Rumours abound of a bloodless coup within the RFMF. That Ului and Driti have somehow ganged up and taken over the military.
Now I am not sure whether this is true or not, but one thing I am certain of at this stage.
THIS IS WRONG!!!!!
Is this what we want? Another coup? It's like swapping one form of cancer for another. Why would anyone, in their right mind, want to have this?
Fiji deserves a government of the people. When you read that, read "ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE!!!". No more of this military crap. We have people who are best suited to the parade ground, whose experience includes polishing boots, rolling in the mud and who come from an institute where the bar is set at the soon-to-be-abolished 4th form exam, leading our country. And worse of all, we don't even have a say in any of this.
How would Driti/Ului be our saviour now? If they have any decency, they would have done what Jone Baledrokadroka and other principled officers did. They would not have tagged along for the ride, and once it looked like their bacon would be cooked, tried to steal the whole leg-of-ham for themselves.
What's to say that if the rumours are true, and they have taken over the RFMF, that this would not happen to them down the line? That someone else within that asylum that shames St. Giles, would covertly gather support amongst his fellow officers, and overthrow this duo some time in the future? We'd have a coup cycle on steriods, a very Pacific "Night of the Long Knives"....
We need to excise this madness. To remove this disease. Only then, we can heal, and live and love again, without the fear, divisions and segregation that has infected Fiji.
We need to have a government, and a country where we know that things will be worked out civilly, that every man and woman has equal opportunity to be heard, that my rights will not impinge on another, that we will make decisions collectively, for the common good. We deserve a nation where the minority is considered, where we see differences as variety, the spice of life and not as markers that denominate our enemies. We need to be able to look at every person, every citizen of these islands and see our future, our hope, not someone who is out to get you.
Keep spreading the word. No more RFMF in Fiji.
God Bless Fiji...... God help us, if we head down this road. FijianBlack
It's been a patchy few years for me as a blogger. From the few of us who started out in the beginning, only an handful are still plugging away, with Intelligentsyia and Disc. Bubu being at the forefront of this group. I take my hat off to these people, as they have not stopped in their efforts.
However, the reason behind my rather "inadequate" postings has been a search for a way out. I hit the "wall" about 2 years back, when I started to realize that we, as a country are stuck in a rut. This is what I mean.
Imagine if we actually have democratic elections. 2014, I believe, was the date last given by the "roadmap", not that those of us with our wits still intact take that with any seriousness. Why?
Because we have valid reasons to seriously doubt the sincerity of Bainimarama's latest decision.
Because he has done this in the past and changed set dates as and when it suited him.
Now, I don't know about you, but this is a major inconvience for me. I mean, come on, I'm trying to get on with my life here, plan for the future of the family, the tokatoka/mataqali/yavusa etc etc and this guy, on a monumental matter of this nature, cannot make up his mind. How can any turaga, marama, bhaiya, bhaini, man or woman plan their lives around this?
This brings something to the fore, something that should be front and centre, but has been allowed to slip into the background, as we "ooh" and "aah" and throuw our collective oileis into the air whilst pouring over the latest news, the lack of cement, the circus at FHL, the dwindling Governmental assets, the laying off of staff etc etc. While all of these things are important, they are mere symptoms of the cause.
If said elections are held, what guarantee does anyone (let alone the poor sods elected into Government) have that this regime will allow them to govern as they see fit, with the real mandate of the people (versus the "mandate of one" that this regime uses as justification of it's actions)? How do we know that they won't take over government again using our "interests" as a thin, sham of a lie excuse for doing so? After all, since 2000, Bainimarama and the military has always been in the background, hovering, exerting a disproportional amount of influence over the government and the country as a whole.
I have thought long and hard about this, and while I'd prefer another way, I think there is no other.
This regime, and the military that backs it has to go. It must be removed, and destroyed. It is a cancer in the affairs of our nation, a tumor that sucks up the "blood" of this country, and does nothing for us in return. We see career civil servants being laid off unceremoniously, after years of experience, and investments made in the way of training, further education etc etc. Trade opportunities are being denied to us. Doors for aid, assistance, travel are being closed. We are payiing a price that is way too heavy for us to bear, collectively and individually.
