Regime scotches SDL meeting at Methodist Church hall but fails to stop gathering

Regime didn't want SDL meeting in Methodist Church hall. (above: file pic)

A second public consultations meeting by the SDL party has agreed to support the retention of the 1997 Constitution, with what has been described as 'appropriate amendments'.

The party held its second overall meeting and the first in the West, in Lautoka yesterday.

Party leader and Fiji's deposed prime minister, Laisenia Qarase, reaffirmed that SDL believes the 1997 Constitution was not effectively abrogated in 2009 and is therefore still the Supreme Law of Fiji.

In a statement he said: "It was acknowledged, however, that some amendments to the Constitution are necessary. For example, the electoral system needs to be reviewed, as public opinion moves towards the principle of “one man, one vote, one value”. 

He added: "The meeting acknowledged that the 1997 Constitution has been hailed, both locally and internationally as a comprehensive and good supreme law. As such, there is no need to formulate an entirely new Constitution for Fiji."

Yesterday's meeting took place despite an attempt by the regime to make things difficult.

SDL had originally arranged for the meeting to be held in Nadi on Thursday but was forced to cancel because the regime wouldn't allow it to meet in a Methodist Church community hall. 

We wonder: did the regime fear the symbolic power of a unified alliance between church and political parties?

Prison staff told '100 military officers' ready to take your jobs

Naivalurua 'interfered' to ensure Peniasi Kunatuba was appointed to current role. pic Fiji Times

 

Naivalurua and his nemesis, Orisi Katonibau. pic FCS

The former senior Fiji Corrections Service officer who described Ioane Naivalurua as an 'opportunist who has left a legacy of corruption, manipulation and hypocrisy unparalleled in the history of leadership of the FCS' has revealed more dirt.

Orisi Vuki Katonibau says the current management is failing to achieve goals set by the regime and has resorted to threatening to replace prison staff with military officers.

In a second statement sent to us, Katonibau goes on the record publicly again to detail the shortcomings of the hierarchy at the Fiji Corrections Service and the leadership of its former head, Ioane Naivalurua, who is now Fiji's Police Minister.

Katonibau says the current management is finding it hard to run the prisons 'in order to fulfil their strategic targets as mandated by the regime.'

He says it is resorting to threatening to sack officers who have been told 'that 100 military officers are on standby to replace them if they do not perform'. 

"This is a sad time for the Fiji Corrections Service as non-performance of officers is a challenge to any FCS leadership and must be approached systematically and in an appropriate manner," says Katonibau. "Not through threat of sacking officers. Again, this is dictatorship at its worst."

As he did in our original story (Former deputy commissioner Fiji Corrections Service: Police commissioner a 'corrupt opportunist' on May 12, 2012), Katonibau maintains Naivalurua is corrupt.

'The leadership style of Naivalurua is draconian at its worst. A leader who lives by the principle 'the boss is always right.’ Even to the extent of breaking the law and abusing his powers.'

Is Yash Ghai taking note?

2001 Elections: FLP calling for more Indo Fijian registration clerks

Just 40 people were at the second Fiji Labour Party meeting in Ba on Saturday but a permit was still needed and a police officer had to watch over.

Commission chair: Ghai

The party says its permit was approved by the Divisional Police Commander, Western but a civilian police officer was present and it was not allowed to discuss issues that would 'cause instability; or deviate from the agenda item sent to police. 

Coupfourpointfive asks: is the Constitution Commission chairman, Yash Ghai, taking note of the so-called free process of discussion?

FLP says despite the restrictions, the meeting agreed that:
• 1997 Constitution be retained and amended or added to where considered necessary by the genuine representatives of the people through a forum which should be created for the purpose. It says the forum should complement the work of the Constitution Commission.

Bank moves in on close buddy of Mohammed Aziz who got easy $500,000 loan

The changing fortunes of those aligned to the regime: Sanjeev Pal, the former owner of Quest Apartment and the now defunct Hunts Travel (Fiji's very first travel agency), has had his pockets turned inside out in court. 

The mate of the treasonous Mohammed Aziz, who secured a $500,000 loan from Merchant Bank when Uday Sen was at the helm and who also got the Water Authority contract thanks to his links with Aziz, has lost his bid to stop the bank from moving in after he defaulted payment on 10 Hilux vehicles.

