The IIG Locks n Loads

Bainimarama’s continued defiance of democratic norms means he will just have to learn the hard way. That is, that the people always have the last laugh. We laughed Rabuka out and oh how the mighty did topple. We laughed Speight out (luckily the constitution saved his life). We will laugh out Frank et al too.

It will undoubtedly be a clash of resolve. Whether our resolve is to last for 10 or 50 years, the people will sit it out. Depending on whether the junta themselves live that long, their unfettered access to the free-for-all hogging at the trough is never guaranteed. The reality of unjustly frog-leaping your way to the head of the trough will always mean hogging with eyes at the back of their heads. Always.

You see Frank, the future of Fiji are learning first-hand best life-long experiential lessons that a safe, secure and just society can only exist if respect for each other and the rule of law remains paramount. History, being the wonderful storyteller that it is, continuously points to tales of the limitless strength of human resolve in the face of oppression. Indeed our own people of yore were themselves leading characters of many episode’s that are Fiji’s.

So. When opinions vary about our constitution and its impending death we find it truly unconvincing that some of us would just give up the Supreme Law of this Land without so much as a whimper. Are our founding documents that inferior that we continue to mimic Rabuka in ever demeaning the document that holds much promise for us as a people? Moreover, is our ambivalent but silent acquiescence perpetuating the disrespect for the laws of our land to our future generations?

Already we see that the IIAG naively continues to pave the way for the demise of our blue book by sugar coating it as just a teeny-weeny change to the constitution that really (really, really, REALLY) is in the best interest of urban Fijians who are giving away too much power to rural representatives. The IIAG has learned well from his mentor. He is after all emulating the teeny-weeny stepping "out of" the constitution stunt that Bainimarama (who copied from Rabuka) pulled in 2000 where he deliberately hid from the long armed tentacles of modern law, under the skirts of tradition through the now bastardized token tabua offering. It did not, it does not, and it never will be OK for such a grave assault on the constitution. That's called Treason and no amount of judicial activism can ever sugar-coat that even if the illegal appointment of a Chief Justice now guarantees him active front row seats in the Supreme Court.

But wait. There’s more on our still grey horizons. It has become quite evident that there has been an almost rapid eruption of activity on the higher education scene.

The II Cabinet has approved yet another university for the country. Apart from the University of the South Pacific and the very recent University of Fiji , that currently services higher education needs for our students we will now have a National University of Fiji. The recent acquisition of academics by the Fiji Institute of Technology (full paged ad in Saturday’s Fiji Times of 31 Jan 2009), which is one of the 6 institutions (many of them boast regional enrolments) to be amalgamated under this new university is fascinating.

Especially as now the University of the South Pacific announces that some remaining staff could be facing job losses.

Incidentally we are told that this new university could be up and running as soon as “policy guidelines and mechanisms are in place”. With the advertised position of the head of the Council also featuring in the Saturday Fiji Times of 31 January, that could be sooner than the cited time-frame of 9 month.

This initiative begs the question of whether at this critical juncture of nation building so soon after our recent disaster, could not such a wasteful venture have waited until our already competing priorities are met?

In this already complicated mix we now add the impending arrival of valiant Knights in Red soaring to Frank's trough hogging rescue this weekend in the form of the Vice President of China. The contingent boasts an 80-member delegation that includes investors. No wonder there was the illegal fast-tracking of amendments to the Income Tax Act which currently guarantees unchecked access to new tax free zones in Vanua Levu, Rotuma, Kadavu, Levuka, Lomaiviti and Lau.

There will undoubtedly be international ripples about this one.

But more to the point the entourage will come bearing gifts. They are gracious and kind. No doubt. We only have to look to the Dalai Lama and the Falun Gong to see how truly kind China can be.

So yeah it’s all happening right now. The balls rolling. They’re in Lock n Load mode ladies n gents.