We must dismantle the RFMF. While it will leave us with 3000-odd unemployed people, it is far better than having a nation of beggars. Do not be deceived, that is exactly where we are heading right now, and this regime is steering us there, with the ineptitude and collective idiocy.
We do not need a strong army to protect us. We need strong citizens, people who will stand up and defend this nation. And this is where we start.
If you read this post, tell your trusted ones that this is the way to go, the path to our salvation as a nation. We need to convince the people of Fiji that this regime must be toppled at all costs.
What will you do if it comes to bloodshed? Are you willing to lay your life down? What if it costs you your job? You livelihood? Your family? Your current way of life? These are things you, and I must consider if we want to have this freedom that we all yearn for, that we all cry for.
Consider also, the cost of doing nothing. Look around you and see what it has brought us. Lower GDP, lower tourist numbers, more inflation, shortage of goods (milk, butter, cement etc) brain drain, restrictions of speech, movement, on opinions itself, a very bad future for our children.......
Some of you will favor limiting their influence. That is akin to taking one step away from the edge of the cliff we are about to jump off as a nation. If we are to do this, we must remove this cancer altogether, so that we can heal and live free from this evil. If not, they will come back to haunt us again in the future.
Now if you decide that doing something is the lesser of two evils, compared to doing nothing, you must help me convince our fellow citizens that we must do something, and that we must remove this regime, by force if required. Tell your friends that the army must go. It needs to be dismantled. Their weapons have to be destroyed. Their influence on our lives must be nulified. Convince them that we need to rise up against these tyrants, and stop them. We need to do this collectively, if we are to be effective, because this is a collective problem, and only collectively, we can suceed. If this is attempted by individuals, we will fail, we will fall, and our doom, that that of our children and their children will be on our heads.
There were hints of this happening, and rumours that it was going to come. The push has been going on for a long time...lets see....
Illegal removal of a democratically elected government
Illegal imprisonment, torture, and killing of Fiji civilians
Increasing cost of living
Devaluation of the Fiji dollar
Lack of funds in the public coffers
Whilst on that 5th point...has anyone noticed that the FNPF is now making things so much harder to the contributors (you, me and anyone who has that "8%" deducted from their pay) to access their money? When you call their helpline and ask, you get all this crap about how they are trying to help us save for our retirement.
Now, if you are withdrawing for education, the limit is $2000 per term/semester. If your fees are over $2000 ( for USP students, this is a very likely scenario), then you need to fork out the balance from your pocket, or forgo some units/subjects. You cannot withdraw for anoyone outside your immediate family. I'd bet my FNPF savings ( whatever is left there now) that this regime is bleeding it dry as we speak/type etc etc.... looks like we could have the makings of a financial collapse that would dwarf the NBF saga.
Also, while on this, anyone tried going through the list of FNPF members with unclaimed monies in the Fiji Times? I tried, and it was a chore...with all the names jumbled up, and even some like "Viliame"... I mean come on !!!! Viliame????? I think there would be a couple of hundred of them in the FNPF member listings... then it struck me.....
What if this was merely to lay the groundwork for the FNPF to seize this money for reuse elsewhere? If our money really safe? Will we have something waiting there for our retirement? If not......
In case you think this is one lone opinion, here are two articles from the Fiji Times (pre-censorship of course, when the news was the truth, and Fiji TV ran 1 hr 6pm news bulletins as opposed to the 20 min/40min split with Mr. Bean).
I've also downloaded the pages and will post them online, when (not if) the censors (Ms Tora I believe..) at FT get them removed.
While on the subject of money going missing, the Unit Trust of Fiji has been sluggish in it's response to unit sales. People who try to cash out cannot get their checks the same day, and in some cases, are even told that they cannot take the whole amount at once. You try to take money out, especially if it's a big amount, it gets split into multiple checks, with excuses like "the signatories weren't available to sign the check" but hang on... didn't they just sign the previous one????
All in all, while you can, save wherever you can, preferably overseas. Also, don't invest (well, not in the UTOF or Fijian Holdings UT for that matter), and try your damndest to withdraw whatever you can from the FNPF, before the thieves get their mitts on your paisa. After all, you might as well use of saqamoli's before they do.