 

Chandra v Merchant Finance& Investment Co Ltd (2012) FJHC 1132; HBC96.2012 (25 May 2012)

IN THE HIGH COURT OF FIJI AT SUVA
CIVIL JURISDICTION


ACTION NO. 21 of 2012


BETWEEN:


JITESH NEIL CHANDRA of 31 Namena Road, Suva.
(Occupation: Clerk at Save the Children Fiji)
1st Plaintiff


HUNTS OF THE PARADISE a limited liability company having it registered office at 2nd Floor Harbour Front Building Usher Street, Suva.
2nd Plaintiff

AND:


QUEST SERVICED APARTMENT LIMITED
a limited liability company having its registered office at 1 Dominion House Thomson Street, Suva Central Building Renwick Road & Pratt Street, Suva.
3rd Plaintiff


AND :


HUNTS TRAVEL SERVICE LIMITED a limited liability
company having its registered office at 1 Dominion House Thomson Street, Suva.
4th Plaintiff


AND:


MERCHANT FINANCE & INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED
a duly registered company having its registered office at Level 9 Gorden Street, Suva.
Defendant

Before : Susantha N Balapatabendi, J
Counsel : Mr. A Singh for Plaintiff
Mr. S Lateef for Defendant


Date of Hearing: 12 April 2012
Date of Decision: 25 May 2012

DECISION

1. The 2nd to 4th Plaintiffs by their Notice of Motion dated 26 January 2012 sought injunctive relief to restrain the Defendant from pursuing the Sale of Vehicle Reg. No FM 250 and Vehicle Reg. LT 4764.

2. In support of the injunctive relief, 2nd to 4th Plaintiffs filed an Affidavit sworn by Rajnesh Pal dated 23 January 2012.

3. Court granted an interim injunction, inter partes, on 27 January 2012 and extended till 3 April 2012.

Prosecutors try again to move case against Samisoni

In court again: Williams and Samisoni

The deposed SDL member, Mere Samisoni, has another hearing today but there's no guarantee the illegal government will be ready to allow the case to move on.

Samisoni's last four hearings have been delayed because the prosecution has consistently failed to provide disclosures to her legal team, which is led by the top flight New Zealand, lawyer Peter Williams QC.

Charges withdrawn: Kepa

The family of the 70 year old grandmother and supporters say not knowing the nature of the allegations or alleged evidence makes it rather difficult to ensure a 'fair' process. 

Samisoni is being accused with three others of treason related offences and as with the charges against Jagath Karunaratne, the public prosecuting team are finding it hard to proceed with the case, presumably because it doesn't have the evidence.

Beddoes strikes back at self-infliced 'crisis' claim

Beddoes.pic Fiji Times

The president of the United Peoples Party, Mick Beddoes, has labeled as ridiculous claims by the regime & Fiji Sun propagandist Graham Davis that a statement made by him in response to threats from the military has sparked a 'self-nflicted row’

 

Responding to the front page headline of the Fiji Sun (June 17), Beddoes says Davis is obviously a desktop journalist whose opinions are based largely on impressions gathered from people in Fiji who share his and the Fiji Sun’s prejudices and bias.

 

Beddoes says their collective reaction with three consecutive days of front page headlines in the Fiji Sun (Fri 15, Sat 16 and Sun 17) arose from a single question he raised in response to the initial threat by Moses Tikoitoga which Beddoes reminded Davis was actually the ‘first stone cast’ when he threatened political leaders and the Women’s Forum.

Beddoes says the ‘disproportionate response’, to use Graham Davis’s own words, suggests Davis and the Fiji Sun are either ill prepared for, or simply afraid to engage in, any real and balanced debate on all of the issues that will arise as we start the journey back to constitutional governance.

He says Davis and the Fiji Sun must now realise that they and those they support will have to muster the courage to step away from the ‘kaji’ league, where like kids, no one was expected to answer back or challenge anything they did or said.  

"They need to understand that they are now entering ‘the major league’ where all issues are up for discussion.  Everyone should be able to have their say without being threatened by the military or anyone else directly or indirectly. Beddoes said that’s what a free and open debate is supposed to be all about."

Citizen to Bainimarama: your legacy is a broken country

Rising poverty. file pic

A citizen's reply to interim prime minister's warning on politicains

Voreqe Bainimarama's comments in the Fiji Sun of 15th June 2012, warning  politicians cannot go unchallenged.  I have used Coup 4.5 as the Fiji Sun  told me they will not run my letter and the Fiji Times told me that they do  not run responses to stories in other newspapers. 

Mr Bainimarama says past  and current political leaders were corrupt. What about Mr Bainimarama's  regime? Is it pure as the driven snow? Is it what Mr Bainimarama would like us to believe?

Before I dwell on the subject matter proper, I think it is inappropriate to address Mr Bainimarama as Prime Minister as he is only an interim appointee and holds no legitimate mandate from the people in this regard. The same goes for the attorney general and other ministers. The regime is an interim  regime and no amount of top dressing or embellishment by the regime will change this fact.

I am no politician but believe that I do possess the necessary cognitive abilities to analyse the comments made by the interim prime minister yesterday in the context of the 2006 coup and thereafter. It is time people speak out.

The promise in 2006 was a clean up campaign. So what has been cleaned up? From my point of view the treasury has been cleaned up, FNPF member funds have been cleaned up and the rights of citizens to expression and opinion  has been muzzled.