*Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Limited (ATH) was incorporated as a public company on 10 March 1998 as the vehicle through which the Fiji Government’s investments in the telecommunications sector were consolidated for the purpose of privatisation under its public sector reform programme.
*Waqanika, under the PPR [14], is prevented from meddling in SODELPA's internal politics or in opposing Aseri Radrodro's election as SODELPA leader. She has clearly breached the PPR Act.
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*In one of her last few acts, the late businesswoman and former SODELPA MP, Dr Mere Samisoni, in June 2023, had sought legal advice to get former Sodelpa MP Tanya Waqanika removed from the Sodelpa Management Board (Private e-mail communication with Fijileaks Editor-in-Chief, 11 June 2023).
*The late Dr Samisoni argued that by attending the Sodelpa board meeting and speaking for her own motion to be on the Sodelpa HR Committee, Waqanika was breaking the statutory board and political party rules, for Waqanika was 'now sitting on the ATH Board'.
*Waqanika later lost her membership of the Sodelpa Management Board.
*On May 1, 2023, the ATH Board announced Waqanika's appointment as a member of the board. Another report said she was appointed in April.
Former Social Democratic Liberal Party member of Parliament, Tanya Waqanika has been appointed to the board of Amalgamated Telecom Holdings Ltd (ATH). ATH has 100 per cent shares in ATH (Kiribati) Ltd, Elandia Technologies Ltd, Amalgamated Bluesky Telecom Holdings, Telecom Vanuatu Ltd, Fiji Directories Ltd, Vodafone Fiji Ltd, Telecom Fiji Ltd, FINTEL and ATH Global Ltd.
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Clearly, Aseri Radrodro as SODELPA leader is riling Tanya Waqanika
Tomorrow will be Sodelpa’s AGM where supposedly, the party members will approve the appointment of Hon Aseri Radrodro as Party Leader.
I was quite amused when I read the Sodelpa’s media release (issued early this week) issued by the General Secretary, Viliame Takayawa, that the Management Board had unanimously endorsed the Party Leasership of Radrodro.
The definition of unanimous means “everyone in agreement”. It is a fact that the endorsement of Radrodro as PL by the MB was not unanimous - the Sodelpa Youths and the Western Sodelpa MB did not endorse Radrodros appointment. There were 2 or 3 other MB reps representing their respective constituents who also did not agree.
It’s important that the party members on the MB or any board for that matter, must voice their opinions. With the new appointments of some Sodelpa MB members, I wonder whether they realize that the fate of the nation is in their hands as their continued “silence on the board is acquiescine”.
I am grateful that my tau, Seremaia Tuiteci, is the vocal voice that’s leading the charge (on behalf of the Western Sodelpa MBs) against the decision to remove Hon Gavoka. I would like to see the Sodelpa Western party members to turn up in numbers at tomorrow’s AGM and vote against the unconstitutional removal of Hon Gavoka- come and support your Deputy Prime Minister and put an end to this madness and mayhem. Your vote and support for Hon Gavoka is a support for the Coalition Government.
Tomorrow’s outcome can create instability to the Coalition & this is what concerns me.
For Radrodro to say that he respects that MB’s decision and that he is a party man and is happy/content being a back bencher is just utter BS!!!. It is common knowledge that the couple now control the MB- after all, the President and the 3 VPs are their appointments . Whoever controls the Management Board, controls the Party and what I am witnessing is a total disregard for “what is for the greater good for that nation”.
Something tells me that the Radrodros are not looking at 2026, they are looking at destabilizing the Coalition asap. His only chance to get back into Cabinet (despite the Hon PM confirming that he will not reinstate) is not with this Coalition Govt but with the Opposition. You do not need a snap election to change the Govt - all it needs is the Sodelpa MB issuing a party directive to their sitting MPs to vote for FFP & the Opposition walks casually across the floor & becomes the Govt ( of course you will need a Vote of No Confidence for this to succeed). That’s how easy it is to destabilize the Coalition.
The Coalition should be alert. The mere fact that the MB has given a directive to Hon Gavoka to relinquish the Ministry of Education portfolio shows the recklessness, stupidity & lack of understanding of the 2013 Fiji Constitution where it clearly states that only the PM appoints and removes Ministers.
As long as the Radrodros have control of the party, they will keep pushing to have Aseri back in Cabinet. Quite frankly, I do not know the facts behind the FNU saga and had the matter been handled properly & confidentiality, there would have been some hope of him being reinstated back as the Minister. Too late now, the horse has bolted.
