The verdicts of two important cases expected tomorrow - that of bail variation for Sri Lankan national Jagath Karunaratne and the verdict on Fiji Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry, breaching the Exchange Control Act.
Karunaratne is accused of sedition after allegations he and four others wrote anti-government graffiti in Nausori and Suva, in 2011.
Karunaratne wants to be able to report to any police station and to have his curfew lifted.
Chaudhry's situation is murkier.
Coupfourpointfive followers will know the charges revolve around the $1.5 million Chaudhry collected in India during a visit rallying for support for the victims of the 2000 coup.
In 2012, the Fiji High Court dropped a number of charges relating to tax evasion and ruled tax declaration charges be permanently
stayed.
But Chaudhry has this week had to answer to failing to surrender foreign currency and dealing in foreign currency without permission, a result of the Reserve Bank of Fiji saying it should've been notified about the $1.5 million and the decision to invest it in Australia.
We won't relitigate Chaudhry's ongoing defence regarding his entitlement to the money but note his counsel, QC Peter Bodor, today told the court Chaudhry admits to having it in his account for the past 14 years but has not breached the Exchange Control Act.
Bodor also said the money was always meant to help Chaudhry and his own family to relocate to Australia.
Chaudhry managed to get some of the original charges against him dropped but how will he fare this time round?
Speculation is rife that Justice Madigan, who is expected to sum up tomorrow, will come down heavy on him with some claiming he might get two years. It's also being said he was given the option sometime ago to quit politics and not go up against Frank Bainimarama but chose not, and might find himself taken out of the race.
232 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 232 of 232Part 2
Exercising the second option, stealing the elections, would raise a hue and cry from some quarters. But without a local media to amplify those voices, and without an institution outside of Banimarama's control to verify the fraud, the regime and its supporters could prevent any criticism from sticking. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Or in the Fiji analogy, if it makes a sound, how will anyone hear it, since the media will never report it!
Unless the electoral fraud is particularly blatant and egregious, the international community will look the other way. The Aussies have already signaled their willingness to work with Bainimarama, so long as the elections pass minimal international standards -- emphasis on the "minimal". And exactly what standards are those? After all, the "standards" are not very standard at all. Many authoritarian regimes have already exploited the ambiguity in standards to fend off criticism from international do-gooder governments -- always more easily accomplished when the regime rules in a country of strategic value to those potential critics. And it isn't just the Aussies, for wherever Canberra leads, Wellington follows, more or less.
Washington, too, is always looking for ways to close the gap with Canberra and is likewise anxious to end its "smart sanctions" against the regime. To be sure, the Americans ARE somewhat more problematic, because Secretary of State Kerry will not likely certify to President Obama the democratic nature of the elections if they don't pass the smell test. But in the interest of declaring victory and going home, the Americans, too, are willing to hold their noses to a certain extent.
In short, as much as the Western democracies want rule of law restored to Fiji in all its raiment, they're willing to accept even just a fig leaf if that will allow the full resumption of normal relations with Suva. And nearly any sort of election would suffice for this cynical exercise, especially if charges of fraud aren't accompanied by massive street protests.
Domestically, the aftermath of stolen elections is more easily managed than the aftermath of a postponement announcement. The theft of the elections is another reminder to the populace of their "powerlessness" before the might of the dictator. Any protests can be easily dismissed as "sour grapes" on the part of the "losers". After their certification by the courts, this Nazi regime wouldn't stint to make any questioning of the results "contempt of court", punishable by fine and imprisonment. Protests would be harder to mount against a "newly-legitimised" government, and, cloaked in legitimacy, that government would have a freer hand in quashing protests decisively.
Part 3
In short, if you cannot organise a march against a brazen bunch of usurpers, what makes you think you can against a "popularly elected" government?
The writing is already on the wall, clear for all to see. Don't pretend not to see it. We've ample evidence that this regime is already stealing the election.
The only sensible option for the opposition is to call the regime on its actions. Begin publically taking steps NOW to boycott the election. Draw international and domestic attention to the regime's unfair antics. Embrace non-violence, but show our readiness NOW to take this to the street, if necessary, to defend the right to suffrage. The regime will not negotiate with us otherwise, nor will the international community pay us any attention. International media pays little heed to words, but human drama it finds riveting.
