No more cream for the fat cats

Every day these past few days, people in Fiji are either waking up to read about some new revelation of corruption uncovered about the previous FFP government or their lunch consisting of chilli chicken rice or lamb curry becomes even more interesting when the government of one of its new appointees announces a sacking, appointment or uncovering something which the FFP government hid for the past 16 years.

The last few days have been real corkers. From the suspension of the COMPOL, FCS Commissioner and the SOE, the new government is really trying to ramp up its work to rid Fiji of 16 years of nepotism and corruption. the new acting COMPOL has already made headway by terminating the contract of Sami, the officer in charge of the investigation into the former AG (that in itself was an event).

Even the gnomic PS Ashwin Raj was ignominiously ejected from his perch. Readers will recall the days of Ashwin's interviews which required all of us to make a trip down to the bookshops to buy the latest version of the Oxford dictionary because Ashwin's comments confused the fuck out of all of us.

We also remember Prakash Prasad (Radiowala) from Radio Tarana who was the FFP's loudest supported in NZ who has become as silent as a church mouse in a nunnery after FFP's loss and he has taken to posting pictures of BBQ's and other useless items to distract the reader from his previously heavily prejudiced views. Mr Radiowala has deflated to the point where he no longer even takes the cheap potshots against his fellow Kiwi Feroz Gulam Mohammed. The two are famous for their public vlogs where they smash and slash each other verbally to kingdom come.

The former AG was last seen on his FFP page surrounded by his flock, lambasting the new government and attempting to tell them how wrong they were in all their actions. The rest of the squad stood silently holding in their farts and wondering when the former AG would stop talking. Some giggled stupidly while others had vacant looks on their faces as they contemplated their lives minus the huge salaries. 

The FFP leader was rumoured to have been too inebriated to show his face (this is what I am seeing based on various posts), let alone speak, so the former AG, who is neither a member of parliament or the CoC, chose to speak his mind which he claims is the same view as that of his entire party and its useless leader. Largely incorrectly. He later had to go to the police station to answer questions relating to incitement and has been largely silent since the police interviews. I suspect he has been cautioned/advised not to make any further statements.

A few days later, Dr Mahendra Reddy skipped out of the party and is now rumoured to be looking to return to his academic career. Surviving on $50k after being used to receiving three times that amount when in government can be tough and the good Doctor has realized the academic world will also prevent the former AG from following him there and being his boss. It also allows the Doctor to return his mindset to a normal one after having to be subservient to the ravings of a madman for 16 years.

We have just heard today that the CEO of FBC was sacked. According to the new Chairman Ajay Bhai Amrit advised the media that they spent nearly7 hours as "Amrit and his fellow Directors listened intently to Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and his senior management team as they updated them on FBC’s operations."

In the end, after nearly 7 hours, it was apparent the new Chairman was unimpressed given the fact that FBC's primary revenue was from handouts from the government totalling $93 million over the past 16 years. He could not see a robust strategic plan going forward that clearly identified how the commercial business of FBC would be self-sustaining. He further stated that the former CEO was earning considerably more than Government Ministers and even the Prime Minister.

I suspect it was still below what the former AG was earning.

If the government funding were to be removed now, the FBC would become insolvent immediately. And to top it off, the former CEO approved a vehicle worth $200K to be imported from NZ for his use. Naturally, the board considers it highly inappropriate and the CEO's contract was terminated on legal grounds.

I have written to editors of all media outlets (or those I deem worthy of being called media outlets) asking the following:

1. Why was the former CEO of FBC paid such an exorbitant salary? As far as I know, he isn't some kind of corporate genius.
2. What was the justification, and on what basis did the previous board approve this salary? Does the new board have copies of the minutes of the meeting where the decision was made?
3. Will the Chair of the previous board be questioned for this decision given it seems highly irregular?
4. Given the $93 million injection by the government for nearly 16 years, does this affect the annual reports published?
5. Was the salary reported in the annual reports or filed under "staff salaries" to avoid questions?
6. Where are all the funds now? If they went offshore, who approved this move?
7. Was the CEO paid as an expatriate or local given his residency status in NZ (equally important as it affects how he was taxed)?
8. Was the salary passed through the higher salaries commission and why did this amount not cause any concerns within the commission?

