11:38 AM |
No chance for Fiji dictatorship over Forum, says Tuilaepa
Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Tupuola Terry Tavita in Apia
The embattled coup-installed military regime in Fiji should not be a focus in next month's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Auckland, says the Samoan prime minister.
The question was put to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi by Savali this week if there is any chance Fiji can again be suggested to rejoin the Forum in the Auckland leaders meeting.
"What for?" asked Tuilaepa. "The regime there is getting worse."
Asked to clarify this comment, he added: "Well, there are reports that Bainimarama is paying himself five different ministerial salaries from the five different ministerial portfolios he's overseeing. That's on top of his salary as Prime Minister. The Attorney-General is reportedly also doing the same.
"And they are both being paid through an accounting firm owned by the AG's aunt- from cash paid directly from the different ministries. That system ensures that no one else knows the totality of the fortnightly salaries of the PM and his AG.
"In our democratic system where transparency and accountability prevail, the prime minister or a minister can only draw one salary regardless of that minister's many responsibilities. All the payments are in black and white. There are no grey areas.
"Elsewhere where good governance policies and best practices are absent, dictators help themselves to public money and feel no urge to go back to democracy.
"He (Bainimarama) and his Attorney-General are both into this little scam that's costing Fijian taxpayers millions of dollars. They're both looking after themselves. Why then should the Forum allow Fiji back in when the regime there is not demonstrating any genuine effort to return the county to democracy, to good governance principles – in all its forms and manifestations – the Forum upholds?"
Academic freedom
It has been alleged that University of the South Pacific's economics professor Wadan Narsey – who has presented critical, but objective, views of the military regime for Pacific Scoop and many other publications – has been forced to resign from pressure exerted by the Fiji government, through the university administration.
"It is extremely worrying when politics starts to interfere with academic independence. You then start to question the standard of education at USP and the teaching environment there.
"Especially as USP is collectively-owned by Forum countries and not just Fiji . The irony is that the pressure is coming from an uneducated military dictator who has never studied at a university."
This week, trade unions in Fiji issued a joint statement asking media outlets in the country to publish and broadcast balanced news item, instead of the one way anti-union pro-regime propaganda that people in Fiji have been receiving.
"That's the reality of military dictatorships. There is no freedom of expression, no media independence and any critical views are hushed up – silenced. It's all shotgun news now in Fiji ," Tuilaepa said.
The planned Methodist annual conference scheduled later this week has again been cancelled by the military regime with reports that some of the senior church leaders have been sent to the barracks and interrogated by the military.
"If 200,000 Christian women marched for their freedom as the Filipino women did against their own dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the Christian soldiers of the Christian army will just fold their arms and let them through. They will not dare touch their Christian mothers, aunts, nieces, cousins and sisters," Tuilaepa said.
Tupuola Terry Tavita is editor of the Samoan government newspaper Savali.
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pacific islands media association
pima.nius@gmail.com
aotearoa, new zealand
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pacific islands media association
pima.nius@gmail.com
aotearoa, new zealand
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