No YOU Are Wrong Sir Paul

This chap and his recent views disappoint and concern us greatly. So much so, we can hardly believe that he was one of the key architects of our Constitution.

No Sir Paul, YOU are wrong. And bloody damned well wrong too.

The foreign policies of Australia, New Zealand, USA, EU, Japan, the PIF and the Commonwealth and all the bigwig countries in relation to Fiji ARE working and that is why Fiji's military junta continues to be isolated. They detest it. Any treasonous usurper would feel the same because the validation of their rule comes under serious scrutiny especially when they have all forms of dissent clamped down domestically.

Reeves' notion that the travel sanctions are not hurting Bainimarama's inner circle of military supporters is also totally false. It annoys the hell out of them that they cannot enjoy their ill-gotten means abroad in Australia, NZ and the USA -- its Psychology 101!! This nouveau illegal "elite" need to feel bigger, better and more powerful than the common people (because the strutting on the streets with their AK47's phase is over) and what better way to do that then to splurge and be seen to splurging abroad.

And to add insult to the injury Sir Paul suggests that Fiji needs incentives to return to democracy. This is downright ridiculous. There will never be enough money to entice the Treasonous Terrorist that is Frank Bainimarama, to return Fiji to it's people.

Why it was only3 months ago when Sir Paul himself expressed his disappointment at the treatment Bainimarama dished out to him and for him to now suggests that NZ should pander to his whims should be seriously questioned.

Now if Australia and New Zealand really want to step up SMART sanctions they should consider opening up the seasonal worker schemes to non-junta-related Fijians.

Sir Paul's media statement below:

Reeves Urges Re-Think Of NZ Foreign Policy On Fiji
Friday, 4 December 2009 - 8:20am

Wellington, Dec 3 NZPA - Former Governor General Sir Paul Reeves -- who helped rewrite Fiji's constitution -- has called for a re-think on New Zealand's foreign policy over Fiji, including the controversial sanctions.

Sir Paul told a Pacific policy conference in Auckland that Fiji needed incentives, rather than punishment, to move to democracy, Radio NZ International reported.

The sanctions against Fiji were not working and did not affect the military, he told the conference at Auckland University,

Foreign policy needed to offer a range of incentives and encourage the military government to "engage".

Coup leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama had stated he wanted democracy, so he must be asked what help he needed.

Dr Rod Alley of the Centre for Strategic Studies separately said there was no point in the Government trying to speak directly to Cdre Bainimarama.

Dr Alley said Sir Paul Reeves' meeting with Cdre Bainimarama showed any discussions with him were unlikely to result in a start to dialogue within Fiji, and a more subtle approach was needed.

"The man's conduct lately has been pretty obdurate and these options of somehow getting a line to Bainimarama are going to take patience."

Budget Shows We Are Going Backwards: Narsey

Prof Wadan Narsey takes to the airwaves of Radio Australia and breaks down the military regime's budget fairytale again.

Since March this year, Narsey has been sounding the alarm about the imminent risks to our pension fund which the military regime is using as a cash-cow of convenience, with no immediate plans to repay the debt to us.

He also breaks down the statistical rhetoric versus the reality of the picture that the stats paint.

Fiji's economist blasts interim government's budget
Updated December 2, 2009 17:57:35

A leading Fiji economist says figures provided in the country's budget show the country is going backwards. University of the South Pacific economist Professor Waden Narsey says although the military and police have seen their budgets boosted since the 2006 coup, Fiji is actually going to see its GDP decline by two and a half per cent. He tells Bruce Hill that overseas investment has dropped by 50 per cent since the coup, the country is producing less food which means it has to pay for imports, tourism is down by two percent and the government has resorted to borrowing to pay for everything.

Listen to the interview here.