The only one that benefits from the unconstitutional removal of Hon Gavoka are the Radrodro couple. The party does not benefit now and ever as his party leadership means the demise of Sodelpa. The couple are seen as FFP supporters & they will always be labeled by me as the Judases of Sodelpa.
I respect everyone’s decision to support a party, I have friends/ family members who are FFP party members and there is absolutely nothing wrong in their democratic decision to support their party. What I detest are the Judases- they sit with you, dine with you, wink at you and all along, they do not support what is the greater good for the nation but what is beneficial to themselves only.
Like many who have left the party, we can only pray that common sense prevails tomorrow.
I was quite amused when I read the Sodelpa’s media release (issued early this week) issued by the General Secretary, Viliame Takayawa, that the Management Board had unanimously endorsed the Party Leasership of Radrodro.
The definition of unanimous means “everyone in agreement”. It is a fact that the endorsement of Radrodro as PL by the MB was not unanimous - the Sodelpa Youths and the Western Sodelpa MB did not endorse Radrodros appointment. There were 2 or 3 other MB reps representing their respective constituents who also did not agree.
It’s important that the party members on the MB or any board for that matter, must voice their opinions. With the new appointments of some Sodelpa MB members, I wonder whether they realize that the fate of the nation is in their hands as their continued “silence on the board is acquiescine”.
I am grateful that my tau, Seremaia Tuiteci, is the vocal voice that’s leading the charge (on behalf of the Western Sodelpa MBs) against the decision to remove Hon Gavoka. I would like to see the Sodelpa Western party members to turn up in numbers at tomorrow’s AGM and vote against the unconstitutional removal of Hon Gavoka- come and support your Deputy Prime Minister and put an end to this madness and mayhem. Your vote and support for Hon Gavoka is a support for the Coalition Government.
Tomorrow’s outcome can create instability to the Coalition & this is what concerns me.
For Radrodro to say that he respects that MB’s decision and that he is a party man and is happy/content being a back bencher is just utter BS!!!. It is common knowledge that the couple now control the MB- after all, the President and the 3 VPs are their appointments . Whoever controls the Management Board, controls the Party and what I am witnessing is a total disregard for “what is for the greater good for that nation”.
Something tells me that the Radrodros are not looking at 2026, they are looking at destabilizing the Coalition asap. His only chance to get back into Cabinet (despite the Hon PM confirming that he will not reinstate) is not with this Coalition Govt but with the Opposition. You do not need a snap election to change the Govt - all it needs is the Sodelpa MB issuing a party directive to their sitting MPs to vote for FFP & the Opposition walks casually across the floor & becomes the Govt ( of course you will need a Vote of No Confidence for this to succeed). That’s how easy it is to destabilize the Coalition.
The Coalition should be alert. The mere fact that the MB has given a directive to Hon Gavoka to relinquish the Ministry of Education portfolio shows the recklessness, stupidity & lack of understanding of the 2013 Fiji Constitution where it clearly states that only the PM appoints and removes Ministers.
As long as the Radrodros have control of the party, they will keep pushing to have Aseri back in Cabinet. Quite frankly, I do not know the facts behind the FNU saga and had the matter been handled properly & confidentiality, there would have been some hope of him being reinstated back as the Minister. Too late now, the horse has bolted.
The only one that benefits from the unconstitutional removal of Hon Gavoka are the Radrodro couple. The party does not benefit now and ever as his party leadership means the demise of Sodelpa. The couple are seen as FFP supporters & they will always be labeled by me as the Judases of Sodelpa.
I respect everyone’s decision to support a party, I have friends/ family members who are FFP party members and there is absolutely nothing wrong in their democratic decision to support their party. What I detest are the Judases- they sit with you, dine with you, wink at you and all along, they do not support what is the greater good for the nation but what is beneficial to themselves only.
Like many who have left the party, we can only pray that common sense prevails tomorrow.
GAVOKA, GAVOKA, GAVOKA All the Way
*These Sodelpa Ba West lot want Gavoka to remain as official party leader despite FICAC investigating him over the 'Fly Now, Pay Later' Fiji Airways charter flight scam to Israel.
