Come out, come out wherever you are!

It’s not surprising that all the junta supporters are slowly but surely tip-toeing out of the woodwork with emotional black-mailing guns cocked at the ready with their BS about stepping up to the plate for the good of this country or the "house is on fire" etc etc.

They can call it whatever they like, and even sugar-coat it with fat-free sucrine to make it more tempting to swallow but the bottom line is this. They have publicly made their positions known by supporting an illegal regime. That’s fine. They can have their views and that is respected but they will be made to answer for it very soon on the legal, moral, religious and medical fronts. Guilt is very taxing on the human psyche. Moreover, they will be shunned tacitly or untacitly for disrespecting the majority wishes of the voting electorate.

Another key trend is the influx of academic rhetoric being conveniently floated around about “democracy; what/who’s democracy/” or “elections not a panacea” for which our response is "trifling". Underneath it all is clear support for the militia-led removal of a democratically elected government.

Equally concerning is the flooding of FLP allies from Aust and NZ into Fiji. The new TV channel 2 owner Kenneth Stratton who helped the FLP in media aspects of their 2006 manifesto as highlighted by Fiji TV will soon be a player in television broadcasting. We hope Stratton et al have done their number crunching well, as the market is probably already saturated and prospective customers have more pressing priorities with their already dwindling disposable incomes. In addition FICAC has hired yet another Kiwi lawyer to provide advice.

All we will say to that is that Mr Howard and Ms Clarke better get their people straightened out or it will yet again show the wider Pacific community just how inconsistent the big brothers can be. No use jumping up and down about democratic rule when their own citizens are helping the illegal regime aye matey's? Tonga is definitely the place to be come October.

The EU’s confirmation of a financing agreement of F$8mill of public fund Euro’s towards the sugar sector is an interesting development. The agreement was signed in June in the presence of Mr Chaudhry. However the EC as a whole will have to decide in finality next month about the release of funds. Perhaps the statement of 27 June by the German President of the EC is key to this final decision.

All in all, the rhetoric and the correlating actions (and inactions) will speak volumes. To those still “shy” about meeting the public we say come out, come out wherever you are!