NARSEY: Well the data that has been given out with the budget documents indicates that we are just still going on the downward slide. We have a six-and-a-half per cent decline in GDP in 2007, just about zero percent growth in 2008, and now it is confirmed, that there is going to be about two-and-a-half percent decline at least this year. So when you combine that with the fact that the STID investment fees, the investment board data on the amount of investment that they have approved, it just simply shows a steady downward decline from 2006, as of about just over one billion dollars. It is down to about 400 million dollars in 2008, and we are not being given the figures for 2009.

Now this is only the investment project approved. Whether what fraction of this has been implemented is anybody's guess, because the chances are that most of the foreign investment are on hold, because people are very, very insecure about the climate here.

HILL: Well, what about domestic production? I mean obviously the more you produce in terms of raw materials and food domestically, the less you will have to pay in bringing in terms of exports. How is Fiji doing with growing its own food?

NARSEY: Yeah, well it seems that the data is very clearly indicating that we are going backwards. I mean the sugar output for instance, and that's the key agriculturral output is certainly declining since 2006. It is at record low levels now. The production of other food crops are showing a general downward slide and what is worse of course is that the proportion of total consumption, even those things where we are supposed to be mounting import substitution effort, the percentage being produced locally has been going down. for instance, for rice, for dairy products and even for something like beef. So the real economy is not going and tourism which was a great hope. I think the 2009 arrival figures will be barely below the 2006 arrivals. So despite the very, very large amount being pumped into the market of tourism, combined with the global crisis and all that, that tourism is not going to show any great dramatic growth. All these budgets for the last two or three years always had very, very rosy projections about the future and none of these projections have ever been realised. So why would anyone want to believe the military government's projectiions about what is going to happen in 2010 or 11 or 12.

HILL: Well, if things are going backwards as you suggest, how is the government actually functioning on a day-to-day basis? Where is it getting its money from?

NARSEY: Well, what they are doing basically is they have increased expenditure in two particular areas, especially military expenditure which has gone up by 28 million dollars per year compared to the very healthy position even in 2006, and the police have also gone up with all kinds of ways, and the revenues have not been growing. In fact the revenue has been very, very stagnant in real terms. So essentially what the government has been doing is borrowing. They are going to borrow almost 500 million dollars this coming year. They have increased the public debt as a proportion of GDP, expect to be rising from 2007. I think it is about 52 per cent this year.

The tragedy also is that in the last three years, they have made the terrible mistake of borrowing abroad, which means that there is a larger part of our public debt has been denominated in foreign currency, which has been got to be paid for by export earnings which are not going. So we are looking at problems ahead and really what this government is doing is instead of curbing in their current expenditure and all that, they basically are borrowing and passing the burden onto the next generation.

HILL: How long do you think the government can keep paying for its activities through borrowing? Is there some point at which it hits the wall?

NARSEY: Well, the problem is that they have got a cash cow in Fiji which is our National Provident Fund, which is the only pension fund for Fiji and governments through the Reserve Bank, they have forced the pension fund to bring back all the international investments, which means the pension fund has a real problem on its hands. The private sector is not going, so there is very few bankable projects to lend to in the private sector and so what the essence is to lend to the only other borrower that can lend to which is government. And already something like 80 per cent or more of its loans are to government statutory organisations and it is at a very, very dangerously high level. The IMF has to be warned that they should not be investing any more in government securities. The problem is they are unable to invest abroad. They have to invest somewhere or those funds will lie idle and end up in Europe and it will be a burden on the other interest earning assets they have. The very end of lending to government and the tragedy of course also is the permanent secretary of finance. It is a New Zealand citizen who has been appointed without going through the PSC. He has been made the chairman of the pension fund board. So basically the ministry of finance is going to borrow from the pension fund and you have got the borrower and the lender basically being the same people.

The Real Budget Analysis

If ever there was a time when truth to power needed to be spoken, it was during the recent illegal budget announcement.

Unfortunately no one holds a candle to Prof Wadan Narsey and his bold analysis of the true budget story.

Prof Narsey's verdict is available on both Coup 4.5 and RFN and is a Must Read.