While the various pages on Facebook have exploded with commentary about the sacking, it is only natural that the following should be noted. One can only hazard a guess what Riyaz was making. Using the various leaks on FB, if Frank was getting nearly $400k a year, then Riyaz was undoubtedly making $500k or more, inclusive of perks, etc. If he was being paid as an expatriate, then the scales would be even higher given expatriates are given bigger perks and other concessions such as allowances, etc.

One should also ask why he was paid that much? As far as I am aware, Riyaz isn't some kind of corporate guru who we see on TV shows where he's able to spin up millions out of $1. I certainly haven't seen Riyaz on TED Talks inspiring the world with his corporate skills.

Nor should the public be deprived of asking where all the money went to? I am sure this was not sitting in some local account in Fiji. In fact, I believe the money was all moved out of Fiji with only enough kept to keep up with the day to day expenses. The rest sits in NZ.

This then moves us to the next question: who approved the funds to leave the country (taxed or untaxed?). The hypothesis is that the chair/Governor of the RBF approved it and Mr Buksh of the FIU was instructed not to stand in the way or stand aside. The further strengthening of the instructions would have come from the former AG who also was the Minister for Finance and indirectly, the RBF governor's boss. Even if he wasn't his boss, knowing the former AG, he would have steamrolled his authority over the governor anyway.

So, we now have the two brothers, both residents of Australia and NZ respectively. One has already moved his family to Australia. Despite rumours the NSW/Federal police are looking for the former AG, this is untrue as he has committed no crime in Australia. 

The other may have also done this if he has not done it already. To live in Sydney or Auckland isn't cheap (as you and I know) so there needs to be a steady supply of funds, lots of it, to keep going.

It appears the people should be able to put two and two together to realize where a portion of the government granted $93 million over the last 16 years has gone to and demand answers which should be made public given it was taxpayer dollars.

Investigations should be held to determine if the higher salaries commission along with the culpability of the former AG and PM checked as they all had a hand in this dirty deed.

Where is the former AG?

The new government has just announced $200 worth of back to school initiatives for each child in order to ensure their return to school will be stress free. Naturally, this is good news for parents who are already under the pump, dealing with sky-rocketing costs of living as well as an uncertain global economy.

In addition to this, the new government has announced that the school system will be reverted to the three term system. The fact the previous government chose to go for a four term system was rushed and needs further consultations. Fiji's education system is far behind international institutions and pushing a four term policy onto an education system built for a three term machinery simply did not work.

Quick to the mark to oppose the change was the former education minister and now opposition member. In her view, the decision is a regressive one and a four term system is warranted. Coming from someone who has never had any formal educational qualifications and a former (useless) CEO of the powerless Fiji Consumer Commission, its a bit rich and while the speech give via Facebook Live was no doubt written in a rush, it did indicate something interesting which you may have missed: it was not written by the former AG. In fact, the entire speech lacked the punch and low blows we have come to see come out of Fiji First whenever their former AG writes speeches for his ministers as they were prohibited from doing their own speeches.

The other interesting thing is that we do not have the former PM and now Opposition Leader, Frank Bainimarama coming out with his sledgehammer speeches to decry the latest move by the government. It is apparent that there is definitely something wrong in the Fiji First party to the point that its office is closed, despite the former Education minister advising there are people inside. I can only assume they must be either invisible people or microscopic. Nothing stirred. Not a creature. Not even a mouse.

Neither Frank nor his trusted steed have uttered anything publicly since the new AG advised the legal position they were taking to review the speeches made by Bainimarama, threatening the government and indirectly calling for an overthrow of government. Given the fact that neither men have their legal henchmen around them nor the ability to potentially influence the judiciary in their favor, just like moles, both men have gone into the ground. Either the Fiji First party is currently in the throes of a power tussle, or their defeat was too much to bear for for them; this being a result of the very constitution designed by their former AG. 

The former Education minister found it convenient to lie to the press easily when she announced that "it is the festive season so people are entitled to travel and spend the holidays with their friends and family." Anyone who takes an interest in human behaviour and human psychology will note the body posture and facial expressions when the lie was told.

