Time To Make A Stand

Ni Sa Bula,

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.

God Bless Fiji,
FijianBlack

Why Do You Oppose the Coup?

Ni Sa Bula,

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.

God Bless Fiji,
FijianBlack AKA Mawdsomething

Coups are wrong...Always

Ni Sa Bula,

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 without rain 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 REFER to letters by Mahendra Chaudhry and Mosmi Bhim (FT 24/10).

It appears that these two respondents are reacting to an item in this paper referring to an article by me on the immediate aftermath of the Fiji coup which was published in the journal Fijian Studies.

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".

Brij v. Lal
Canberra

Racism Or Not? THat is the Question...

Ni Sa Bula,

The issue of Racism has reared it's ugly head. Well, this is one arguement that is being used against the SDL by Bainimarama and his followers...the accusation that the policies that were being put forward by the SDL were racist. Namely the Qoliqoli Bill and the Affirmative Action are the two "victims" in the sights of the FMF, a place they have lived ever since they were mooted.

Now let's look at what racism is. Racism is defined as " The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.." The claim put forward is that the Bill and the Affirmative Action program were racist. Now how is that? The area in question was given by individual landowners 125 years ago to the Crown, and when the Crown returned it at Independence, it was returned to the State, which was not the original owner of the area in question. As such shouldn't the landowners be entitled to receive what they had given? If the claim for land by indigineous owners is racist, then the Aborigines in Australia, the Maori in New Zealand, the Native Americans in North America, in fact every indigineous race is racist to claim land that belonds to them, and was taken by means that are often illegal, immoral and just plain wrong. As the State returned Native Land to the Native Land owners, why was there a distinction made to the Qoliqoli areas?

This claim is often made that Fijians are racist when they stand up for what is rightfully theirs. This quote from Wikipedia by an Ashneel Singh states" We believe that God has given three things for free: the land the wind and the sea. I don't think Qarase should have taken the land and just given it to the Fijians. What would be left for the Indian community?" If that was true (and it is patently not, as I will now prove) it would be against the beliefs of the Indian Community to own land. The question asked here is important, because it brings to the fore, the core issue that is why we have this problem in our country - the issue of land ownership.

Land ownership is at the root of one's security. When leases expire, there is a lot of problems because the tenants often feel attachments that often go beyond what the contracts they signed. This, however is the way leases go....you sign a contract and when it's term ends, the decision to extend is solely the owners. Whether the lease is for land, accomodation, cars or any other thing, by signing on the dotted line, both parties agree to be bound by the agreement, which also implies that there is an end date.

We can all agree that there are disparities between Fijians and Indians, with Indians in general, being better off. I say in general, because there are cases of Indians being in even poorer conditions than Fijians. While I am not an SDL apologist, I think this is why the Affirmative Action program was put into place. Having said that, I believe that that is not the answer. A handout is not what Fijians need......Fijians need to adopt the work ethics of our Indian brothers if they are to succeed in this new Fiji. As the Bible says " Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men."

However, there is one point that needs to be driven home.

THERE IS NO ACCEPTABLE EXCUSE FOR A COUP.!!!!!!!

The IG are using this as one of the excuses they carried out the coup...corruption being the other. None of these are valid reasons for taking out any Government, that has won elections fair and square. There has been no evidence of corruption on the previous Government's part. Sure there are rumours and slander floating about, but no hard evidence apart from information obtained.

This coup is surely about other issues. Using racism is just a red herring thrown at us to divert us from the real issues. If we swallow the bait, this problem will not dissappear from our nation...and that wil be a real tragedy.

God Bless Fiji
FijianBlack aka Mawdsomething

I can dialogue with Qarase: Bainimarama
Wednesday October 24, 2007

Fiji's interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says he can dialogue with ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, but only through the People's Charter.

The Charter is being developed by the interim Government as an instrument to engage the Fiji public in plotting a way forward for the country.

Bainimarama told fijilive.com that set ground rules need to be established before their meeting starts.

"We need to set some ground rules like we use to have in the Talanoa sessions (involving Qarase and Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry)," he said.

"We will have to get something in writing first".

Bainimarama said he has written to Qarase, but has yet to receive a reply.

Upon his return to Suva from his island home, eight months after his overthrow last December, Qarase said he was willing to engage in talks with Bainimarama to assist in taking the country back to democratic rule.

Fijilive

WHAT IS THIS CRAP?????

Now Bainimarama wants to tie this hope we have of finally moving forwarding to that joke of a Charter? It's obvious that he is not genuine in his desire to help the nation (and that comes as no surprise) he only wants to use this opportunity to legitimise this illegal charter. If that is the case, then I think we do not need the dialogue between the 2 leaders....it comes at too high a cost.

God Bless Fiji
FijianBlack aka Mawdsomething

Promises and Lies....

Ni Sa Bula,

As the title of this post probably aluded to, today's focus is on the promises that this regime has made, and the lies that have been told.

In Tonga, Bainimarama made committments to take us to elections by March 2009, and actually signed agreements that this would be done under the current 1997 Constitution. The day after, though, we have this man stating that he would be making changes to the Constitution, and he would be doing so before the elections.

Now why doesn't that surprise me?

