Value for money?

Oilelei ra makabuqu…Sorry for the absence – what with the Easter holidays and the Fiji Sevens win in Adelaide. But back to business, the nation awaits with bated breath for the announcement by the GCC on the appointment of the Vice President. While we pray that the grapevine “nomination” remain as rumours I hold on to hope everlasting that I will be disappointed. In the pit of my stomach I know I will be disappointed as the politicking of members vs non-members has begun.

But your old Bu Josi’s own ticker has been doing the roller-coaster in recent days. From the tragic tsunami in Gizo, to the snap cyclone here on our turf to the heart-attack-invoking 7s triumph in Adelaide – mate nai lavo at the Adelaide 7s! What a turn of events and emotions!

But despite these events it will take much, much more than that to turn old Bu Josi’s attention away from the happenings here.

Let’s focus today on the junta’s Mahendra Chaudhry and his efforts in managing our coffers. So he’s managed to turn the hearts of the government of India by helping out with our natural disasters. Now the Indian government has extended that help to better trade links and possibly judges and army training. Very peculiar indeed makabuna’s.

It is odd because the Indian government maintains it will not impose sanctions because of our long history. History is one thing but aid that develops our country is another and frankly the Indian government cannot even begin to compare to what Australia and New Zealand contribute to this country. It is also odd that India as a member of the Commonwealth is not toeing the party line.

The proposed injection via a loan from the Exim Bank of India towards the sugar industry reform last year, we must not forget has its ties to some brokering from the FLP-folk (who could forget the much publicised falling out between Chaudhry and Anand Singh over that matter?)

However makabuqu’s all is not so sweet within the sugar industry itself. As the invasion of FLP candidates comes to the fore and news of a $6.4m loan obtained by the Sugar Cane Growers Council chairman two weeks ago without board approval will see farmers with a noose to the tune of approximately $100K in loan repayments hanging around their necks. What a hefty sum like that is doing floating around the sector must surely be tied to the rejuvenation of the industry reform process that fell apart after 5/12.

Of interest is the revelation by a fellow blog-site highlighting how the FLP hopes to dupe the EU. Nice try ragone but don’t think that the EU is oblivious to all the underhand drama. We know that they have got their fingers firmly on the pulse of this nation.

That’s not all ragone. The Asian continents are falling over themselves to come to our rescue. We are told that last week Chinese officials were doing the rounds of closed-door meetings with certain members of this junta namely Chaudhry, Taito Waradi and Ratu Epeli Ganilau. And of course Taiwan, never wishing to be outdone, are doing their thing all over the Pacific .

If the junta is depending on the ADB to bail them out it might like to see who really holds power in this multilateral financial institution.

But back to Chaudhry. Let us turn to a very clandestine and almost sinister “Robin Hood” move promoted by the king-of-robbing-from-the-rich-to-“help”-the-poor. Yes that’s right ra makabuqu the suggested increase in departure tax due to come into effect from May. Now ragone, if our tourism arrival numbers are already sluggish a carrot like this may seem good for the country. But is it good for our visitors who can use their purchasing power (even if it is only $10 but doesn’t everybody want value for money these days?) at more attractive (and cheaper) destinations like Bali.

Therefore we slap on a $10 levy on visitors and outbound internal travellers which this illegal government with no accountability can run amok with? Hardly an attractive marketing tactic, is it ra makabuqu? Not even the best marketing efforts by na makabuqu Bill Gavoka can sell this sham. If the junta are timing this increase for the international tourism meet to be held at the plush Sheraton resort next month in which to make their margins, it does nothing about the core barrier to tourism - that of travel advisories from our core tourism clients which will not be lifted until elections take place soon. Unless of course we pin our hopes on an influx of starlets from Bollywood.

But heck with the Indian rupee needing to work harder (1 FJD = 26.1181 INR) to match the Fiji dollar, those kinds of visitors will be few and far between. Even then they will presumably only come to do concerts and trade shows which will be paid for by the people of Fiji down the line.

I pause for a moment here to make mention of His Excellency the President who is to approve this. Isa Ratu Iloilo e na yalo ni veidokai au kerea mo nanumi Viti and think deeply about what it is you are signing away. A thousand curses to those who choose to hood-wink you continuously in this manner.

