Mr Firkin,
Corruption in Suva is worse than ever before. I am a businessman and I am now paying more in corruption than ever before. Recently I extended my office and had to put in a new power board. The electrician fitted the board but needed a permit from FEA to connect. The FEA man said he could only connect next week but if I paid him $100 he could come and do it today. As I had half of my business shut down I paid up. I bet FEA never saw any of it.
Any business deal these days has a part that is organised in cash so no VAT ot tax is paid or some side deal is done to advantage one party or the other. I have a block of cash sitting at home for such occations and I consider myself one of the honest ones.
At the moment it is about twice as bad as it used to be.
I recently went to New Zealand to visit relatives who left in 2000 and have a vegetable shop in Auckland. I asked him about the corruption and other than giving some salesmen free fruit and vegetables he has never encountered any. He admits on scating a little on his taxes but is making a very good living and has just bought a house. My kickbacks cost me around $8,000 per year and he pays $10,000 a year on his morgage.
I could buy a house in what I am paying in corruption.
There is no point in reporting it to the police as I am paying one of them to keep an eye on my business in his offtime.
Name withheld by Request
Fiji Today FijiTodays Open Forum Blog 
Suppose that instead of paying the bribe, the business man had telephoned the FEA and asked about the $100 fee? Did he ever think of that?
Or, he could have agreed to pay the fee by a bank check in which case the FEA employee would have had no excuse to reject the check. That would have provided a paper trail.
Surely the business man could have found a way to get the power connected without caving in to a demand for a bribe. Corruption requires more than one party!
I suspect that FEA would have said there was no fee and the FEA rep would have denied asking for it and the power would have stayed off for several weeks. The cost of fighting this type of corruption is normally more than the cost of paying it. Definatly not condoning it but it is an everyday event in doing business in Fiji today.It is also probable that the FEA rep would be paying a kickback to his supervisor to protect his ass.
I am not surprised at the figure of $160 per week in corruption and suspect this would be considered normal in a medium sized business.
What can we say? When the mother of crimes is the source of power for this regime, the conditions under the illegal regime is just rife for underhanded, dark,under-the table and unscrupulous deals or “sweeteners.” Frank and Kaiyum and their supporters are reaping the benefits of their coup. Nothing has changed for the better.
Corruption is what happens in dictatorships? What is the surprise?
The two recent biggest corruption scam of the junta is:
1. One billion dollar waila city development scam-no tender and will cost tapayers many billions at the end of the scam and is end of fiji tapayer to pay the kickback deal of the junta.
2. The many millions kickbacks paid to the junta for the staged licence issued for the CASINO with no tender, future democratic government must investigate this corrupt deal and cancel the licence and kick out the casino owners out of fiji and gail the junta players in this corruption.
Yep. With the collapse of the rule of law, the certainty over income and ownership of property breeds corruption.
It is cyclical and it comes from the top down – the military regime is breeding a sense of despondency and desperation in everyone in government and in the business community.
It gets worse as times go by – with no investment they tighten their belts and expect people to exist on the same wages – they are forced to be corrupt because there is no alternative.
Corruption is entrenched into both the Fijian and Indian psyche it has nothing whatsoever to do with this current regime in fact this type of corruption has been around for a very long time.
Qarase and his band of rogues took it to a new level.
Fijitoday said, “The cost of fighting this type of corruption is normally more than the cost of paying it. ”
That would be true if only a few people made an effort to fight the corruption. However, if a large number of people refused to accept corruption, then the amount of corruption would greatly diminish. The corruption problem is not exclusively the fault of the dictatorship. Rather, the willingness of too many people to condone the corruption is more to blame.
If the majority of people in Fiji who condone corruption instead steadfastly refused to accept corruption, the corruption problem would cease to exist. So, to those of you who complain about corruption while paying bribes, I say that you have forfeited the right to complain about corruption; you are equally to blame!!
@Jeke showing signs of being brainwashed.
I am no supporter of SDL or LQ politically, but when one keeps repeating the same thin line and to date there’s been no evidence of corruption, I really think you are a dumbass parrot repeating Baini’s line to justify your dumbass coup.
