Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the head of the Fiji Government, is guilty of massive hypocrisy in his attack on Fiji’s Constitutional Commission over the appointment of Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi as a short-term consultant.
Bainimarama claims the Commission is not transparent in its operations. He has issued emergency amendments to a decree governing the commission.
This decree now requires the commission to publish the names and salaries of all its staff and consultants.
Commodore Bainimarama claims that Ratu Joni has a conflict of interest because he was a member of a delegation that made representations to the Constitutional Commission calling for Fiji to be a Christian state. The Bainimarama regime has dictated that Fiji must be a secular state and there will be no negotiation on this.
It is scandalous that Bainimarama should be denouncing the Commission and Ratu Joni in view of his government’s notorious lack of transparency. He is also in no position to condemn anyone for alleged conflict of interest when he is totally compromised over the procedures for drafting and adopting a new constitution.
The emerging rift between Bainimarama and his Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, and the Constitutional Commission was to be expected.
Bainimarama now realises that the Commission is a threat to him and that through its consultations with the people, he has lost a degree of control. The views expressed to the Commission indicate popular discontent with his government and its failure to cater to public needs.
In the interests of the transparency that he now pretends to champion, Commodore Bainimarama should immediately disclose his own pay and that of all his Cabinet members. He has previously refused to do this.
Commodore Bainimarama should also reveal the arrangements for payment of Cabinet salaries and the role of a private accountancy firm in this. He needs to reveal whether the principal in that firm is related to his Attorney General.
He should immediately explain why he will not release the auditor general’s reports on the finances of his government for the last five years. It is the mark of a dictator that he does not feel compelled to tell the people, whose tax payments he is using, how their money is managed.
As the announcement for the 2013 budget approaches, the long-suffering public expect Commodore Bainimarama to tell them what measures he will introduce to make the Fiji budget process more open and accountable. His Government has been judged internationally to have one of the least transparent budget systems in the world.
Following his call for the Constitutional Commission to give details of payments to its consultants, the public will now anticipate Commodore Bainimarama revealing the level of payments to all government consultants.
He should immediately confirm the monthly fee paid to the international public relations firm Qorvis, which specializes in cleaning-up the images of dictators. Can Commodore Bainimarama confirm that Qorvis is still paid at the rate of $US40,000 a month? Or is it now being paid extra?
It is disgraceful that his government should be allocating large sums for an expensive PR consultancy when it cannot find the funds to maintain roads and bridges. But that is the way dictatorships work.
The taxpayers should be told why there is no transparency in the issuing of some contracts for civil works.
Why are major contracts regularly awarded to a few select companies from China and Malaysia?
Commodore Bainimarama has knowingly placed himself in a position of severe conflict of interest by seizing the power to appoint the members of the proposed Constituent Assembly.
The Assembly will decide on matters that directly concern and threaten him. From Commodore Bainimarama’s perspective, therefore, it is imperative that he should personally control appointments to the Assembly and try to influence its decisions. It is this group that will decide on such issues as immunity for crimes committed during and after his 2006 military coup. He is very much aware that the people are opposed to immunity.
The Council for a Democratic Fiji again warns the international community that Commodore Bainimarama is not to be trusted. He is a dictator in a very difficult position who must, for his very survival, attempt to manipulate Fiji’s return to constitutional government to serve his own ends. In doing so, the entire process of constitutional reform and elections is likely to fall far short of acceptable international standards and further penalise the citizens of Fiji.
Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara
Council for a Democratic Fiji
Cfdfiji.org
Fiji Today FijiTodays Open Forum Blog 
Common Baini, open up and reveal everything if you have the nerves. In simple words, you must do what you preach.
Well said Carlton and CFDF – the regime loves to blame anything and anyone – but never accept any criticism or see fit to be honest about anything that they do. Shameful.
Funny that the Certificate for Hypocrisy might be the only qualification that Frank has ever obtained…
Radio Ubangi.
And whats your qualification apart from repeating the tired old mantra of despisal?
Instead of wasting your useless time prostituting yourself blogging why don’t you get a real job?
Oh, that’s right Frank took away you job,
Frank Bainimarama – the dictatorial ruler of Fiji – has been very true in following the way of the dictator viz; giving himself and his cronies exemption from any regulations relating to accountability and transparency. That’s for all the people in the country without political power to follow. They have power. They have the guns. That dictates their conduct. Not democratic values and norms – although they do not shy away from frequently paying lip service to democratic ideals. Hence all the rigmarole about a “Peoples’ Charter” and a new Constitution for Fiji and all that .
But thinking people in Fiji are not fooled. They see through the hypocrisy.
The Certificate for Hypocrisy is a most fitting achievement for Fiji’s tinpot dictator.
The son of a great thief who made millions at the expense of ordinary fijians. A tongan who was ruling fiji.
There is no room for chiefs/corrupt thieves in the new Fiji Constitution.
It is no surprise at all that Bainimarama attempts to control the commission and the outcome of its work. From his perspective it was never such a good idea to start the entire process. You can’t have it both ways: Either you are an autocratic dictator or you are a democrat who promote inclusiveness and participation. Frank in his eye watering stupidity believed that he could legitimize himself through the consultation process. But apart from his own kids submission and those of a few hangers on, the general public proved to be very critical of the regime. In the end he will dismiss the entire commission as a waste of time and the constitutional assembly appointed by him will vote for Khaiyum’s constitution. His problem will however, be the same: Nobody is going to believe in this charade.
Cmon Frank bring to their toes and do things only the way we need to be cheers
@ Qio ala qitawa
All of the Fijian chiefs that matter have Tongan descendants
Chief that matter not your fire chief or small village chief
Luveni yali tamata macawa
Sai drau veivutu ga kei Voreqe drau leveni macawa.
Anon.
Mudou, drau vei tauri kau mada kei Radio, drau yavu veivutusona.
The nerve of bai to do the exposure on the Constitution Commission members whilst hiding his own undeserved unjustified renumeration through the manipulative cash cow nur banao. It does not matter what the members are paid as they are doing something whereas bai is paying himself enormously for barking vain and empty threats and ruining the country. He once again through this action prove himself a hardcore dictator. bai must let the process be indepent of any influence least of all himself in order to gain credibility. He is showing signs of losing his grip as things are not going according to his wishes.
LMAO. Without a doubt RUM takes the Golden Turd award.
@flyhalf
Dabeca mada na mua ni nomu Golden Turd Award, lamao
no other way
to describe this self-appointed self- serving skunk
who imagines himself as a popular national leader
even as a national hero
a gold star hypocrite
koi yasayasa… well said and too true.
yeah RUM no credibilty and a coward to boot. Run jump hide. Used the Estonian friend in Fiji to face the music. Some friend. Worse than a south Indian baigani peddlar.
@KZ
May be you should suck RUM’s topy