The pensions the PM was talking about were entitlements under the Parliamentary Retirement Allowances Decree 1989, the Prime Minister's Pensions Act 1994, the Judges Remuneration and Emoluments Act and the Pensions Act. They were not the universal contributory pensions administered by the Fiji National Provident Fund.
Fiji Village.
An alert contributor to my earlier post on this topic pointed this out in "Comments" and I amended the post immediately. It will probably take those who rushed in to condemn the decree a while longer to correct their error -- and some, quite deliberately, will never correct it. Damage done is damage won.
The PM, however, cannot escape responsibility for allowing his vague off-the-cuff remark on pensions to be misinterpreted. He should have anticipated the misunderstanding and been more precise. He should also not have allowed the error to fester and spread for two days before correction and clarification. The inaction has played into the hands of his opponents.
Readers commenting on my initial post identified statements by Leweni, Khaiyum and the PM, all made in the last few days, as publicity disasters, and all said Government is in desperate need of a good public relations officer. I agree. Cartoon: Sportszone.gif
Footnote: a reader (see Comments) said it was the journalists who reported the interview and not Bainimarama who was "vague." If so, my apologies to the PM but the main point still stands: Government must improve its public relations or risk continuing misunderstandings and loss of support, nationally and overseas. Croz
7 comments:
A news item I just read on stuff.co.nz disturbs me and should alert Bainimarama to be careful in re-establishing this diplomatic relationship with New Zealand.
Fiji MUST do all its effort to kill the PACER Plus agreement. I repeat Fiji MUST KILL Pacer Plus.
Pacer plus is not PACER. Pacer plus was designed by New Zealand and Australia for New Zealand and Australia.
Fiji must NEVER be signatories to any trade agreement that will destroy its economy. Fiji MUST lead Pacific island countries in the fight against Australia and New Zealand political and economic hegemony.
New Zealand and Australia have just implemented Plan B on total Pacific hegemony by trying to re-establishing diplomatic relationship with Fiji.
The whole reason behind New Zealand's move was because of Fiji's threat to totally cut itself off from Pacer Plus in 3 months time.
I repeat Fiji MUST kill PACER Plus.
@ Croz
Bainimarama wasn't vague about stopping paying pension. The journalists and reporters themselves who interpreted what he said were made it vague and confusing.
I think it was on Monday or Tuesday morning early this week when Bainimarama was talking on a Fijian radio station explaining about this pension payment. That's where I heard the whole thi ng explained clearly.
How reporters and journalist misinterpreted what Bainimarama said goes to show how clueless some of these people are.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3234628/Keep-up-efforts-for-Fiji-despite-threats-says-McCully
This is the link to the Stuff article mentioned by The Max.
Croz,
I know you don't like to give publicity to the rabidly anti-Bainimarama blog rawfijinews but the site has not been updated since December 22.
It could be that the person(s)behind it is/are on an extended break.
But there is also word on the street that the authorities have finally cornered the main man.
They have, apparently, kept it hushed up as well.
Perhaps some of your sources can verify this for us.
Halle-bloody-lujah, if the rawfijinews report is true. The site has been peddling misinformation and smearing individuals who aren't steadfastly anti-regime right from the start. It isn't "news" but propaganda masquerading as fact. Raw sewage would be a better description for this lamentable corner of cyberspace.
I'm of the view that the creator/administrator of RawFijiNews is or are agents of either New Zealand and Australia.
When the original goal of the blog failed, that is to incite the Fiji public to rise up against Frank and remove him and the military from power, they merely stopped the blog and move on to the next phase or Plan B.
The ultimate goal of New Zealand and Australia is total political and economic hegemony over the Pacific Island countries. One way of doing that is through the PACER Plus so the move by New Zealand to re-engage Frank and restore diplomacy was simply the next step because Plan 1 failed.
Now people might say I'm a conspiracy theorist but the evidence of what I'm saying to be the truth are as clear as a midday sun.
It's very simple to pierce together what the two countries have been doing to achieve their ultimate goal of hegemony over the Pacific island countries. They place bans on anyone who takes up a permanent secretary or judiciary position in Franks's government. The ban extends to the families of these people.
The whole idea of these bans were to discourage intelligent and well-qualified people from helping Frank run this country well.
Australia and New Zealand demonize anyone who stand in their way of achieving hegemony over the Pacific. One classic case was the Julian Moti Affair.
Now these are all part of a grand plan of total control of the Pacific island countries. I can point out one by one exactly every bits and pieces of these plan because it is easy to detect.
Frank's stand or defiance of Australia and New Zealand's atittude towards him and his government is worthy of praise. Frank's stand has all the signs of a great Pacific leader, moreorless, a true revolutionary.
Political science students of the Pacific MUST pay attention closely to what's going on.
While I feel for citizens of New Zealand and Australia who have made the Pacific their home and have set up businesses out of a genuine love for the Pacific people, their very own government is working against them by trying to exert hegemony over these small island states.
There are many other things to be said and exposed I just don't the time to write all of them here but I'm pretty sure, the people up there in the camp knows all these.
From here on, let's see what this restoration really means because if the ban on government officials and their families still stand, Frank should pull out of restoring diplomatic ambassadorship. These talk about "we are friends of the Pacific" by New Zealand and Australia are just all hot air. Their ultimate goal is just lying below the raider which by all means, is nothing about friendship. it's domination and subjugation.
Oh I forgot to mention, Frank is standing in the way of New Zealand and Australia to achieve their geo-political goal of hegemony over the Pacific. This is why the bans were put in place for people who accept important positions in his government.
What New Zealand and Australia were simply trying to do was deny Frank highly intelligent and experience people who can help him achieve his goal for Fiji.
Frank's vision and goal for Fiji is actually the solution to the problem we have been facing in the last 20 years. So New Zealand and Australia's policy towards his government was simply aimed to deny the realization of this plan. The ban has nothing to do with restoring democracy. Restoring democracy was merely used as a cover for the ultimate goal.
Post a Comment