This is the illegal and unprofessional leadership style of Bainimarama that we all know and loathe.
That typically when things don't go his way, he digs his heels in and lashes out at those who have offended him.
This time (even after valiant attempts by Rt Inoke Kubuabola to mend relations and consequently after this outburst looking completely inept), it is NZ and now Australia who are on the receiving end of his recent tantrum.
It is beyond comprehension how the logic could have ever been cobbled together inside his head that he would ever be successful in holding Australian and NZ Commissioners returned presence here to ransom against the lifting of their smart sanctions.
Let that please be a valuable lesson to all of Bainimarama's cheerleading naysayers who say that the sanctions are not working and are working against us grassroot folks.
They sanctions are effective, they have absolutely no impact on us and the military regime is growing ever frustrated about it -- but oh how sweet it is to see them for once helpless against a higher authority.
No High Commissioners until sanctions lifted: Fiji PM
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says Fiji will not accept High Commissioners from Australia and New Zealand into the country until the two countries lift the sanctions they have imposed against his government.
Bainimarama says the return of the High Commissioners from the two countries will not be on the agenda for a while, and the two countries know this.
“A lot of people do not understand what we are trying to do in Fiji. So, on that note there will be no restoration of High Commissions until the lifting of the sanctions. That is understandable too. And they understand that. McCully understands that Smith understands that. NZ and Australia understand that. But there will be no restoration of High Commissioners from Australia and NZ in Fiji until of Course the lifting of sanctions. So that’s not really a big deal.”
Bainimarama says he will talk to New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully if they meet in Hong Kong next month.
Meanwhile we sure as hell don't know what Bainimarama's chief tourism cheerleader -- Dixon Seeto -- has been smoking today, but even after Bainimarama has publicly announced this unreasonable ultimatum, Seeto is out of beat (obviously clueless about the fact that the recent warmed up Fiji-NZ relations is now back in chill mode) and opportunistically tries to get the NZ Government to relax their travel advisories while the love is in the air:
Travel advisory a concern
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The removal of travel advisories, warning New Zealanders against coming to Fiji, will see a marked growth in the Tourism sector says the Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association.
Association president Dixion Seeto says the travel advisories have been one of the biggest drawbacks to the Tourism industry.
“There are various statements in there that caution visitors, and some of it is common sense stuff, but there are others which relate to events and things like that… I hope that once we get our bilateral and political relationship in order, that these advisories should be removed so that there are no impairment for any visitor to come to Fiji.”
New Zealand and Fiji have been engaged in serious discussions to improve relations between the two countries.
Yeap you can just forget about that right now Mr. Seeto.
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