In the meantime the adrenaline rush from the 7s tourney in Hong Kong was a let-down I admit BUT I'm consoled into thinking the boys thought about us in the end as the farcical Emergency Regulations inevitably means gathering for public celebrations and marches is a no-no. I am sure I was but a ripple of a very big unified country wave. Passionately singing the anthem in my head, and thereafter sitting through the nail-biting show-down between
The peak IRB Sevens tournament at So Kon Po stadium reverberated with the clash of Pasifika titans while we here in Suva reverberate from the earthquake/tremors….I counted six in all within the afternoon and evening, a sure-fire feather in the Director of Meteorology's/Mineral Resources Department cap and plea for more money for advanced warning technology. We predict some nudging from the insurance industry soon especially in the light of the tragic events in Gizo. Our prayers are with our fellow wantoks from the
Propaganda alert
Anyway, seven-a-side rugby aside…it's hard to totally switch off from the happenings here as the PR machinery of the junta and others have gone into overdrive
The first one we tackle is the seemingly noble assertions from Messrs Korovulavula and Senilagakali over the cessation of workshops at hotels for government departments. Good try gents but hardly a ripple in the bigger scheme of gaping wide government coffers. We note your sheer refusal to tackle the biggest expenditure of all by you and your lot - and that would be the use of government 4WDs for yourselves. This is an honour only bestowed upon those we vote for and who actually win their seats. Guys you score 1 out of 10 for your propaganda attempts.
Also of interest is the remark by Mr Bainimarama telling chiefs to tell their people to wait for the fullness of time for the elections. Hullooooo? We can wait but the world certainly won't and we salute them for their external pressure which will be escalated. This is guaranteed.
As for tourism bouncing back just like before…ummm…not likely, as the travel advisories “carrot” will depend on time-lines. Ours not yours.
Mr Bainimarama's next faux pas is that the brain-drain was due to previous government's racist policies. Hah! Perhaps he hasn't considered the racist aspects of the FMF and why it is glaringly obvious that the race-factor is one-sided in his own organization. You get a -2 out of 10 score for propaganda attempts I'm afraid Frank!
Mr Bune's statement that they have saved about F$3mill…ahhhhh…could be wonderful...but it has not been saved YET. If you do the pragmatic maths, you might save it this lovely amount a year FROM when you sacked everybody because the savings projections comprise annual salaries and perks. Hopefully because of the dire economic outlook, here's hoping you don't spend it all before you can actually count the savings.
And another thing
Mr Chaudhry, it grieves me to say this, but your concerns about our economic situation are lost on us. You really need to have a one on one with Messrs Bainimarama and Teleni and get the army to pull out ALTOGETHER. God knows how much their rental car LPOs, over-time and meals are racking up. You might also want to have a chat with your boy Felix Anthony as the way in which sacked Natadola developer APRIL is being treated does not indicate any signs of being conducive to investment. 3 out of 10 for propaganda attempts Pal.
The points keep bringing them down
Father Barr's scathing attack on the
Felix Anthony and his side-kick Daniel Urai are becoming quite pesky. Every board Anthony sits on suddenly loses their CEO and while it may seem a ploy to eradicate all players with possible ties from the "SDL corruption-infested side" what it really is, we surmise, is a slow but steady infiltration of FLP influence into key statutory entities just like before. All in readiness for the upcoming elections we are betting.
We’re not sure about what's happening with the police-folk but they are getting an annoying habit of pulling numbers out of their ears and crying about the lack of man-power.
The lack of man-power is not "new" news guys so stop running to the press in the hope that you will get sympathy. Just get on with whatever it is you have to do and make sure it's legal so that it can stand up in a court of law.
Good attempts with the reduced carbon emission attempts in the form of bicycles though. Perhaps they might like to pass on this "good practice" to their friends up on the (Delainabua) hill. 3.2 out of 10 to Tikotikoca, Nasir Ali and crew.
The planned roll-out of the Employment Relations Bill also deserves a mention. We detect that Madams Malani and Ganilau are inferring that they had everything to do with this draft legislation. Ahhh not quite. A lot of work had gone into it from many sectors last year however if it gets pushed through (even though the provisions are commendable) it will NOT get the support of the masses that they envisage. No way. Because pushing this through (what promulgation AGAIN?) is the sole authority of the legislature full-stop. 1 out of 10 for your attempts ladies.