Corruption was never part of the Fijian psyche, Indian yes, everything depended on bribery.
Fijians had used the concept of kerekere, give today knowing that later on when you leqa you can expect reciprocity back. But all that changed when the money-minded people arrived on our shores and everything has been all about money, money, money!
Coupyourass.
You just another of those idiots open your eyes Fijians are just corrupt as Indians if not worst.
Led by your uncle Lai.
Kerekere my arse trying to justify your existence.
@Jceke
Corruption is an eastern/western concept, terms such as “curry favour” came from such practice. Like the mynah birds you resemble, it was brought by Indians who needed favour. Fijians never had it cause there was no money to start off with, and money is not everything in the Fijian psyche.
@Jceke
Feel sorry for your arse after all the rear butting initiation by Naliva and his mob.
Coupyourdaddy.
Your idiocy precedes you Fijians never had money so therefore they cant be corrupt you need to pull your out of your rectosigmoid.
@ Jeke
Stop being an idiot. Don’t you find it embarrassing?
The SDL and Qarase are long gone – yet you continue to flog the imaginary dead horse – they were replaced by your heroes, the dictator who now rules Fiji, who is now worse than the SDL were – but you have no excuse for his behavior? Why?
Similarly, you have no criticism for him either? Why?
Your cock-eyed world view reveals your ignorance and prejudice – why post anything at all if all you have to say is how much you didnt like the SDL?
It just isnt relevant Jeke – no matter how much you want to talk about the SDL – which probably also indicates how afraid you are of them (which is very strange, unless you work for the regime – then I understand…)
Radio.
Stop being an idiot. Don’t you find it embarrassing?”
Find what embarrassing? The fact that Fiji is in a worst state now than it was under Qarase?
You fricken joking aren’t you? Because all this pain and suffering the people are now enduring was brought on by none other than your mentor and his morally corrupt thugs.
Bainimarama might not be the brightest blub amongst the rest but at least immoral and illegal as it may seem he is trying very hard to right the wrongs of past masters.
“The SDL and Qarase are long gone – yet you continue to flog the imaginary dead horse – they were replaced by your heroes.
Let’s get one right these usurpers will never be my heroes, you seem to have missed the point deliberately it’s got nothing to do with the SDL or Qarase per-se but has everything to do with what they left behind.
I am a great advocate of Social teachings of the church where people regardless of colour greed or denomination are equal, when you have time which I know you have plenty of read this article “Rerum Novarum”
Then maybe you will understand where I am coming from.
“Similarly, you have no criticism for him either? Why?
Are you sure about that? Under an alias I have had my fair share to castigating Bainimarama and his regime up until I visited Fiji over the Christmas holidays where my perception of this regime had changed only because I have seen firsthand people although struggling to make ends meet were at peace with themselves just like a massive burden was lifted.
“Your cock-eyed world view reveals your ignorance and prejudice – why post anything at all if all you have to say is how much you didnt like the SDL?
There is nothing wrong with my perception of world views as far as been prejudice you have the wrong guy.
“It just isnt relevant Jeke – no matter how much you want to talk about the SDL – which probably also indicates how afraid you are of them (which is very strange, unless you work for the regime – then I understand”
All things considered it was relevant than as it is today, although the regime is trying their hardest to pacify the people there will come a time when they will be made to account for their errant ways.
As far as being afraid well my boy I had served in two wars being thrusted into an active theatre of war you soon learn very fast to close your qanibulu and grow four testicles so you see neither this regime nor you SDL party would scare me one scintilla.
joke,
You almost made me choke with laughter whilst reading your diatribe above.
If you are the best that the green goons can come up with, then it is easily understood why Fiji is going backwards.
ex Fiji tourist aka Mark Manning.
I expect noting less form an sheep shagging idiots but than I dont deal with toy soldiers.
When are you and the likes going to get through your inbred minds that I am not and never will be part of this regime.
It alright for dickheheads like you to have an opinion however its works against all morality for me to have an alternate view.
I knew there is there was something quite not right with you disturbed mentality so do us all a favour and stick head up your pet sheeps recto.