Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. (René Descartes, mathematician and philosopher,1599-1650)

Thursday 19 August 2010

Comment Quality, Dorsami Naidu, Rural Electrification, Poverty, Land Safe; Forget Elections

CRITICAL BUT HELPFUL. Thank goodness. The quality of comments to postings has improved  with critical but helpful and forward-looking comments once again outnumbering the  totally negative and unhelpful. Thinking... Not Sleeping again leads the pack with the observation that those commenting on "progress" or the lack of it are talking past each other because they are talking about different things. Top Five Top Spin Items also makes what I think is a valid criticism of Government, and comes up with what they could say.

Both these readers are, I think, basically supportive of what Government says it intends to do.  They are just not very impressed with some of the ways they're going about it. The saddest and most disturbing feature of the present political scene is that Government has given very little indication that it welcomes the opinions of people who, with only a little encouragement,  could be its friends.


DORSAMI IRONY. Fiji Law Society president, former MP and anti-government critic Dorsami Naidu  has been fined $1,500 and $1,428 costs by the country’s Independent Legal Services Commission for professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct. The irony is that he has also been ordered to undertake ten hours of study in conveyancing, real property and practice management with the syllabus to be approved by the Chief Registrar. This ruling was due his being found guilty of overcharging in billing an estate failing to inform a buyer that the land he was purchasing was co-owned. Justice Connors said Naidu’s conduct calls for a “small monetary penalty rather than a public reprimand in the light of the position he holds within the legal profession ...[his]  conduct is in many respects concerning and whilst it does not display dishonesty it shows a lack of appreciation of practice management principles and the obligations of legal practitioners under the Trust  Account requirements.There is also displayed a disturbing lack of understanding of conveyancing and real property principles."

VILLAGE ILLUMINATION. Two remote Naitasiri villages with 182 families  switched on their lights for the first time last night. Taking electricity to the villages cost $145,000 and is part of the Roadmap.

HEALTH RECOVERY. Some health charges will increase soon to help recover costs and improve health services. Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma said " We also need to upgrade, so all of these issues need to be factored in. The fact is that nothing comes free in this world. We have to be able to provide quality services at all costs.” Increases have been made to the Medical Certificate and Report fees, dental fees, X-Ray fees, and laboratory charges.

POVERTY ALLEVIATiON
.The Poverty Alleviation Ministry is waiting for submissions from minority groups to finalise the definition of poverty in Fiji’s context. Poverty Eradication Unit head Tokasa Leweni says the minority groups were not well represented during the consultation in the central, west and the northern division.Leweni says they anticipate finalizing the paper for Cabinet approval next month.

LAND SAVED. Speaking to the Lau Provincial Council yesterday, the PM assured the i-Taukei community that no one is going to take their land away from them. The new Land Use Decree is intended to make more land available for productive and social purposes. Landowners will benefit as more land would be utilised. "Government is also mindful of improving its service to maritime islands," he added.

Earlier,  Commissioner Eastern, LtCol Ifereimi Vasu urged Lauans to help find answers to the ongoing out-migration that could see the islands' population decimated.He acknowledged that out-migration cannot be stopped but can be minimised, even though the driving force for the movement seems to be the quest for higher education. The challenge, he said, is to convince those in the villages to remain there and use the abundant natural resources to lift their standards of living. Funds allocated for development in Lau would depend entirely on population and demand.

Forget elections, Bainimarama told

http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=30094 Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Taken from / By: FBC News
The people of Lau have told the Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama to forget elections and concentrate more on development.

The province indicated their support to Bainimarama and urged him to continue developments for the country as they have witnessed the work and promises fulfilled by the Government for the people.

FBC News reporter Sekope Toduadua filed this report during the Provincial Council meeting which started yesterday.

"Lets forget about elections and lets focus on more and more development.

Those are the words of encouragement and support from the people of Lau province to Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama as he officially opened the two day Lau Provincial council meeting yesterday.

Speaking on behalf on the people of Lau, the Turaga Tui Ono Waisea Davuiqalita from Onoi-lau Island says they feel their cries have been heard.

He says the people of Lau are satisfied that Fiji is back on track and they have witnessed the development and what government is doing right now.

Davuiqalita says promises by government have been fulfilled and projects which were in the pipeline for 4 years have been completed.

He says now – the people of Lau look forward to and support government’s corporate plan to move the country forward to 2014 - according to the Strategic Framework for Change.”

The Lau Provincial Council meeting is being held at the Arts Village in Deuba and ends today.



Prime Minister,  You should immediately quash this report.  If you don't, it will be distorted  like the Lomaiviti comment.   You should use the opportunity to reaffirm your decision to hold elections no later than September 2014.


And News Reporter Sekope Toduadua, you should be more precise. Who exactly said "forget about elections"? One person, several, the people of Lau, or just those attending the Provincial Council meeting?  Or is this merely what you read into the Council's support for Government's development activities? Your report makes the Prime Minister a sitting target for the overseas media and those who say he does not want elections in 2014.

3 comments:

sara'ssista said...

Again, why is this regime requiring advice on how wand when to speak they are apparently not politicians despite their behaviour and pork barrelling, they are not standing for election , but hang on he might. they fighting corruption , but none too pleased about any scrutiny of their own spending and practices and apparently can't speak without contiunally undermining their own credibility...and this is with a PER in place. and then blame everyone for misunderstanding. Croz , you are always pleading for tother too look forward, fair enoguh, but the direction we are looking is tqwoward elections and this regime , this so-called leader takes every opportunity to give every impression he doesn't take this remotely seriously and appears to find election 'inconvenient to his big vision'.

Anonymous said...

M.B.N

On the reporting from Lau I suspect this is the media now doing what they think the government wants them to do - open ended support and endorsement for the PM, no matter what.

The PM in turn loves to hear this and I worry he will gradually use this to defer elections further.

I find it ironic that the PM is now chasing chiefly support when he has been critical of chiefs directing their people to vote a certain way. The message he should be preaching is don't listen to your chiefs - make your own mind up and individual vote count. Ah... but if the chiefs support him I guess he won't mind the old ways, it's only when they are against him.

Every speech he gives should re-affirm 2014 election and his own and the military's withdrawal from government and promise to respect the rule of lay in the future. Eg no more coups, especially not by the military.

sara'ssista said...

So now the censors and the journalists don't know which way or whichn opinion to report....see the problem with PER and censorship???