This regime has made it a norm to renege on their promises. It has promised so many things that it has not delivered on. It said that there was corruption rampant in the previous governments. It stated that it would deliver the evidence, yet the lack of evidence, is deafening in it's unavailability.

WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?

Now surely that is one tamani big lasu this regime has told the people of Fiji.

Another is the often hyped "Moving Forward" claim. Sometimes, you wonder, how the idiots who call themselves the Government can see the world around them. The evidence of the deteorating state of our economy is all around, yet this regime, and it's frantic supporters still claim wildly that things are going to be better. Sorry....things were better. I could criticise Qarase. I could say my piece without fear of retribution, or retaliation. Fear was a small child then, now it's a big hulking brute that bestrides this island paradise and holds many in its grip, riddling them with the inability to speak out. How can that be moving forward?

We have another lie, the one Mahendra told the farmers, that the EU money was forthcoming. Not according to this. Guess now the farmers that have formed the middleground of the FLP must feel kinda bad, considering that their "champion" has now morphed into something they just can't understand.....you really have to feel for them.

Then there was the promise, the no member of this regime would benefit from the coup. Guess that one is so far gone now, that to resurrect the lie in the minds of the people of Fiji would be akin to Jesus calling Lazarus forth from the tomb. Countless numbers of supporters of this regime have benefitted immensly from the coup, of which Teleni, Leweni, Aiyaz, Shaista, the Bainimarama clan and the Chaudry horde are the principle receipients.

No matter where you look, the coup has changed the political, economical and socialogical face of our nation.

Never has it seemed so dark.
Never has it seemed so hopeless.
Never has it seemed useless.

But it isn't.....not if you refuse to accept it. If you believe that we can overcome this, that we are better than this, that we can, and will rise above this, you will hope. Hope that Fiji will restored to her place, that her sons and daughters will again live in peace, that our children will not bear the burdens that we bear.

So let us pray for our nation. Let us speak for her. Let us tell all who watch us that we, the people of Fiji, have had enough of this crap, that we want, we deserve a better leader, a better government that what has been visited upon us. We need to stand together, united and sepak in one voice....and the good times will come. That, my brothers and sisters, is a promise that is no lie.

God Bless Fiji,
FijianBlack aka Mawdsomething

Measures of Success....

Ni Sa Bula,

The Tongan Forum has started. And with it, the pushing and shoving, wheeling and dealing, cut-&-thrust that is Pacific politics has begun.

Bainimarama according to this report, was welcomed like a rockstar. The same news article goes on to say that he believed that it was a sign of the Tongan people's understanding of what was happening in Fiji. Firstly, as they are not in Fiji, how can they understand what is happening here? How can he attribute this to their understanding of our situation, when they have not suffered job losses, pay cuts, the death and injuring of loved ones, the increase in the cost of living? How can they say that when the progress that we all worked for collectively, is not what they lost?

This other report states the opposite. It tells of how pro-democracy supporters in Tonga are resorting to guerilla tactics to get their message accross. The Tongan government, in response has extended the state of emergency that pervades the "Friendly Isles" to ensure that there are no embarrassing outbreaks of demonstration. Now doesn't that sound like our Junta? And isn't that line of reactive action similiar to the PER reactivation a few weeks ago?

The fact that the Fiji media are only focusing on the praise and applause that Bainimarama is getting is indicative of 2 things:

1. They are in cahoots with the FMF.
2. They are being lied to by the FMF and cannot see the lies for the bullshit.

Either way, it does not augur well for the future of journalism in Fiji.

Moving on..... the condemnation from the international community continues to come in thick and fast. Japan joined the list of growing international critics and along with the UN's Commissioner of Human Rights, has had not so flattering things to say about this regime. The funny part is, this regime attracts critism like a pile of droppings attracts flies. From the beginnings of this regimes illegal reign, there has been a persistant stream of opposition, that is slowly becoming a chorus. Too many things have gone wrong, too many mistakes have been made, too many idiotic decisions have been made, too many lies have been told by this regime. Too many times Bainimarama and others from Delainabua have led us to the brink of the abyss, all the while demeaning us by thinking that the majority of us believe the stupid lies they spread.

And that is the measure of their success. That is why most people in Fiji are opposed, or at best apathetic towards the way Fiji is right now. A detractor of mine commented that I did not know what was going on in Fiji, and as I was in the USA, I shouldn't spread my views on the mishaps being visited on our country. Well Viti Truth Seeker....that is your view. However, I must point out that I was in Fiji during and after the coup, and as a direct result of this regime's rise to power, I am now forced to work overseas, for the betterment of my family and I. I know it is hard, that sometimes we would wonder whether this will last, or if there are better times for our nation around the corner. There are....and we must not despair. We must believe, and hope and wait, for the day that our collective sun will rise again, and we will again be "The Way The World Should Be".

Until then, we must oppose this regime at every opportunity we have. We must make things as difficult for those who support it, as we can. We must make our views clear, and let our voices be heard, that we do not, will not, cannot, accept this as an inheritance for those who will come after us. We must remember that while Bainimarama might be popular to others in other countries, it is us, the people of Fiji that he, and those of his ilk have wronged, and it is also us who will measure his success.

And what will be the reward for us? We will be remembered, as the generation who stood up for the rest, who dragged our nation back into the light.

That, my friends, will be the measure of our success.

God Bless Fiji
FijianBlack aka Mawdsomething