Either way, there is one thing that must be noted. While the new government is still in the process of finding its feet, it really needs to start organizing itself a little more to ensure its not constantly stumbling over the legalities of everything it does. The people of Fiji have waited 16 years for this moment and are expecting a lot from the people they have elected to power. If they fail to deliver on their promises, it does not make them any better then Fiji First. 

A political nuisance

Fiji First is in trouble. At the time of writing this article, a lot has happened within the party ranks. 

Rumours of members resigning en-masse next week are flying through the Fiji airways like a coconut in a cyclone. The leader of the party, Frank Bainimarama nominated his trust steed, the former Attorney General to the Constitutional Officers Commission. This announcement was done through a Facebook video and it was apparent the speech had been written for Bainimarama by the ex-AG. Verbal assaults were hurled onto the newly formed Rabuka led government. Bainimarama then went on to accuse the new PM of race based politics and the cause for the instability throughout Fiji.

Side note to the reader: there is not instability in Fiji. In fact it is quite the contrary. There is a smile on the face of people and they have been rejoicing since the fall of the Fiji First party.  

The nomination was accepted by the authorities which subsequently saw the ex-AG lose his position as a member of parliament, as per the laws laid out in the constitution. 24-hours later, Bainimarama was back on his Facebook page to once again accuse government of harassment of civil servants, nepotism, racism and other things. Bainimarama then went on to add that he had withdrawn the nomination of his trusted steed and the ex-AG would now focus on mounting legal challenges against the new government on what it perceived are flagrant breaches of the constitution. Once again, I draw the readers attention to the side note above. Do not be swayed by what Bainimarama is saying. Fiji has never been more stable then it is right now.

The Minister for Home Affairs has quite aptly titled Bainimarama a nuisance which is a very polite way of publicly calling someone a "noisy fuckwit." The new Attorney General has advised they are going through the contents of Bainimarama's vlogs (video blogs) to determine if he has breached any laws, given the threatening nature of his speeches. It is apparent that Bainimarama is now reaching for straws and still hopeful the tide will turn in his favour. What is even more interesting at this stage is that while all of this has been happening, the former AG has not uttered any statements. In fact, the former AG is currently in Sydney (with no announcements if he is planning to return) which became even more apparent given the recent uncontrolled and uncoordinated speeches by Bainimarama. Without the former AG, Bainimarama is floundering. Badly. And, if the former AG's absence from Fiji has resulted in Bainimarama making such a spectacle of himself, one can only wonder what will happen when the former AG decides to leave the part completely, at least, this is the current buzz around the traps in Fiji.

Given the cocktail of implosions currently happening within the FFP and combined with his wife's illness, it is a small wonder that Bainimarama has gone off the rails a bit and released ill-timed, factually incorrect and fictional stories about the state of Fiji in his speeches. It is only natural that Bainimarama has enjoyed the high life and luxuries which came with the role he once held. It is only natural that he is a bit out at sea right now with no source of income and a government which is demanding he vacate the PM's residence to make way for the new one. It is only natural that extreme feelings of hate and jealousy are flowing through Bainimarama right now. This is clearly indicative by the fact that he has not, as the leader of FFP, come out publicly to acknowledge the new government, accept defeat and show diplomacy. Instead, we are seeing a man who is clearly stressed both mentally and psychologically.

It is typical for any dictator who has been thrown off his perch to behave in this manner. It is impossible for a dictator to play second fiddle to anyone, particularly when that person happens to be someone he has both a personal and professional hate for. For Fiji, it is concerning that their former PM is using the social media channels to spew forth his hates and threaten the new government. It is only a matter of time before his own party removes him from the helm. In the short period since the election, Bainimarama has managed to lose substantial followers as people walk away from the madman. It is apparent that the unchecked behaviour is going to severely tarnish the FFP reputation and likely to cost them the next election.

Added to the woes of Bainimarama, the government is commencing on an audit of all areas of expenditures, payroll, civil service and other areas which were under Bainimarama's control for the last 16 years. It is my guess that the new government is in for a shock, particularly when they look at the government ministers payroll which was being handled by an external financial company headed by the former AG's aunt. Nepotism was rife during the Bainimarama regime so for him to be saying the new government is guilty of this act is a bit of the pot and the kettle calling each other black.

