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

Thursday 8 March 2012

News and Comments Thursday 8 February 2012. International Women's Day

Fijian Sisters
MARCH 8. The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty. This Weekend Readings will include an IWD address in Suva by Nazhat Shameem. In FijiLive today she said the Fiji justice system has let women down.  

ROBBING PEOPLE OF THEIR INDIVIDUALITY  AND HUMAN WORTH. "When we stereotype people, male or female, and of whatever ethnicity, when we make assumptions about them on the basis of their gender, their sexuality or their race or religion, we rob them of their individuality, and their worth as human beings."-- Nazhat Shameen

AUSTRALIA REVERSES A STEP BACKWARDS. At about the same time as the Australian parliamentary opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop  was calling for a new direction on Fiji and open dialogue with the island nation,the new foreign minister Bob  Carr had already started to  reverse six years of hard-line Labor policy, most of it led by Kevin Rudd,  against the Fiji government. Carr is travelling to NZ today to discuss the 2009 exclusion of Fiji from the Pacific Forum and other Pacific matters with NZ PM John Key.  Changes that may be considered include bars on entry and transit for government people and their families and the lifting of a blanket ban on military cooperation and supplies.

In Fiji,foreign minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola responded with, "With regard to media statements about Australia reconsidering its relations with Fiji, we have always been open to dialogue with Australia, but given the history of Australian policy towards Fiji, we are in a wait and see position. Fiji remains committed to its path of creating a new constitution and holding democratic elections."

See also Graham Davis's "Rollback on Fiji Begins" in Grubsheet.

A TOP CHINESE ENVOY  was in the country yesterday.

PROSECUTION DOES NOT MEAN INDEPENDENT. I don't know where FijiToday got this idea from but it's quite wrong on the role of a public prosecutor. "Fiji’s Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde is meant to be an independent Judicial official but releases a 'Government Statement'. If he is working for the government then he must agree with Mr Dodds that the Fiji Judiciary is biased."

PM to announce details of consultations tomorrow Friday

 QARASE WANTS IN. Qarese wants to be included in the constitutional dialogue and is concerned that "up to this stage even the Soqosoqo Ni Lewenivanua has not been notified. I find this hardly surprising given that the SDL was a major cause of Fiji's problems.

AND SO DOES KRISHNA DATT. Former labour politician, Krishna Datt also wishes to participate. He says that while "a review is necessary, the 1997 constitution was not the stumbling block for the previous government and that is why it was only abrogated in 2009." Curiously, he claimed "the 1997 constitution was rated as the best constitution in the world. " I don't know who made this extravagant claim.  He's right in saying the new constitution should build on the old constitution,  but I think he underestimates the changes and introductions needed.



THE FIRST OF A THREE-PART REVIEW OF THE CCF REPORT "SCRATCHING THE SURFACE" WILL BE PUBLISHED TOMORROW.

9 comments:

Ram Sami said...

Qarrase, Datt and others of same ilk

Please stay retired. We need new leaders to build a Fiji where evryone is included and no one feels left out.

Anonymous said...

Qarase wants In

Yeah sure, more attempts at releasing George Speight and bringing back the old divisve politics of ethnicity.

This guy needs to remain in his village in Lau. He does realise that the people of Viti levu will not accept another Lauan to divide us any longer. Tevita Mara, the traitor to the Tongans, included.

Qarase and his ilk coming back will cause a civil war, in which the Lauans will be kicked back to their islands...to follow Tevita Mara.

Anonymous said...

Qarase wants In

Yeah sure, more attempts at releasing George Speight and bringing back the old divisve politics of ethnicity.

This guy needs to remain in his village in Lau. He does realise that the people of Viti levu will not accept another Lauan to divide us any longer. Tevita Mara, the traitor to the Tongans, included.

Qarase and his ilk coming back will cause a civil war, in which the Lauans will be kicked back to their islands...to follow Tevita Mara.

Disappointed said...

"I find this hardly surprising given that the SDL was a major cause of Fiji's problems. "

Wow. This is a line I would not have expected you to write a year ago, Croz, but it does show how far you've come. You're implying that the current unelected government is not a major cause of Fiji's problems? Nice "journalism".

If your job is to report, then stick with that. Report.
Show me a government in the entire world that does not cause problems. The SDL was flawed, yes. The current regime is more flawed because they don't allow freedom of speech, the backbone of any mature society.

You need to keep your opinions in check, Croz. All it's doing is removing whatever relevance your blog used to have in this dialogue.

Yo Ho Ho said...

To Ram Sami:

Don't forget to include Felix Anthony. Doesn't he deserve a brand new Mercedes Benz? and our dear friend Mahen Chaudhry. Shouldn't we stop wasting precious court time and drop all charhges against him??

Gutter Press said...

I wonder if this government sees the irony in Graham Davis’ assertion that Sky could be instrumental in the easing of Australian sanctions on Fiji.

Anonymous said...

The position of the DPP is meant to be independent of the Government and take no directions over who is prosecuited. It was always a problem in Qarases time but the DPP always released their own press releases where this release was a government release. I can see where Fiji today is comming from as commenting on how independent the judiciary is with a government release looks like a poorly thought out move.

BASA

Anonymous said...

So lets assume Aus revises it stance towards Fiji, given the focus of the regime has always been what they want, and what do they get with no felxibility or dimplomacy - what exactly is in it for Aus, what are they negotitating away? Why couldnt they just leave sanctions etc in place? Why is it Aus taxpayers who have to wear the cost of any assistance to fiji, what obligations are they supposed to have?

Anonymous said...

Croz,

Where is the long promised CCF Report "Scratching the Surface"?
Your readers will be interested in its findings concerning:-

i)Current Fijian attitudes to the VKB,

ii)General perceptions of Justice under the illegal regime and

iii)Disinclinations to report witnessed crimes under the present administration.