If the regime cancels the election because of our peaceful protest, what of it? Its plan was always to postpone or steal it, anyway. It will leave us in a stronger position, protesting against an illegal, repressive dictatorship on behalf of the democratic majority, instead of in the political wilderness railing against a "newly-elected" government now internationally legitimated and claiming a democratic mandate.
When our peaceful protest is met by repression, it will unmask the brutal nature of the regime and bring further condemnation down on its head. We then simply disband, and reform elsewhere, the swelling numbers in our protests giving the lie to the Fiji Sun's claim of negligible opposition support.
Every supporter should have one question for his party leader -- namely, when do we march? The writing is already on the wall. Waiting will avail us NOTHING. We need to act NOW. Waiting until after the election is simply too late.
The Leader of an organisation, epitomises the values, creed & ethos of that organisation, particularly for military units. So if the RFMF had a coward for a leader, how does that reflect on his subordinates, sa qalamu ga, empty vessel mai cake, sa veituitui sobu mai vaka soseti!!!
Its a common knowledge that VB flopped a lot of staff courses, the one in Malayasia for example he attended with Driti, Driti passed with flying colors, even though he almost got deported for assaulting a Malayasian officer where as VB had to be given a compassionate pass.
In any other, military institution, VB would have been charged with cowardice or abandoning his post. Its not like he was up against an overwhelming force, just a well trained & determined one. Sonalevu mai cake, sonalevu kece!!!
Well its no secret that the only person who has left the newly formed political party is PDP Founder and spokesperson, Nirmal Singh. If he becomes the leader of FLP we can expect new blood, new vision and new direction for FLP. If he indeed becomes FLP leader then Khalaas, sa oti NFP/PDP will be history. Its no secret that he is popular among nearly all political parties and is known to be very close to SODELPA, Kepa and Qarase. If he becomes FLP leader then SODELPA/ FLP government is inevitable. Hopefully, if its true, he is the best person to bridge the gap between indians and fijians.
the election has but one objective: to make legal what has thus far been illegal. it will simply give the status quo the seal of approval of the international community and business will once again resume as business as usual.
until another coup ... then we will need to go through the whole rigmarole again. we have done that in the past, we are poised to do that at the present time and we will do it again in the future.
the coup culture has taken root. it will rear its ugly head again because it has not been dealt with in an honest manner . Not nationally . Not internationally.
Get real! Do you think that Nirmal Singh will accept FLP leadership after being called Knob by MPC's son RC? I doubt anyone taking leadership after so much humiliation by father and son. But i agree. If he does become the leader then FLP will make a huge impact in elections.
Nirmal Singh is the man to take out NFP and its leader Biman Prasad. FLP should come to its senses and appoint Nirmal leader without further ado. We FLP supporters demand action or we will lose people's support as Biman is a very smart campaigner who should not be underestimated.
Exactly. If Nirmal Singh and MPC can resolve their differences and he becomes the leader of FLP then he should join forces with sodelpa and fight the election in coalition. They will form the government hands down. C'mon Nirmal Singh and Chaudhry show some maturity and think of us people. I will cast my vote to Labour if Nirmal becomes the leader.
Kemudou na taxi base mai Nadera
dou vicai - sagai tiko qo na vinaka ni taukei raraba dou kauta cake tiko ga mai na cava e sa lala kina nomudou taga,,,,,
dou yadra mada dou vutulaki
My sources tell me Nirmal is very close to Voreqe and Khaiyum so what the guy is actually up to.
Nirmal has been close to all politicians and talks to everyone. He is my kai vata from Nadroga and I know him personally. I know Mr. Qarase used to take him to US when he was the Prime Minister and my kai vata in Embassy. We hosted them at Santa Rosa once. I heard that he is also close to Mrs Qarase. No harm done if he talks to everyone. Its better for Fiji.
Na taxi base mai Nadera e caka kina na deal rajah kei na volitaki mariwana.