Further complexities arise relating to Bainimarama's brother in law who is now the Prisons Commissioner. He was guilty of murdering someone in a drunken rage. Sentenced to prison, Bainimarama lead the charge by concocting a "yellow ribbon" campaign which would set "some" prisoners free. Guess who the "some" was? In fact the brother in law was freed to such an extent, that like a fat bird, he wobbled his way straight into the role of Commissioner of Prisons with salary worth a quarter of a million dollars. Tax payer dollars.

Bainimarama is quickly realizing that everything is crumbling around him. He knows that a number of decisions he made during his time in power will be reversed. He is very well aware that the people he has raised to lavish positions of power and the nepotism is coming to and end with the new government making it quite clear they will be taking actions where they need to be taken to set the record straight. This has become apparent with the sacking of Qorvis and the cessation of the preferential treatment given to a privately owned media outlet and the new Attorney General has gone on public record to state that more items will be exposed as the days go on. 

The new government has made it apparent the 2013 constitution is the brainchild of the former AG and formulated in a way with the view the Fiji First government would rule Fiji forever.

The world built by the former PM and his former AG, has crumbled. Just as a cookie crumbles, their world has started to come down around them and the wall of illusions they had put up to deceive the people of Fiji has been broken. The truth is oozing out of it like a broken sewer main and what the people are seeing exposed stinks to high heaven. And all this from a government who, for the past 16 years, parroted on about transparency, equality for all and actions to benefit all Fijians was a farce.

Well, not all of it. Some of the things the Fiji First did ended up benefiting Fijians. The irony is that it only benefited two Fijians who held the country to ransom for 16 years while they wallowed in the money they sucked out of us through the taxes we paid them!

We must not forget this.

Time for a change

On 6th December 2006, Frank Bainimarama, under the guise of a "clean-up" campaign, overthrew the SDL government while claiming it was being done to prevent the government from passing racist bills and other bills which would result in the release of George Speight and his accomplices.

What followed from there is well documented and there is no use traversing that area of the ground again. They say "the rest is history." 

One only needs to use Google to find all the information about what Bainimarama has done for the past 16 years against the people of Fiji. Obviously some good also came out of it but as Marc Antony said "the evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones." 

In Bainimarama's case, he was quite right to state that the past 16 years is his legacy. People will certainly never forget what he did. From what he set out to do under the guise of a clean-up campaign to where he took the country over the course of a decade speaks volumes for a man who was once seen as the champion of the poor, to a person who abused the government systems for the benefit of him and his family. Through a process of flagrant abuses of powers, a new constitution was also established under his rule which was forced onto the people of Fiji.

All of this in the span of 16 years. All of this, simply because he refused to listen to anyone except his Attorney General who, like Gríma Wormtongue (the chief counsellor at the court of King Théoden of Rohan) brought the former commander of the RFMF to become a mere puppet in his hands.

16 years later, the people of Fiji had enough and formed sufficient coalitions between political parties to bring the Bainimarama government to its knees in the 2022 Fiji Elections as well as usher in a new Prime Minister who not only happened to be a former PM but also the father of all military takeovers in Fiji - Sitiveni Rabuka.

Naturally, Bainimarama is furious that he's not only lost the election, the perks of office and his ability to continue inflicting misery on the people of Fiji, it is primarily on the basis that he's lost to the very man he's hated all his life and blamed for Fiji's woes. The fact that Rabuka refused to stoop to the derogatory and personal attacks made by Bainimarama further incensed the flames of hate as people used everything to show the vast difference between the two men. In Rabuka's case, time has been kind to him and softened his views on the world. The Rabuka we know today versus the Rabuka we knew in 1987 are complete contrast whereas the Bainimarama the world knew in 2000, 2006 and today are also complete contrasts; in the case of Bainimarama, time has made him a harsher, suspicious and tunnel-visioned individual.

Both men have committed crimes against the state however only one of them acknowledges it today publicly and accepts the devastation it brought about. The other continues to deny it, claims it was for the the good of the people, stopping short of claiming himself the messiah of the Fiji people. However in the case of Rabuka, time has softened peoples views against him and while no one will ever forget what he did back in 1987, people have realized that the young military officer back then, who was swayed by others in the halls of politics for their own gain, was simply following his heart and his rather confused mind at the time. Anyone who has read the books and done their research will note who stayed in the shadows when the takeover occurred in 1987 and who benefitted from the sudden changes in Fiji's political systems.