Shaista’s wall of shame
Turning now to our favourite constitutionally mandated office the Fiji Human Rights Commission…hmmm the public relations about-turn from the snide "get a life" and vehement "we will sue your ass USA'" to the pitiful Rootstrata rendition of "we are victims of this political war" is entertaining.
We say NO CIGAR Dr Shaista Shameem. The lack of resources appear to have been bought full-circle from the racking up of flight-miles (and points) consistently during the past years and governments, where one could almost be guaranteed an informal appointment at airport lounges with the Shaista (or a new tag Shyster), if getting an appointment at her office was impossible.
This Canadian evaluation appears to be a waste of both money and white-wash attempts. No organization unless you are totally self-sufficient, in the private sector or listed on the Fortune 500 listing will EVER get wish-list funds. Never. Even more so for human rights commissions the world over. Perhaps the grand soirees, launches, cocktails and colloquiums undertaken throughout its lifetime under Dr. Shameem's leadership could be a probable factor of its over-expenditure.
As for the PWC evaluation, we are informed that this was done a while back and was an attempt to upgrade the salaries of already well looked after staff…if you consider their output and how much the citizenry actually know about this organization (pre- 5/12 of course). Dr. Shameem might like to fob this role off to NGOs but it is not to NGOs for whom the constitutional responsibility (and funds) of human rights education has been granted. Then there is the small matter about the lack (like never!) of the constitutionally embedded task of annual public meetings for the citizenry which some letter writers had raised to the fore last year.
The Shyster earns herself -5 out of 10 for a real propaganda mess that will not be fixed if she remains there.
The sad thing about Dr Shameem’s actions is that the status of the FHRC leaves the citizens in even more of a dilemma.
6 comments:
Sorry but i don't see any link to resist frankenstein's coup blog on yr list of anti-coup blogs. They are also getting the latest news and are credible too.
i beg to differ. they are not at all credible... they are dangerously attacking everyone they like .. but whilst i must applaud intelly for attacking on professionalism - 'resist' is attacking on personality ... and that my friends is not credibility.
i am trying to find the letter by Stanley Simpson in todays Fiji Times.... doesn't seem to be there... careful bloggers you're getting a bit careless....
Great Post! Can't add anything to it, so I'll just comment on the discussion between the two anons about "Resist Frank". It is certainly a fast and sensational site, and I'm sure their posts are based on factual, if not entirely balanced, reports. But in any battle, you need to be careful not to become that which you oppose. In its liberation zeal, "Resist Frank" runs the danger of surpassing the Military/AG/FHRC's cynicism in terms of manipulating public opinion. In that sense, their site really is engineered to Resist Frank, I suppose. By contrast, the intelly ones are more to do with just letting independent expression and opinion do that.
I don't agree with u Anon2. Y'see, that blog, like this blog, knows that their credibility is all they got so if they want people to read, digest, know about stuff we wouldn't hve access to (e.g. thru the military-gagged media), comment, mobilise anti-coup support, understand what/why, do something about our sorry state of affairs, they gotta keep on the straight & narrow...I thought their reports were interesting & quite telling...about people/stuff we only seem to hear whispers about here and there, but were not able to piece them together.. And its not about attacking their personalities per se, its the stuff they did/doing...these personalities needed to be revealed to all and sundry about what they've been up to in the dark!! I hvn't seen any major disputes on these 'stories' except for one small issue which them bloggers quickly corrected themselves on & apologised. The people of Fiji need to know the 'other side' to these personalities. When u hold public office or take care of some public interest for us, u better expect to be under the public microscope. The reports & sarcasms seem justified. Granted that the slant may seem overzealous, but hey, we're all guilty of feeling the urge to expose and rid those pro-coup shadowy figures and junta and ultimately, put an end to Fiji's coup cycle. Todate, 4 months after 5/12, we're still waiting to see a shred of compelling evidence to support the military 'clean-up' campaign. So yes, i'm prepared to give the benefit of the doubt to a blog that offers a more plausible explanation as to who/what/how/when and why..this chaos...i think they complement the other anti-military/junta/coup blogsites including this one, don't you?
To Anon asking about Stanley Simpson's letter to the editor in the Fiji Times. Sorry about the mix-up. We were referring to the Saturday edition of the Fiji Times.
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