Sa vinaka ni soli vei vatuvure tarovi kina na vei ka ca oqori
Nirmal is completely untrustworthy. That's why the Americans fired him. He's also a rank opportunist. He will gladly take over the leadership of the FLP. The FLP is quite accustomed to being led by untrustworthy opportunists.
Nirmal just wants power and the limelight. He'll cozy up poltically to anyone who will give him that.
If he leads FLP into a merger or alliance with SODELPA, then I say more power to him, and wish him well.
But if instead he cuts some deal with the regime, then I will oppose him forever and implacably.
Ok, so tell me again...Mahendra Pal Chaudhary went to Hariyana, India and collected millions under the pretext that it was in aid of those affected during the 2000 coup, and then pocketed it himself? Hahahaha!! Alrught you Labour Party supporters out there, time for a scrotum sctratch and some deep thinking...supporting a crook, weren't you!!
Just Situational Logic is right. Waiting for a phony election is getting us nowhere. The parties should unite and march. If the march is stopped, it will still make the regime look bad. It can be a dress reharsal for when we come for Frank's blood.
I hope the leaders of the United Front closely read and consider Just Situational's argument, because it's a good one. Political parties in other countries get to have campaign rallies. Fiji's opposition should try to do the same. If the rally is held, the regime will be embarrassed. If the regime forbids the rally, it will be embarrassed. It would be an opposition win either way.
This is the Truth About Native Land ie Native Landowner Now Have Zero Power Over his Land with removal of Section 185 — Power Now With Parliament Not GCC nominees who are reps of the Native Landowners.
Sa rauta mada na lasu Bai boci
Ref Aiyaz S Kaiyum’s letter of FTimes 3 March 2014 where he states that ownership of I Taukei Land rights is not a problem as it is enshrined in the Bill of Rights.
His letter is misleading as Section 28 (Bill of Rights) is vague on processes on native land. Further he should note that native land can also be alienated under long term leases. In any case, what are the effects of placing native land protection under the Bill of Rights? What is the impact on the Native Lands Act, the Native Lands Trust Act and the NLC? What is the effect of the Land Use Decree? Does it have adequate measures to safeguard and protect native landowner interests and later generations? I also recall a Decree issued by Kaiyum blocking all Deed of Cession claims. What is the effect of this on legitimate landowner claims. For example, the original Suva people moved to their current location to make way for public state use of their lands. Today, these lands are being used for real estate purposes at market rates deviating from the original purpose. Who will correct this on-going injustice? These questions need to be asked and addressed.
Kaiyum seems to ignore the fact that Section 185 of the 1997 Constitution no longer exists. Why was it removed? That section specifies that any changes to “entrenched legislation” ie Native Lands Act, Native Lands Trust Act, Fijians Affairs Act etc – must be approved by 9 of the 14 GCC (Bose Levu Vakaturaga) members of the Senate. The GCC members are nominated from the Provinces and represent the native landowners of Fiji. By removing Section 185, Kaiyum’s government has effectively rendered we, the native landowners, powerless over our own land. This power, under the 2013 Constitution now rests with the politicians in Parliament. All these changes were made without the consent of we the native landowners and as such totally unacceptable. Worse, the changes were made by people we do not know or recognise. It was not made by the leaders we elected nor were they made by our chiefs.
I urge all native landowners to read the changes carefully yourselves, analyse, discuss, share the knowledge and make a stand.
Bainimarama Statement Which Is A Lie to Native Landowners
Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has called on the public not to vote for “liars” in the upcoming general elections on September 17. He made the comments while opening a new nursing station at Yakete in Ba today during which he told the people that “liars” were spreading untruths about what is in the 2013 Constitution regarding iTaukei land. “If anyone tells you that your land is threatened in any way, do not believe them. They are trying to stir up trouble for their own political ends. They are trying to instill fear in you. They are lying,” Bainimarama said. He maintained there was no threat to iTaukei land or to its ownership and that his government has strengthened the protection of these lands.