Tale, after a long long hiatus from yours truly. I have been away from the local, anti-propaganda, free to express my opinions blogging scene that is thriving locally, aided in no small measure by the censorship manure that this abrogation-spawned excuse of a government has dumped on the media, and it's vital freedom to report unbiased, untainted news that is crucial to democracy.
To my ardent fans, I apologise for not writing for so long, but as I was explaining to a fellow blogger, I have been stumped as to what else to write, what else to do, to express my opposition to this regime, that is like the kelekele of the MV Iloilovatu that the vessel's namesake has so merrily (some say senilely) tied around our collective necks.
I will not digress into the state of affairs within Fiji, the freefall we are now in as a nation. That is more than amply covered by the plethora of blogs, old and not so new, that are now the band-aid solution to a people looking for uncensored news.
What I wish to address is what we can do about the situation that we face.
We must show this regime, Bainimarama, Teleni, Nailatikau, Ganilau and all the "40 thieves" that "open seseme" is no longer acceptable to us. We need to show each other that we oppose this coup. People need to see that they are not alone in their opposition to this regime, that there are more of us, than there are of them....
How?
Leave a black Xto show that you oppose this coup. Anywhere public. The bigger, the better. It will show people that there are others out there that are opposed to the farce that is now taking place in Fiji. It is safe to do, will not take a long time to execute, and will also be hard to deny.
It is also ironic, that the last foot-in-mouth comment (See right) is what it is, and that was said by Bainimarama over a year ago....
Watching the events unfolding in Fiji, I'm sure that most of you are feeling (as I am) a sense of despair, of disbelief, of disgust at the things that are now happening in this nation of ours.
The question that is really staring us in the face is "What are we going to do about this?" Yes..you and I, because there is no one else who is going to do anything about it. People will critique, praise, slander this regime, but it seems that none of this is getting through. So in light of this, we need to do something, instead of sitting on our hands while Fiji sinks.
These are a few things that you can do....to vent your frustrations, to have your say. Maybe nobody will listen. Maybe, nobody will care. I doubt that however. I think there are a multitude of us, who are fed up to the gullet with the crap we have to endure under idiots who have no mandate, who are destroying this paradise we call home.
Post A Letter
Write a letter to the Government of the day telling them how you don't agree with what is going on. Sign your name if you feel brave...this is not a suggested course of action.
Email Your Disgust
Email Bainimarama at telling him about your disgust at his handling of the affairs of our nation, his presumption at knowing what is best for us, and how he has screwed everything up. Copy the email to the media/NGOs/embassies etc, as Bainimarama will definitely deny receiving any email from you. For convience, I have included a list of email addresses you might want to use.
Please use a HOTMAIL, GMAIL, Yahoo address. Do not use your real name, as this will leave you open to retaliation from the junta. It's very easy to hide from this regime, I have been doing so for months, and despite their much vaunted intelligence, collectively, I think their IQ is still in the double digit range. Trust me on this one, if you take the effort to remain anonymous, you can spam this regime until it collapses under the weight of our virtual pressure.
The following is a list of email addresses that you can cut and past before you send. INFO@FIJI.GOV.FJ
and copy the email to the following email addresses (so that the fact that you spoke out against this regime cannot be denied) timesnews@fijitimes.com.fj delegation-fiji@ec.europa.eu delegation-fiji@ec.europa.eu; margaret.eastgate@undp.org; richard.dictus@undp.org; usembsuva@connect.com.fj; peterf@forumsec.org.fj; gregu@forumsec.org.fj; nzhc@connect.com.fj; pacificjournalist@gmail.com; alave@fijitimes.com.fj; aliti@fm96.com.fj; Dubravka.Voloder@radionz.co.nz; amotufaga@fijitimes.com.fj; Ben.Lowings@bbc.co.uk; brganilau@connect.com.fj; brganilau@govnet.gov.fj; cheerieannw@sun.com.fj; timocivula@gmail.com; Dennis.Rounds@dfat.gov.au; selai.fa@dfat.gov.au; XLaCanna@aap.com.au; editor@ibi.com.fj; editor@sun.com.fj; ebaselala@ibi.com.fj; emilym@fbcl.com.fj; kavai@fijilive.com; ltaga@ibi.com.fj; mjfield@clear.net.nz; news@fijitv.com.fj; nrika@fijitv.com.fj; pacnews@connect.com.fj; Rory_Callinan@timeinc.com.au; mawdsomething@gmail.com; samisoni_p@yahoo.com; vijaynarayan@fm96.com.fj; Walter.Zweifel@radionz.co.nz; angie.heffern@gmail.com; Christine.Gounder@niufm.com;
Again PLEASE DO NOT USE AN EMAIL ADDRESS THAT CAN BE TRACKED TO YOU!!!! think carefully about this if you choose to do it.
