- INTELLIGENT RESISTANCE -
Free. Fair. Fearless. Intelligentsiya is made up of Fiji Islanders who are libertarians in their own way and who cherish the free flow of news, ideas and information and will peacefully resist any attempts by the country's military rulers to stifle free speech. intelligentsiya will also bear witness, report and discuss human rights abuses by the authorities.
November 12, 2012
President reappointed for another 3 years
Publish date/time: 12/11/2012 [13:03]
President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau has been reappointed for another three years by Chief Justice Anthony Gates in the last hour.
Ratu Epeli Nailatikau was sworn in as President in November 2009.
The reappointment process is carried out under the Executive Authority Decree.
Following the swearing in ceremony at Government House, the national anthem was played before the President inspected a military guard of honor.
Story by: Vijay Narayan & Filipe Naikaso
New rules for political parties
Publish date/time: 12/11/2012 [12:59]
New laws governing political parties will see the current parties required to follow a new set of rules if they want to re-register for the 2014 elections.
Under the current laws for registration of a political party, 20 people need to sign the application which should include the secretary of the party.
The application should include 180 signatures of supporters of the party.
Attorney General and Minister for Elections Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum confirmed this will definitely change.
The new threshold for registration of parties is yet to be revealed however all the supporters and officials need to be registered as voters.
Meanwhile, another major requirement will see political parties and their officials revealing their assets and liabilities.
More details are expected later as the decree is still being drawn up.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
New laws governing political parties will see the current parties required to follow a new set of rules if they want to re-register for the 2014 elections.
Under the current laws for registration of a political party, 20 people need to sign the application which should include the secretary of the party.
The application should include 180 signatures of supporters of the party.
Attorney General and Minister for Elections Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum confirmed this will definitely change.
The new threshold for registration of parties is yet to be revealed however all the supporters and officials need to be registered as voters.
Meanwhile, another major requirement will see political parties and their officials revealing their assets and liabilities.
More details are expected later as the decree is still being drawn up.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
Lt Col Seruiratu to be appointed Minister for Agriculture
Publish date/time: 12/11/2012 [13:01]
Permanent Secretary for Provincial Development Lieutenant Colonel Inia Seruiratu will be appointed as the new Minister for Agriculture this hour.
Lieutenant Colonel Seruiratu will take over Joketani Cokanasiga’s portfolio.
Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama confirmed that Cokanasiga will concentrate on the defense portfolio.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
Permanent Secretary for Provincial Development Lieutenant Colonel Inia Seruiratu will be appointed as the new Minister for Agriculture this hour.
Lieutenant Colonel Seruiratu will take over Joketani Cokanasiga’s portfolio.
Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama confirmed that Cokanasiga will concentrate on the defense portfolio.
Story by: Vijay Narayan
November 11, 2012
Fiji leader slams constitution consultant
From: AAP
November 07, 2012 5:32PM
FIJI'S military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama has accused the academic charged with drafting the Pacific nation's new constitution of "hijacking" the reform process and overstepping his role.
But Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, denied harassing Constitutional Commission chairman Yash Ghai and called on the Kenyan scholar to consider his future as the country prepares for elections in 2014.
"No one person is more important than the task of producing a constitution for the Fijian people," he said.
"Yash Ghai can decide for himself whether he wants to be a part of this process," he added in a statement issued late Tuesday.
Bainimarama was responding to an interview Ghai gave to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, in which he complained the regime had backed away from a commitment to public consultation on his constitutional blueprint.
Ghai, a legal expert who has previously helped frame constitutions in Kenya and Nepal, also accused Bainimarama of undermining his independence.
"There has been massive interference," he said. "Now I get emails from the PM (Bainimarama) to do this or not to do that, and this is a kind of harassment."
Ghai has a reputation for fiercely protecting his autonomy. He resigned as the US special envoy on human rights to Cambodia in 2008 after a war of words with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Bainimarama dismissed the harassment allegation as "totally without foundation" and said Ghai's role was to produce a draft constitution for the government, not to dictate what public consultations subsequently took place.
"It is not for the commission chairman to hijack the constituent assembly process," he said. "Professor Ghai seems to fundamentally misunderstand the process."
Fiji is preparing a new constitution after experiencing four coups since 1987, largely stemming from tensions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians descended from labourers brought in by the British in the colonial era.
Bainimarama tore up Fiji's previous constitution and replaced all judges with hand-picked officials in 2009, after a court ruled his coup was illegal.
He has said the new constitution would enshrine principles such as one-person-one-vote, an independent judiciary and transparent governance, as well as concentrating on establishing a secular, corruption-free state.
The military leader appointed Ghai earlier this year, hailing him at the time as an "internationally renowned constitution and human rights expert".
But the pair have clashed on a number of occasions. Ghai called on the regime in August to allow greater freedom of speech and assembly ahead of the 2014 elections, prompting Bainimarama to tell him to stay out of politics.
November 07, 2012 5:32PM
FIJI'S military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama has accused the academic charged with drafting the Pacific nation's new constitution of "hijacking" the reform process and overstepping his role.
But Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, denied harassing Constitutional Commission chairman Yash Ghai and called on the Kenyan scholar to consider his future as the country prepares for elections in 2014.
"No one person is more important than the task of producing a constitution for the Fijian people," he said.
"Yash Ghai can decide for himself whether he wants to be a part of this process," he added in a statement issued late Tuesday.
Bainimarama was responding to an interview Ghai gave to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, in which he complained the regime had backed away from a commitment to public consultation on his constitutional blueprint.
Ghai, a legal expert who has previously helped frame constitutions in Kenya and Nepal, also accused Bainimarama of undermining his independence.
"There has been massive interference," he said. "Now I get emails from the PM (Bainimarama) to do this or not to do that, and this is a kind of harassment."
Ghai has a reputation for fiercely protecting his autonomy. He resigned as the US special envoy on human rights to Cambodia in 2008 after a war of words with Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Bainimarama dismissed the harassment allegation as "totally without foundation" and said Ghai's role was to produce a draft constitution for the government, not to dictate what public consultations subsequently took place.
"It is not for the commission chairman to hijack the constituent assembly process," he said. "Professor Ghai seems to fundamentally misunderstand the process."
Fiji is preparing a new constitution after experiencing four coups since 1987, largely stemming from tensions between indigenous Fijians and ethnic Indians descended from labourers brought in by the British in the colonial era.
Bainimarama tore up Fiji's previous constitution and replaced all judges with hand-picked officials in 2009, after a court ruled his coup was illegal.
He has said the new constitution would enshrine principles such as one-person-one-vote, an independent judiciary and transparent governance, as well as concentrating on establishing a secular, corruption-free state.
The military leader appointed Ghai earlier this year, hailing him at the time as an "internationally renowned constitution and human rights expert".
But the pair have clashed on a number of occasions. Ghai called on the regime in August to allow greater freedom of speech and assembly ahead of the 2014 elections, prompting Bainimarama to tell him to stay out of politics.
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