Moving forward to Bainimarama in 2006, he claimed that he was made aware of bills which would throw Fiji into racial chaos and the SDL government was no longer capable of leading the country. What he neglected to mention was that his contract was being prematurely ended as commander of the RFMF by the then Minister for Home Affairs and while this was being finalized, the police commissioner was also preparing to bring about charges on the commander for criminal acts which included murder.

The writing on the wall is clear - one man committed treason because he had been brainwashed. The other did it to save his job to ensure he could continue living the life of luxury with a hefty pay packet. And, he had a willing accomplice who would later worm his way so deep within the mindset of Bainimarama that he became deaf and blind to anything said against this person. He would later lose his power of speech as well as the accomplice started determining what Bainimarama could say or even think. It is because of one person who has more influence over every single action in Bainimarma's world that the government lost the election.

The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they do turn. Having been accused of a bomb-making plot which saw an individual injured and killed later, Bainimarama's whisperer has done everything to ensure the matter never proceeded beyond the formalities of the judicial systems, despite the claims that the judiciary is an independent body. It therefore begs the question as to why there is a Chief Justice who, on record, is known to have determined the outcome of cases before they are even completed, particularly if they are cases against the Bainimarama government. 

Opponents of the government know all too well the outcome of their legal challenges and many have been sent to prison to ensure they are unable to make any further progress in their legal challenges.

We return to the December 2022 elections. The people have spoken and while there was no absolute majority to make up the government without any issues, this election required a coalition government to bring about an absolute majority and overthrow a 16 year old dictatorial government which was run only by two men who saw it fit to do anything and everything for their own benefit.

The writing on the wall should be clear for the Bainimarama team - the people have had enough and was change. That change will come about and I sincerely hope that an audit is undertaken of the past 16 years by the new government. Of particular interest to the people of Fiji, but not limited to are the following:

• What was Bainimarama earning and what perks were awarded to him and his family members
• How much was the second (and only) member of his government (AG) earning and what perks were awarded to him and his family members
• Why is the independence of the judiciary compromised so severely by a CJ who is on record for passing judgment before a trial concludes?
• Why is Bainimarama's ex-government so vocal in the protests that people in government not be replaced with selections from the current government when they did exactly the same thing in 2006 when they overthrew an elected government?
• How many contracts and their total values have been awarded privately, without tenders being called?
• Why are senior executive positions such as CEO's, CFO's and other C-Suite roles, including members of the judiciary being awarded to foreigners without even giving locals a chance to step into the role? Is that not the key word in Bainimarama's political party - FijiFirst, i.e. Fiji(ans) first?
• Why is there so much hesitation by Bainimarama to allow the disbanding of FICAC and returning its role to the rightful system, i.e. the Police Force.
• Who authorized the cessation of the investigation against Bainimarama's son who was involved in a drug bust in Fiji and subsequently fled to Australia, where he was later arrested on over 30 different criminal charges? 
• Who authorized case against the AG for his alleged involvement in a bomb-making plot be dropped?
• Why is Bainimarama threating the new government as they begin to make changes which are necessary to ensure the systems function in line with the strategies of the new government?
• Why is Bainimarama referring to his previous title of RFMF Commander in his recent public speech with threatening undertones?
• During COVID, the Australian Government allocated $40 million to Fiji. Where has this money gone? Why is there never any mention of this by the FFP?
• Why were people such as Rajendra Chaudhry, Victor Lal and other pro-democracy intimated legally, professionally and physically by the Bainimarama government to the point they had to leave the country to protect themselves? Why does the government continue to harass anyone who queries these illegal actions?
• Even in death, Brij Lal was unable to return to Fiji and this was never explained by the government who continued to engage in mud-slinging on Brij Lal - what possible aggression would his ashes have against the Bainimarama government? Or, was this all done to suit the self-narcissistic, tyrannical fascist and over inflated ego of Bainimarama's whisperer?
• Why were people employed by government or the private sectors and who questioned the government's operating methods, personally targeted by the AG?

These are not questions being pulled out of the blue - they are justified and necessary to give the people of Fiji an insight to the workings of the FFP government over the past 16 years. The people have spoken and they demand answers.