajan Lal
21/4/2014 02:53:04 pm

Mick Beddoes, stealing $2million of Indo-Fijian money is not only criminal but unethical and immoral for your buddy Mahendra Chaudhry.

Worst, he took advantage of the overthrow to become multi-millionaire and if the money was for him to resettle in Australia from the i-taukei mob, why was Mahend still in Fiji getting ready to contest the 2014 election.

He deserves what he did to us! A bloody criminal and thief!

Reply
Hipocrite Mick
22/4/2014 09:18:32 pm

Beddoes digs into Chaudhry case
Sunday, March 16, 2008
THE inquiry into interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's tax affairs has raised more questions than it answered, said ousted leader of the Opposition Mick Beddoes.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Beddoes called on interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to refrain from making personal attacks on people who raised legitimate concerns about the way the inquiry was done.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum was at a funeral and when contacted for a comment, said: "I'll see how I feel and what time I get up."

Mr Beddoes said the inquiry which included Bruce Cowley of Minter Allison had limited terms of reference and created more curiosity and real concern of a cover-up.

"The A-G needs to understand that not everyone operates with a hidden agenda. Some of us use facts before us," he said.

He said part of the facts were that Mr Chaudhry admitted to FIRCA during explanation over his undeclared income that he held funds in trust for the Indian community and farmers in Fiji.

Mr Beddoes said by way of personal explanation in Parliament in 2005, Mr Chaudhry, in response to then PM Laisenia Qarase to tell the truth about the funds from Haryana, said a Shri Chautala told him the funds were raised to "assist with our struggle for farmers and ordinary people who are suffering".

"Mr Chaudhry said on TV the funds were for him and his family and this is a contradiction to his presentation in 2005."

Reply
I-Taukei from West vitilevu
21/4/2014 06:24:00 pm

The two usurpers were not tried, they were protected by the immunity clause in the Constitution, therefore deemed as a successful coup bar Speights attempted coup- completed by FB in 2000. The Law will only be applied if no immunity existed. All three Coups were Illegal, what Qarase and Chaudhary did was illegal, the only difference is the Coups were legitimized by the immunity clauses, technicalities of the law, hats of to the legal eagles who advise on these matters.

It is now time to move forward, if we dwell in the past we all may miss the boat, so ensure we vote in a government of the people, by the people for the people. let us vote in Candidates who are not only visionaries but also doers, not necessary clever people but wise people, not self centred but selfless, not a racist but a patriot.

Reply
what a tangled web of deceit
22/4/2014 05:19:01 am

Do you mean your clever "shyster fraudsters" trying to legitimise an unlawful status quo via a blanket immunity inserted in the regime constitution that they know are backed up (guaranteed) by guns?

Reply

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