Tell your friends
Tell your friends, family,colleagues that this coup is wrong. One thing I have noticed is that the supporters of this coup are very vocal. Those of us who oppose it must be as vocal, if not more. We need to stand up and voice our concerns, because this time is was Ballu, Rt. Inoke, Mua etc. The next time, it could be your father, mother, son, daughter, friend. Don't kid yourself that by keeping quiet, you will be safe, Rabaka was someone who was minding his own business until that fateful day.
Tell them that you do not support the coup, that you oppose any government that builds itself up illegally on the bodies of it's people. Tell them that you are one person who does not agree with the course Fiji is being dragged down and will not suffer this foolishness any more.
Do something or this evil will continue to prosper.
I spent a good part of yesterday reading Dr. Bril Lal's piece that has Mahendra Chaudry, amongst others, up in arms. It made me think of a lot of things, and is the genesis for today's post.
I oppose the coup.
Why do I oppose the coup?
Looking back at the previous coups, the first 2 in 1987 occured when I was too young to understand the real implications of such a course. Also the fact that it was a new occurance in Fiji meant that most of the Taukei community then did not really understand the repercursions of this course of action. The fact that they supported the actions en-masse is a truthful, yet sad depiction of this.
The 2000 crisis occured when I had developed an appreciation for democracy and the rule of law, and had formed my individual opinions as to what I believed to be the best for Fiji. Looking back at that dark period in our history, I think I started to realise that coups were never the anser and should never be considered as a solution of any sort to the problems faced in one's country.
This belief really came to fruition last year. I believe that a coup is wrong. You can never justify it. In our 3 odd decades of existance as an independant nation, we have had too many disruptions to our progress. How can we afford this? How much have we lost, how much have we sacrificed, how much have we given up in this unfulfilling pursuit of power? We have had coups in the name of racial supremacy, coups that are said to be for economical power, coups that are rumoured to be for personal protection....yet none of these things do the country any good. What has any of the previous coups brought us collectively as a nation?
So why do you oppose the coup?
Is it because you are an SDL supporter? Is it because you are a Nationalist? Is it because you lost your job? Is it because you have had a decrease in your income? Is it because you hate the FLP? Is it because you hate the Military? Is it because you have lost loved ones? Is it because you have had loved ones injured?
While all these, and many other reasons that have been omitted, are very valid reasons for opposing the coup, this coup, and any coup for that matter, should be opposed for the simple reason that it is morally, ethically, legally, socially, economically and politically wrong.
IT IS WRONG!!!
A coup is never the answer. It will alway produce an aggrieved party, it will never heal wounds and it will always perpetuate itself. It never produces what it promises, it never brings progress, it never solves problems, it can only supress, transfer and delay the issues that should be faced. It is like a thorn that is not removed fromt he foot, but covered over and left to fester another day. As such it must be resisted, it should never be condoned and if it takes place, it should never be supported. It reminds me of the old Chinese saying that says "When riding a tiger, it is difficult to get off". It is simply not worth the effort.
Most you you would now be wondering..."What difference does this make? Why is FijianBlack going on about this?"
The motive behind your reason is very important. If you oppose this coup because you are an SDL supporter, you will support any coup that favours the SDL. (Note : This could apply to any political party, I'm only using the SDL as an example) If you oppose this coup out of nationalistic sentiments, you will support coups that are nationalistic in nature, as the 1987 coup was, and to a lesser extent the 200 crisis. If you oppose the coup because you lost your job, then you would support a coup if it brought you better job security.
