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THE WAQABACA RESIGNATION: In his three page resignation letter Filimone Waqabaca says he wants to be an economist and not diplomat

9/4/2017

5 Comments

 
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A copy of Filimone Waqabaca's resignation letter dated 23 March 2017, and obtained by Fijileaks, spells out why he is resigning as Fiji's High Commissioner to New Zealand. He hopes his resignation will be effective from 22 May 2017, with 19 May being his last day in the diplomatic service.
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In his resignation letter Waqabaca says he enjoyed the brief term as a diplomat but as an economist who has been trained in both monetary policy formulation at the Reserve Bank of Fiji and later fiscal formulation at the Ministry of Finance, he feels the need for more challenging tasks to best test and utilize his skills.

"I need economic development challenges that will keep me interested and motivated. Economics and Finance are my areas of speciality and I feel that being a diplomat does not allow me to freely and fully utilise my skills to the benefit of the nation. I still have much more to offer in development economics before perhaps diplomacy in later years."

The other reason for his resignation is to commit to his family's farming business in Fiji.

"I want to assist in rebuilding the contribution of the agriculture sector to 20 per cent of GDP, which I know can be done."

Last October Waqabaca had challenged the agriculture industry in Fiji to double its output and chase down the tourism industry's share of Fiji's Gross Domestic Product. He had told Fijian exporters and their import partners in Auckland that agriculture can double its share of GDP and the New Zealand market is there for the taking. "We did it before and we can go back to that level of 20 plus contribution towards our GDP. And when we're talking about opportunities this is it, this is our market share, someone else's market share is bigger. That is the opportunity, grab it from them."

In his resignation letter Waqabaca also profusely heaped praise on Bainimarama (his former Finance Minister when Waqabaca was PS for Finance), wishing him all the best: "I have no doubt that his reign in Fiji will be unparalleled. He will always have my support."

Waqabaca also acknowledged the sterling guidance and direction he received from Robin Nair, the recently resigned Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs. (We will publish more extracts from Waqabaca's resignation letter in the future).

Fijileaks: We will also bring the inside story regarding Nair's resignation as Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs

UPDATE: We reported last year about alleged bullying and sexual harassment of some staff at the Fiji High Commission in London; we can now report that the First Secretary at the High Commission, following a lengthy investigation and directive from Fiji Foreign Ministry, has packed up her bags and returned to Suva; her deputy was recalled last year for alleged gross sexual misconduct against staff members. He was, among other complaints, accused of regularly squeezing the buttocks of an East European staffer, informing her that it was the Fijian Way of saying "Good Morning". It is believed the First Secretary refused to act upon the complaints from his victims, resulting in her recall by the Fiji Foreign Ministry.

5 Comments
Chiku
9/4/2017 09:38:28 pm

Since Bainimarama's power grab in 2006 - his setting up of an " interim" government ( and proclaiming none of his mob would contest in elections to return the country to democratic rule ) and then stealing a party name to form the Fiji First Party and holding a gerrymandered election to cling to power ( which has allowed him and his sycophants to remain in power to this day ) - what is the total number of state functionaries that have come and often gone - prematurely?
It's unprecedented no doubt. Another first for masquerading " Fiji First ".

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Chiku
10/4/2017 12:05:18 am

You feel free to " bring the inside story regarding Nair's resignation as permanent secretary for foreign affairs ". It would make no difference to some of us who will still remember him as an opportunist who had gone to prop up the Bainimarama-Khaiyum dictatorship with his " diplomatic " expertise.

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Dekho
10/4/2017 01:21:58 am

Yeah, Bainimarama's reign in Fiji is unparalleled - corruption and dictatorial rule wise.

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Tomutui
10/4/2017 07:21:29 am

Waqabaca and Nair have both benefitted immensely under Bainimarama's regime and remain loyal to the dictator to the end - the former hoping for a diplomatic posting later in life! Waqabaca is only bailing out now because there's a very good chance Bainimarama will no longer be in power after the 2018 elections. There are countless other gutless and unprincipled locals like Waqabaca who are either still serving or have fallen out of favour with the regime and have been complicit throughout, contributing directly to our current unsustainable debt ridden economy and to the exponential growth of poverty amongst our people these last 10 years. It's a shame they don't produce economists like Paula Tuinaceva anymore, a former Finance permanent secretary who stood his principled ground against greedy and bully-boy Bainimarama.

Reply
Rajend Naidu
10/4/2017 10:56:20 pm

Editor,
The Good Are Greatly Missed when They Are Gone.
That is the case with John Clark ( 1948 - 2017 ) political satirist par excellence.
All that is being said in tribute to John Clarke is absolutely spot on. Another journalist Andrew Denton said John was one of the best - and in his view the best - in the world. Many others have said he was the best in the English speaking world. Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said John was able to cut through the pomposity and absurdity and the superficiality of politicians and still get even his " victims" to laugh.
The Sydney Morning Herald said John's satire served a positive purpose.
Often it got his audience to rethink, to examine the " illogic ", the absurdity inherent in a political position taken by our political leaders.
John Clarke was able to ply his satirical trade without let and hindrance for 5 decades.
That is the beauty of a mature democracy like Australia. Political leaders who are lampooned by an insightful and incisive satirist and analyst like John Clarke don't say well let's round him up and throw him in jail.
That is often the fate of good satirist in banana republics and pretentious democracies and unpretentious dictatorships.
They get thrown to rot in jail.
John Clarke ,Thank You For The Laughs and thank you for getting us to keep our thinking hats on.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

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