Now that you know Mahen ChoorDhry is a dakoo wait till you see Nirmal Singh in action. Nirmal Singh is Maha Dakoo!! NIRMAL SINGH is NOT TO BE TRUSTED!!!! If we get the wind of remote chances of Nirmal is being considered, We who have thinking of returning to FLP will not look back to FLP. This is the last chance for our party to rethink and bring someone with the resemblance of any dignity so that we could help revive FLP.
Nirmal is the only hope for FLP because the guy is well respected, principled and talks on issues. Otherwise FLP is finished. He will be an asset to any party if he doesnt join FLP. The man commands lot of support. BTW, where the fark he is these days.
Forget it guys. Nirmal will never join FLP. Didnt you read his posting abt FLP leader on his Facebook. And RC Calling him KNOB. Hahaha Nirmal will be a fool to even join FLP. Why doesnt he go and sort out his problems with PDP because i know they need each other. He should saw some maturity and talk things out. Yes he is a good guy and we need people like him in parliament. But FLP and Nirmal Singh are not synonymous.
Qarase and MAHEN cHAUDHRY were framed to be removed from politica as these two would have proofed to be very strong against the thugs.
Khayium is trying to get rid of people who are a threat to him becoming the A.G.
Why aint we rich yet?simple reason cause you to lazy. Sa levu ga na gunu yagona kei na vucesa
RBF /FICAC/DPP can you bring charges againsy Y P Reddy ,Bano,Robert Khan,John Prasad,Lodia,sada reddy for money launderying like you charged former pm chaudhary.where double standard and law?.
Fiji Sun Coconut Wireless (so where the fark is he going). I dont like this bloody suspense. Make a stand Kai Vata.
Labour leader
Speculation in blogs about former PDP spokesman, Nirmal Singh, becoming Labour Party leader is like much on the blogs: Far from the facts. But it will be interesting to see where Mr Singh throws his support if he decides to stand in September’s election. He certainly raised his political profile and reputation before he ran afoul of the trade union elements in the party.
VINAKA SAKIASI DITOKA. DONT RESPOND TO THOSE GAY BUGGERS FROM NABUA.
Unanswered question
Who owns Valelawa? That is the question Dickie Bird said people in the North are asking. Valelawa is a piece of land in Labasa, which was used by the Fiji Labour Party as a “refugee” camp during the 2000 political crisis. This was where promises of resettling overseas were made. Interestingly, today no one seems to know who the real owners of Valelawa are.
Coconut Wireless
April 11, 2014 | Filed under: Opinion | Posted by: newsroom
The Valelawa block of land was rented by maichod from another Labour Party sucker. The displaced farmers were promised many things by the choorwa. That isn't all, using Farmers union money he bought a large block of land between Malau and Nagigi. Want to know under whose name? Madam Veer Mati! Does anyone know how much has maichhod put away in a Hong Kong bank- more than 10 million. Where did all these money come from? Telling lies to all in Fiji, people in India, Australia , New Zealand , USA and Canada . Is this the kind of family Fijians should trust!
TIME WILL TELL who will win... and the win will tell what is the time.. waste of time to argue,swearing and whatever is going on in this blog.. i will solve this riddle after the election...
Chaudhry is a fake Chaudhry - he's not even a Chaudhry (land lord). How did he manage to become a Chaudhry?
Fiji under the Bainimarama military dictatorship is the one other country where human rights violations have occurred.
On Sunday, 6 April 2014 7:40 AM, Rajen Naidu wrote:
Editor,
The US has indeed showed the way in championing justice for human rights violations in the country cases cited by Daniel Flitton in his excellent article 'US shows the way' (CT 6/4). There are of course many other cases calling for justice against human rights violations. The difference is one only of scale. The phenomenon is the same.
But Flitton's call is right . Australia's current political leadership should follow the US example in seeking justice for human rights violations and not be guided solely by its politically expedient and narrow and selfish national agenda.
The latter is not the way for a responsible member of the world community to act.
sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Sounds like Rajend is finally growing up and getting over his visa rejection by the Americans, which he earlier likened to a human rights violation. The Americans have followed a consistent policy in Fiji for the most part. Not vacillating back and forth here like the Aussies.
Wananavu viti!!!!!!!
Post a Comment