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

Monday 10 October 2011

FijiVillage.com - Fiji's home on the world wide web

FijiVillage.com - Fiji's home on the world wide web:

10 comments:

NO MANDATE said...

Croz,

Surely you can't let this stuff be published without comment.

"Ratu Epeli added that Government has kept its promise to build consensus on the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Prosperity." Come on who is he kidding. Complete parts of the charter have been completely ignored. Also there has be no consensus building since the abrogation of the constitution. In fact quite the opposite. Fiji has been in complete lock down with a PER that stops all alternative view and inclusive dialogue seems to be all but forgotten.

"He added that Government has been mandated to carry out and continue with the reforms that began in 2007"

Oh here we go again with the "mandated". Even those who agree with what this government is doing can't claim they have a mandate. They do not. They do whatever they want and they answer to no one. This pretence that they have some sort of mandate really gets under my skin (and generally I am a supporter of some of the changes).

At the end of the day this is a military government put in place by the military when the military used its guns to throw out the previously elected government. The only government that has a mandate will be the newly elected one in 2014...provided it is a fair election, provided new parties can form early enough and provided they are allowed to have platforms that include alternative views to the military. And finally only if the this military government steps aside and does not run in those elections because it has shown itself not to be capable of allowing any other though than its own,

Anonymous said...

Sorry Mr President you do not have a MANDATE !!!!

Yea yea said...

I would add we are a long way from being independent. Fiji is 100% at the Mercy of the military and the military government. Sadly even after 2014 I doubt we will be free of the military. I am yet to see a single sign that the military intend to withdraw from the public service. In fact their numbers grow by the day.

And what about independent thought - not tolerated, not encouraged and down right dangerous to individuals who can so quickly be labelled anti- government.

Lots needs to change before 2014 but I see no evidence anything is. It makes me doubt if the military and government even believe in democracy. It would be a big step if they could change. In the current state they have it easier than any government has inn the the last 40 years - no need for debate or consultation and they can decree anything they want and not even through the courts can it be challenged. No checks on spending, salaries, incentives. No need to work with unions or community groups. Yet despite all this there progress has been painfully slow. How the he'll would they get anything done if they didn't have decrees, per and the military ?

dinge said...

Ah yes, here it is again. The pretence of some sort of mandate ! Who remembers our self appointed PM claiming he was forced to take over government. Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish. No one forced them and the only madate they have is their own plans and they seem to change at a constant rate.

Why pretend ? Everyone knows the military consider themeselves above the law. They are the "new eleite". They do as they please. Look at the Francis Kean case to see even the courts can't catch them when a man is killed by their own.

sara'ssista said...

this would be the same 'Mr President' that was illegally appointed, by an illegally self appointed 'president', who then succeeded in his current role after being confirmed under a military regime??

Anonymous said...

I would love to see the President and/or PM interviews and asked to explain their "mandate" !

While the interview is at it perhaps they could throw a few finance questions to the PM or a few on the suger industry. He holds both portfolio's but appears to know nothing about either.

Anonymous said...

Effectively what is being insinuated is that the Qarase Govt was mandated to be undemocratic because it was democratically elected! Democracy is not only about the method of election but also system of governance. The worst is when Govts' get legitimacy through the ballot, like Mugabe of Zimbabwe, but engage in pernicious practices, culling those that do not belong to their camp.
Agree that there are excesses and this is no different to what Rabuka did. Such Govts' cannot be measured with the tape of democracy, as they ascribe to different values where freedom and rights of people are curtailed to achieve certain goals and objectives. Fiji is in a relatively better position with approval rating of the Govt at 66 percent. Such rating should be the preserve of the democratically elected Govts' but few do because they are not only inept but corrupt too.

sister saras said...

On the question of mandate, I think it is in order, as per the late Prez's wishes. Was the late Prez. illegal himself? I dont think so. The "doctrine of necessity" clause in the cons. says so. Had the late Prez. executed the Appeals court judgement, we would have already voted in another "DEMOCRATIC" racist govt. As another poster mentioned the 66%, may I ask, "If this is not a mandate, then what is it?"

Is a dozen or so attending RUM's meetings a mandate of some sort?

devil said...

.....the late President was under the control of the military - he reported to them not the other way around. Also for the coup to happen he was removed from power by the military. He was convenient for the military until they could put their own man in place which they did.

Certainly this government would have you beleive they have only acted on some sort of mandate from the president but only a fool would beleive that.

sister saras said...

".....the late President was under the control of the military"

It should read, "The late President was the commander in chief of the military". He did what he did under the "doctrine of necessity" clause. 66% are happy with that, and it is good enough for me too. Amen