After a prolonged hiatus from writing, I have decided to put an article out now, given the various changes that have been happening in Fiji, all in a very bad direction.
From prominent businessman Umarji Musa being sentenced to a very lengthy term in a NZ prison (he was as bald so he was prepped and ready for this) for being some kind of Pacific drug lord (lots of cocaine and meth) and to Rabuka making every effort to ensure the success of his ethnic cleansing activities with the removal of anyone who is not a Fijian from key government and judicial roles.
The highlight of the moment is that the former PM and the Police Commissioner (suspended currently) have both been found innocent of any corruption charges and it came as a relief to many, given the RFMF had already hinted what would happen to Rabuka and his cronies if any attempts were made to send either of the senior ex-military men to prison. In addition to this, the magistrate obviously realized the huge confusion arising from the lack of understanding by the lead investigator (who’s primary language is not English) which resulted in a failed attempt by the government do convict Frank Bainimarama, thus preventing him from contesting the next general elections. For the former Attorney General (currently abroad), this is a clear indication the governments attempts to use the judicial system for its peverse purposes is going to fail.
Nonetheless, this case has clearly shown both local and international observers that the Rabuka and his stooges are ubusing the judicial machinery, twisting it and trying to bring about legal charges in an attempt to silence their critics and opponents. The appointment of Filimoni Vosarago, Alipate Qetaki and John Rabuku to key legal positions in government are illegal. FV has already been charged three times by the ILSC for various issues which resulted in the suspension of his practicing license. JR has also been charged by the ILSC and tried to subvert the ruling by feigning illness; this not having any effect and the ILSC ruling against him. Finally, AQ was also charged by the ILSC and had his praciticing certificate suspensded for a period. In all these cases, the charges generally revolved around the abuse of trust funds and improper practices.
Section 96-2-b of the Fijian Constitution is quite clear on these public appointments – they are illegal and a reference from the constitution is provided here for the reader to interpret (highlights mine).
Attorney-General
96 (1) The Minister appointed as the Attorney-General is the chief legal adviser to the Government.
(2) A person is not qualified to be appointed as the Attorney-General unless he or she—
(a) is admitted as a legal practitioner in Fiji and has had not less than 15 years post-admission practice as a legal practitioner whether in Fiji or abroad;
and
(b) has not been found guilty of any disciplinary proceeding involving legal practitioners whether in Fiji or abroad, including any proceeding by the Independent Legal Services Commission or any proceeding under the law governing legal practitioners, barristers and solicitors prior to the establishment of the Independent Legal Services Commission.
In the case of the three men above, they are all disaqualified as their ethics are questionable and they have been proven by the ILSC to be guilty of being influenced to undertake corrupt and ethically skewed practices. Yet, the lure of the Fijian dollar has become a fixture for the three men and none have chosen to speak up and accept the illegality of their appointments. More perplexing still is the complete silence from the Fiji Indigenous Bar Association (FIBA or FIBbers if you look at it carefully) supporting the comments by the ILSC on the illegality of the appointments. If anything, this is clearly indicative of the position taken by the association in supporting treasonous, illegal acts by some of its Indigenous members. It is clear FIBA will put its members above the constitution, regardless of the legality of the situation.
As someone who knows the military might and thoughts, the military should be extremely aware of FIBA. They will attempt to add an incorrect legal narrative to any destabilisation attempts by enthno-nationalists or a government run by people such as Rabuka who are grasping at all the straws in an attempt to stay afloat as the constitution locks them out of performing anything extremely illegal.
It is clear to anyone watching the situation in Fji that Rabuka is struggling to keep all the political parties happy and his promises are becoming more and more difficult to fullfil. In addition to this, there are rumours of a vote of no-confidence being filed to remove Rabuka from his position before the year is out. It is apparent the support for him has faded and the general consensus is that Manoa Kamikamica should take over the reigns before things get worse. Biman will also need to be removed from his perch as there are glaring conflicts of interest, including a $1 million fraud (public money given to his wife and an ex-USP colleague Ganesh Chand), along with the very publicly exposed affair with the wife of an ex-NFP candidate which continues to be the talk around the proverbial grog bowl. The very salacious messages he sent to the individual indicates a there was a genuine attempt to seduce her and these messages are in the public domain for anyone looking to get further details.
Whichever way one looks, it is obvious that the very fact that Rabuka himself is in a compromised position means that the entire government is tarnished and his underlings are well aware of this. They have chosen to follow their leader and also drink from the poisoned chalice by engaging in various forms of corruption under the guise of “we’re not the FFP” chants to keep the public distracted.
The removal of the Rabuka led government is no longer just a desirable action. It should become the mantra and focus of every Fijian in Fiji to ensure their own livelihoods are kept intact.
Blogging about Fiji 