Tick Fever is upon us

Please forgive us for succumbing to a bout of depression and the blues. That’s our excuse for the lapse in updates.

The junta & co and their weekly antics are just too outrageous for words. For us the shock has set in and we are now petrified-ly coming to grips with the fact that they REALLY have no idea about running a country. They have outdone themselves in proving to all and sundry that they are unfit leaders and the injury to the insult is that common sense evades all of them completely.

Yet they still plug their “ability gaps” by appointing family, friends and themselves rampantly all over the place. Consider Driti, who is now a diplomat in fatigues. Wonders will never cease when everything is now possible and legal when it suits the junta.

While much has been said about looking for new friends rather than our historical ANZUS ones, the crude reality is this: better the devil you know. Exploring new geopolitical ties is an exercise in futility because any favours they throw us will be boomerang one’s. Does it really give us an upper hand at this present time? Only for the short term and that’s a promise. While the wooing and the honeymoon period of a new relationship is giddy-ingly heady, the main objective of any new friends is getting their pound of “resource” flesh. For starters our geographic disconnection does nothing for strategic interests of the new global economic powers. History is merely repeating itself. It’s all about domination no matter which region one turns ones line of sight to. Better the devil we know.

From a purely pragmatic point of view, offering the smiles, surf n sand to travelers all the round the other part of the globe is (a) selfishly oblivious to the plight of our island neighbours facing evacuation from rising tides at a time when environmental consciousness is at an all-time high (is Bernadette interim environment minister or not we ask?) (b) lacking of inducements to the travel burden with stop-over packages that lessen the butt-aches and mucked up body clocks.

Madam junta minister, please ease up on the strands of pearls around your neck because they are clearly wreaking havoc on the flow of oxygen to your brain cells. Kinda like your earth-shattering idea of ginger and coconut lollies that will save an economy which has already flat-lined.

It’s also appropriate that we give our 2cents on the debate about democracy being a foreign flower etc etc. Whether we live under democracy, socialism or communism or whatever political ideology, the point is we need some form of rules to live by as a society. Otherwise we would be better of going back to the caveman ethos. Years ago many people opted for democracy. It will stay that way until we, the electorate, decide en masse on another model.

Meanwhile on the ground here political party tensions, undermining, alliances and opportunistic campaigning seems to be doubling up. But public reality and not rhetoric (talk is cheap y’all!) is what will really entice those ticks come 2009. Don’t bother wasting good money on opinion polls guys, we’ll do one online here for free IF this promise comes through. We aren’t however holding our breaths on this “agreement in principle” because our feeling is that the tune will change once the ka-ching hits the coffers. Think about it – would this lot throw away everything to execute/back this coup only to (a) have a successful court hearing declaring them illegal (b) conduct elections 2 years down the track? Nah…they’ve always wanted IN for the long haul and aren’t really ready for Hotel Nukulau as a permanent holiday spot just yet. Mind you when they get there, we are tempted to actively lead a campaign to deter any hard-earned tax dollars going towards feeding, clothing or sheltering them.

But just as money makes the world go round, the dire lack of it will be the tipping point for the junta & co. Regrettably it will be our sweat that will have to fix this but that’s what happens when coups take place. This better be the last coup or else new usurpers will find themselves Kings with no subjects – that’s right – it will be Moce Jo for real then. To that effect we applaud the contribution by the blogger “Observer”. We’re behind this approach 200%.

Deeply disturbing however are the opportunistic sorts using this period of instability for their own means. By this we explicitly and strongly condemn all ideas suggesting that a violent uprising by the people is a solution. No one has the right to suggest that our people can or should be used as expendable commodities for the purposes of political supremacy. No one is ever worth that. The mere idea reeks of selfishness. Forget it y’all – we will resist those notions to the fullest! The biggest insult in this suggestion is the insinuation that we the peoples are gullible, emotionally charged enough to resort to violence and are just plain stupid. So we say, rack off and let’s see if you would put yourselves in the front-line holding your molotov cocktails.

Qarase is to-ing and fro-ing with his decision to return to Suva. Whatever decision he finally makes is inevitably tied to the fact that junta’s much needed Emergency Regulations control “stick” is just waiting in the wings to be cued. His safety if/when he steps foot in Viti Levu will be keenly monitored on all fronts.

Folks, don’t give the junta & co the opportunity to whip out that stick. Let’s just let Qarase be and let him work his butt off to clear his parties name if he still wants those ticks. In the meantime he and SDL have a lot of work to do. We would caution Ro Teimumu against the cocky struts of assuming that they will win again merely because the electorate is incensed enough with the junta & co to prove a point. We will prove our point but we are also incensed enough to bestow our ticks to those who truly deserve it and who will deliver. Not the type of representation that has been common in the past once the ticks have been counted (read: see ya in 5 years time!).

On the NFP front, the latest sugar crushing drama seems to score points nicely in their favour. The FLP as a party would do well to change the leadership. Even though Mahend is the embodiment of the party he and his son will asphyxiate it to death if they remain there. The most logical thing to then do would be for those opposed to him to form a breakaway party that will be truly open to multiculturalism. The time is right and we hope Krishna Dutt stick’s around to lead that kind of legacy.

There are murmurs that already some members of this illegal government are feathering their nests to team up with the oddest people in yet another new party. Well...if Jone Navakamocea could so boldly stick a knife in the front and back of SDL (read: liumuri), just watch the new alliances reveal themselves and be amused.

Perhaps this time of respite is an opportunity to really reflect on the values we deem worthy of our ticks for the next government. One thing is certain. These next elections will show advanced voter maturity even in the rural sectors (read: remittances revenge). We may see the phasing out of votes along party lines and the evolution of independent candidates—especially those who (a) take their marriage vows seriously (b) walk the talk (c) know what the hell to talk about in the first place (read: proven credibility).

So while tick fever hypes up, a few words in ending for those who are actively backing the junta & co. Fortunately for us Fiji can still boast a sense of community. In some way everyone know’s everyone else. So while you backers enjoy your time in the limelight remember the legacy you will pass on to your descendants. Will they carry your name with pride or will they cower all over the country/world in shame? To be ostracized as a community reject is far more distressing than incarceration because the latter is time-bound while the first is forever.