All these reasons, will make the person who believes in them, akin to a leaf, blown and tossed by the wind. Numerous examples of this sort of behaviour abound in our nation. We can all easily name 10 people whom we know to have been coup supporters/opposers at one time and have now changed their stance. Instead of right and wrong being defined in our hearts, it is then defined by what is happening around us. It then becomes a subjective measure, instead of the objective standard that right and wrong should be, a plumbline that everything must be measured against.
If you oppose the coups because they are wrong, then you will never sing a different song. You will always call it wrong, you will always say it is wrong, and you will always oppose it.
A coup demonstrates a lack of civility, a disregard for the governing laws of our nation, for the will of the people, it displays an unwillingness to accept that maybe, just maybe your point of view is not the commonly accepted one. It is no more that a bully that tries to force his views on others, and will not accept the fact that everyone is entitled to their own personal views and that these views, while possibly different from ours, must be respected, even if we disagree with them.
A coup is never right.
Why do you oppose this coup? If you oppose this coup for the only reason that is right, then there is hope for this nation. If you oppose this coup for any other reason, then we are doomed to repeat this mistake again.
Today, I have chosen to repost a letter found in today's Fiji Times. It's a reply by Dr. Brij. Lal, who condemns the 2006 coup, and is now, ironically, accused by Mahendra Chaudry and others as being anti-Indian. Actually, to correct that perception, he is anti-coup, the same as yours truly.
A coup is the worst thing that can happen to a nation. It reminds me of the proverb saying " Like clouds and wind withoutrain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give." (Proverbs 25:14). That is exactly what a coup is...it promises much and delivers absolutly nothing. And for that reason, it must be resisted to the utmost, because it is, in reality, the political version of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow at a national scale.
Anyway, this is what the learned Doctor had to say.
I would urge both these correspondents to read that 12,000 word article in its entirety and not judge me on the basis of a brief newspaper report, which I did not authorise and have not actually seen.
They will then see how completely they have misread my piece and attributed to me views I do not share, did not express.
There can be no excuse for their ignorance in this instance, especially when they are casting aspersions on the motives and integrity of another person.
I wish to reassure Ms Bhim that I do not seek nor need publicity. I have no political or any other ambition. Nor do I need a lecture from a novice on my understanding of, and sensitivity to, the feelings and aspirations of the Indo-Fijian community.
My published record speaks for itself.
I am called many things these days but being accused of aiding and abetting the victimisation of my own people is new, and, well, actually laughable.
Coming from an aspiring scholar of sorts, this kind of knee-jerk, sophomoric response is regrettable, but in the broader context of things, not altogether surprising.
Mr Chaudhry is, of course, entitled to his views, however self-serving and indignantly self-righteous they might be, but my full article cannot by any stretch of the imagination be construed to be a personal attack on him or on anyone else.
Indeed, only one section of the article is devoted to the appointment of the interim administration.
I said that Mr Chaudhry was the dominant Indo-Fijian leader in Fiji, and easily the most experienced politician in the interim administration.
His presence there, as then head of four ministries (Finance, Sugar, National Planning and Public Enterprises), led many nationalist Fijians to see the interim administration as his handmaiden.
That is all.
I have never said that the December 2006 coup was an "Indian coup".
On the contrary, in an article published in this paper several months ago, "Whose coup was it anyway", I argued to the contrary. These two responses demonstrate the tenor of political discourse in today's Fiji.
Just because Mr Chaudhry and Ms Bhim do not approve of something I have said, I have all of a sudden become "anti-Indian", full of malice and blind prejudice, vindictive, a mouthpiece of the Qarase regime, downright dishonest, an academic of impaired credibility.
The list of pejorative epithets is impressive.
They have set themselves as the guardians of Indian interest and anyone who dares to disagree with them must, by definition, be all these nasty things.
Oh well. In 1987 and again in 2000, I was viciously attacked for being anti-Fijian because of my staunch opposition to those two coups.
Now, I am being called anti-Indian for criticising the latest coup.
One can never win.
I began my coup paper by quoting the words of Mahatma Gandhi, and I stand by them: "However much I may sympathise with and admire worthy motives, I am an uncompromising opponent of violent methods even to serve the noblest of causes".