From Room 233 in Melbourne to Sodelpa leader? Lynda Tabuya's game plan might come true at Sodelpa meeting on Saturday (tomorrow)
DISPUTED HERITAGE. Fijileaks: It has been repeatedly alleged to us that Radrodro is from LOMANIKORO in Rewa, and not from Naitasiri
BUTT OF JOKE: Seremaia Tuiteci's take on Rabuka's Kama Sutras
"I am grateful that my tau, Seremaia Tuiteci, is the vocal voice that’s leading the charge (on behalf of the Western Sodelpa MBs) against the decision to remove Hon Gavoka. I would like to see the Sodelpa Western party members to turn up in numbers at tomorrow’s AGM and vote against the unconstitutional removal of Hon Gavoka- come and support your Deputy Prime Minister and put an end to this madness and mayhem. Your vote and support for Hon Gavoka is a support for the Coalition Government."
TANYA WAQANIKI on her Facebook page
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Finance Minister Biman Prasad has deliberately misled Parliament and the nation on the status of the $2.6m still owing to Fiji Airways on the $3m charter flight to Israel last September.
The charter company Pacific Voyager (WABS Pacific PTE LTD), has defaulted on every agreement it signed with Fiji Airways.
The minister should have been man enough to lay before Parliament the truth about how Fiji Airways was pushed into undertaking the charter in gross violation of its charter policy.
The truth simply is that a few influential Sodelpa people and the charter company arranged the charter with what has now proved to be a clear intention to defraud the airline.
Fiji Airways was cajoled into a charter agreement the terms of which charter company did not intend to honour. In keeping with the Airline’s policy, the agreement should have been revoked and the deposit of $100,000 forfeited.
But that was not done. Political influence was used to ‘persuade’ Fiji Airways to enter into another agreement called the Deed of Forbearance and Guarantee under which the outstanding charter charges were rescheduled to be paid as follows:
22nd September 2023 $300,000
28 September 2023 100,000
21 December 2023 700,000
26 February 2024 900,000
30 May 2024 900,000
The charter company (WABS Pacific) and the guarantors, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and Truth Harvest Church (both unregistered companies without TIN numbers), have defaulted again by not meeting the payment dues on 21 December 2023 and 26 February 2024 totalling $1.6m.
That being so, where did the Minister get the idea to tell Parliament that $1m was expected to be paid by the end of the year through monthly instalments expected to start this month?
It is evident from the chain of events in this sordid charter affair that it was a well planned scam which was eventually to be taken care of through political intervention.
Fiji Airways is just as guilty as the perpetrators of the scam by going along with their plot and entering into bogus agreements with the defaulters.
Had a proper due diligence been done on the charter company as claimed by Minister Prasad, Fiji Airways would never have signed an agreement with it.
Labour had also questioned earlier whether Fiji Airways Board was aware of the deal and had approved the actions of the airline’s executives.
There are too many footprints in the sand Minister Prasad for you to cover up. Why not just be honest and admit the scam?
The charter company Pacific Voyager (WABS Pacific PTE LTD), has defaulted on every agreement it signed with Fiji Airways.
The minister should have been man enough to lay before Parliament the truth about how Fiji Airways was pushed into undertaking the charter in gross violation of its charter policy.
The truth simply is that a few influential Sodelpa people and the charter company arranged the charter with what has now proved to be a clear intention to defraud the airline.
Fiji Airways was cajoled into a charter agreement the terms of which charter company did not intend to honour. In keeping with the Airline’s policy, the agreement should have been revoked and the deposit of $100,000 forfeited.
But that was not done. Political influence was used to ‘persuade’ Fiji Airways to enter into another agreement called the Deed of Forbearance and Guarantee under which the outstanding charter charges were rescheduled to be paid as follows:
22nd September 2023 $300,000
28 September 2023 100,000
21 December 2023 700,000
26 February 2024 900,000
30 May 2024 900,000
The charter company (WABS Pacific) and the guarantors, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and Truth Harvest Church (both unregistered companies without TIN numbers), have defaulted again by not meeting the payment dues on 21 December 2023 and 26 February 2024 totalling $1.6m.
That being so, where did the Minister get the idea to tell Parliament that $1m was expected to be paid by the end of the year through monthly instalments expected to start this month?
It is evident from the chain of events in this sordid charter affair that it was a well planned scam which was eventually to be taken care of through political intervention.
Fiji Airways is just as guilty as the perpetrators of the scam by going along with their plot and entering into bogus agreements with the defaulters.
Had a proper due diligence been done on the charter company as claimed by Minister Prasad, Fiji Airways would never have signed an agreement with it.
Labour had also questioned earlier whether Fiji Airways Board was aware of the deal and had approved the actions of the airline’s executives.
There are too many footprints in the sand Minister Prasad for you to cover up. Why not just be honest and admit the scam?