Local accounting firms have apparently also made public their various analyses on the budget, namely: G.Lal & Co; Ernst & Young; KPMG and Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Interestingly we do find it most interesting that the regime's "pliant handmaiden" the illegal Reserve Bank chief, Sada Reddy has lashed out at "some" accounting firms stating that they were:

"giving false information on the economy, which is deterring potential investors."

Just like everything this illegal regime does, they fail to recognize the irony in every statement and accusation they make.

New Decree (Spoof )

Seeing as we are governed by an illegal regime that throw out new decree's at any/every turn in an attempt to legitimize themselves, here's a decree we found decreeing (and decrying) their illegal and treasonous functions.

Executive Authority of Fiji Decree 2009
REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
_____

EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY OF FIJI DECREE 2009
_____

OFFICE OF THE ILLEGAL PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI MILITARY FORCES
(DECREE NO. 52)

IN exercise of the powers vested in me as President and Commander in Chief of the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces, I hereby make the following Decree:

1. This Decree may be cited as the Executive Authority of Fiji Decree 2009.

2. I, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, as President and Commander in Chief of the Republic of the Fiji Military
Forces hereby appoint Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as Chief Censor and Self-Serving Master of corruption with Unrestricted Licence to Rip Off Funds, Goods and Property anywhere within the Fiji Islands.

3. Until such time as a Parliament is elected in accordance with a Constitution yet to be adopted, the aforementioned Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum shall exercise the following powers:
(a) to tell the illegal and treasonous Prime Minister what to do next;
(b) to appoint family members and friends to whatever positions take their fancy;
(c) to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Fiji by Decree acting in accordance with day to day requirements of keeping a firm lid on everything that other people don’t have to know;
(d) to exercise the executive authority of Fiji which ever way he bloody well likes.

4. No question as to the validity of this Decree or any other Decree shall be entertained by any Court of Law in Fiji.

5. In this Decree:

"Constitution yet to be adopted" means the full written Constitution to be drawn up to replace the Fiji Constitution Amendment Act 1997, to be adopted by the people of Fiji in such manner as the abovementioned Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum may just possibly in the future determine once he has formally taken over the reins of power from the truly awful and repulsive Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.

Dated this 30th day of November 2009.

RATU E. NAILATIKAU
Illegal President and Commander in Chief of the
Republic of the Fiji Military Forces

You Have Been Subliminally Warned

When we blogs noticed that access of Fiji-based audience of our blogs was found wanting, we should have known it was a sign of things to come.

Now the illegal military regime has announced a new decree criminalizing Internet or cyber offences. Which, if, argued by their FICAC shoddy lawyers could mean anything internet-based. And certainly inclusive of blogs.

The decree has been lauded by the illegal President and former coup-mongerer & high court judge, Nazhat Shameem who seems to be boldly showing her hand now more than ever.

But the subliminal warnings have been very loud from the illegal military regime. Inner circle member, and also illegal Reserve Bank chief, Sada Reddy is a key proponent as well as the treasonous ring leader himself. Hell even the now sans bible-pounding Police Force pitch their views while conveniently ignoring an instance of the same crime that they and their ilk were party to. And as twisted ironies can only go in Fiji, way back in March 2008 the heinous internet crime against Graham Leung was vociferously denounced (as an attempt to appear "independent & impartial) by the treasonous Director of Human Rights at that time, Shaista Shameem.

The fact of the matter is that in the current environment of media censorship, the blogs are offering views on the state of play of things happening in this country. Some blogs are pro-military regime in slant, but they too have their place in the global world of freedom of expression and information. At the end of the day, the people must decide who they trust enough to want to hear from.

What remains to be seen is how far and how fast they can manipulate this decree to lock down the blogs.

A Christmas "Warm & Fuzzy"

Ah the seasonal nostalgia.

An old vid, a great song and footage of the times, sights n sounds that is the Fiji we all know and love.