Ok, a quick word about army training. So if India gives us this training and Frank eagerly applauds the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's firm stand on the UN continuing to use our men as peacekeepers while slamming Australia, New Zealand and the Commonwealth Secretariat in the same breathe AND the British Army has quiet pre-selection tests for potential recruits happening in the Western side, what does that tell us? I leave that to you to unravel because I’m still trying get my grey-haired head around it.

But most interesting are the recent divergent views of the Governor of the Reserve Bank Savenaca Narube and Chaudhry. Inflation is up and I did not need an economist to tell me that. I mean ra makabuqu, $10 doesn’t take an old lady like me very far every time I venture to buy kula or kerosene at the village sitoa.

Anyhow Chaudhry in true Mahend fashion continues to blame the previous government for all our economic woes yet as a recipient not too long ago of government expenditure (parliamentary “privileges”) he not once barked about getting more! More to the point though is that his solutions don’t seem convincing at all. Chaudhry proposes to tweak our legislation that improves internal money processes…isa lei…even in my twilight years I know there is not enough money floating around in the first place (apart from money from veiwekani overseas) in which to really move the economy. That kind of money only comes from foreign exchange via investment, exports and tourism. All of which are in trouble at the moment with no sign of “massaging” by the junta. So Mahend sa kua na lasu kerekere. Fiji is financially in the red and trust us, if/when we get a devaluation you can kiss your political career as a self-promoted money guru good-bye.

Let’s pause a while to focus on the CEO in the PM’s Office who gives life to the heads-up we alluded to earlier re: cyber crimes legislation. Parmesh Chand is also on the Dr Shaista Shameem band-wagon claiming that the Fiji Human Rights Commission independent report tells of unsafe ICT practices in government which has “privacy of information” implications. Well ra makabuqu mai keri you guys, you do what you have to do and we will do what we have to do. In the final analysis you are an illegal administration anyway so that should strike your claims out automatically. What’s most uncanny is that Parmesh refers to the final Canadian evaluation report BEFORE we the peoples were informed about it and we piece that together by comparing the dates of his media statement and the dates of the FHRC evaluation media statement…like my grandchildren say these days: “Duh! “

And by the way junta-folk we know about the newly appointed manager ITC named Salusalu who is an ex-navy boy of Franks recently returned from doing studies in Australia on IT hardware…good luck with tracking down bloggers with that “key” expertise. And even better wishes to you in your endeavour to actually enforce whatever legislation you are concocting. Did someone say GOPIO expertise??

But again back to Chaudhry. So he shows his eagerness in sinking his fangs into the Fiji Investment Corporation. Ok ragone so maybe there are questions about why a middle-man entity like that had to be formed in the first place but it does seem worrying that Chaudhry is intent on reviewing and reshaping it. Let’s hope we don’t see any Robin Hood tactics taking place there which do nothing for investor confidence. But let’s also remember that under the leadership of Parmesh as former CEO for public enterprise one of the state’s cash-cow of Post Fiji was supposed to come under the umbrella of FIC.

Oilei ra makabuqu, the “aahhh-aahhh man” Leweni joyously sings accapella the “you are confined to barracks” tune to Qarase. This junta just doesn't get it, do they? The more they flex publicly, the more the public evidence becomes stacked them in the SDL case. Even if the warnings are not public Qarase has to know what the verdict is and that becomes another affidavit. These poor sods are totally out of their depth here. Perhaps we should be asking whether we the people are getting value for money via Kiwi QC Gerald McCoy as we will inevitably have to somehow pay for this legal wrangling somewhere down the track.

We note the letter to editor in the Fiji Times penned by Akuila Yabaki yesterday. Kudos Rev for being consistent with that principled stand.

We also note Frank’s attempt at ‘playing the leader in his statement congratulating our boys for the Adelaide 7s Victory. Vosota makabuqu Frank, you do not have the mandate to speak on my behalf. We are all perfectly able to pass on our own congratulatory messages and we do that quite well via blogging!

Moce mada ra makabuqu. I am now all ranted out and I’m off to see how to stretch my $10 for more kula for my ibe! After that I will try out the Easter recipes from my sister Discombobulated Bubu …dou mai kana!