NAIVALURUA: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT & MORE BLOG SPECULATION.Ioane Naivalurua (photo) has just signed his contract with the Public Service Commission today, so he's likely to be Police Commissioner until September 2013, but CoupFourPointFive obviously doesn't think he'll last that long.
It says he's on Bainimarama's hit list — "It is widely believed Bainimarama doesn't want Naivalurua presiding over both [prisons and the police] because he wields too much power and is therefore a threat."
Despite the blog's forewarning, PSC chairman Josefa Serulagilagi said Government was grateful to have a highly motivated, experienced and dedicated officer such as Brigadier General Naivalurua assume the role of Commissioner of Police.
“This is a very critical position in the public service, which not only demands exceptional leadership qualities and skills but also someone who is prepared to go that ‘extra mile’ in our quest for changes and reforms to build public institutions that are strong, professional, accountable and most of all entirely committed to bringing about improved efficiencies in their operations and service deliveries,” he said, adding that the Commissioner "meets these requirements given his 31 years of service in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and in the last four years the excellent work he did in the Fiji Prisons and Correctional Services.”
For his part, Naivalurua said he had "settled in the job well and had received tremendous support from within the force as well and its stakeholders in turning around the work culture, performance and professionalism in the institution to meet the expectations of Government and the people of Fiji." -- Based on 2011, No:0011/MOI).
CoupFourPointFive, however, claims that "rank and file officers have fed Coupfourpointfive with material they say proves Naivalurua is corrupt." Well! Well! We know there are some corrupt police officers and that it is part of Naivalurua's brief to ferret them out. One cannot help but wonder whether the blog's informants are trying to get their punch in first. The rank and file officers should offer the condemning material to a safe and neutral party so that others may assess its plausibility.
Given the growing list of misinformation regarding appointments and resignations from the CoupFourPointFive blog, one must also ask what steps it takes to ensure the reliability of its information — and why it never corrects its errors when proved wrong.
One further point for the blog editors. They claimed in the same posting that PSC Permanent Secretary, Parmesh Chand, has resigned. "Sources have told us that he has, as we tipped earlier, vacated the post." I checked with the PSC Information Officer. She replied: "Bula Mr Walsh, No he hasn’t. He's still at the job."
He could, of course, resign some time in the future, but what is so sinister about this? I do remember in talking to him last year he was very concerned about the travel bans as they affected his family. He thought it unfair that the bans should apply to career public servants who had nothing to do with the military or the coup. If he does resign, CoupFourPointFive should at least visit the possibility that this could be the reason.
For all of Bainimarama's doubts about this man (and his of the Bainimarama Government) he is, in my view, ironically one of the few people who has sufficient knowledge and mana to ensure that Fiji not only gets to 2014 with the People's Charter principles in tact, but also ensure the principles are embedded permanently in Fiji society.
Despite their obvious differences, Fiji would benefit if both men would step back from their former positions and explore the principles they share in common.
Unfortunately, “History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.” (Abba Eban).
13 comments:
croz
Get real
Ratu joni has significant respect nationally and internationally. Why in heaven's name would he associate himself with a dictator and a doomed regime?
what not a mention about the fact that this new regime police commissioner will be commissioner of both police and prisons as there never seems to be any qualified poeple around who are not military to take over the role. This sits well with you?? So much for extricating themselves from the entrenched militocracy that will rule fiji y=until perhaps well after 2014. 'No military officer will benefit from this coup' I still have those words ringing in my ears....
The idea that Ratu/Lord would sit down with this thug is a joke. When Baini means 'sit down chat' he means aggree with me and give me unconditional support. Some of us are not too cowardly or gutless to accept his promises, offers and threats.Ratu Loni thankfully is a breed apart, who does not have histroy of awarding himself positions, back pay, rewarding military mates, thratening others to shut up or else, bullying and knows his constitutional places in this society, should be president but to clever and naturally intelligent for this regime and they would fear his authority. Apparently these days, I am sure Croz and his coup apologists would agree that fiji today is not a place for those who have inflexible morals and principles.
@vSaras'sista... "Not a mention..." Please re-read the second paragraph where it is mentioned. No. I have no more problem, if he is as good as reputed, with him being OIC of both than I do with combined ministerial responsibilities. I do not see how this is a threat to good governance or how he "benefits" personally. Re. the military occupying these roles, we've visited this before. Lift the travel bans and more civilians would step forward. But no new position is "militarised." Both police and prisons were already led by military officers. The most important issue is how well he will do the job. His record as Prison Commissioner was impressive and my feedback from the West is that he's been stirring things up there.
@ Saras'sista ... The 'good news' is that
(1) I would welcome a thoughtful short article on your Fiji visit observations.
The 'bad news' is that I must ask you to
(2) Please stop the personal insults in your comments and innuendos and the smug assumption that only you, and people like you, speak from principle.
Words such as thug, cowardly, gutless, Croz and his coup apologists, (flexible) morals and principles do not assist discussion.
Here, here, Croz, we've had enough of the bully boys and girls of the old order like Sara-seqa-ni-noqu-ssista. What strikes me is that you go out of your way to accommodate this person, even offering to run a feature on their own experiences in Fiji. And what do you get in return? Crude insults and abuse. Yes, it's a shame that Ratu Jone isn't part of the national scene but it's his choice. He's chosen to be part of the solution in the Solomons (if there is one ), having turned his back on his homeland. Now he's a Tongan Lord. Good grief! Perhaps he can take to wearing a monocle like his blood relative King George. I don't mean to be insulting but these two aesthetes deserve each other. Neither of them likes to get their hands dirty with grubby politics, however much it's an integral part of both countries. I can just imagine them getting together to play with His Majesty's precious toy soldiers while others get on with the real thing. Ratu Jone is now sadly irrelevant for all his undoubted talents.
Well done croz
You and your cowardly coup supporters are up to their usual standard with the racist attack on Ratu Joni.
Fijians are patient people with long memories - this war is a long way from being over. There is no doubt who will win it.
Croz - you don't need to publish this. All I'd like to say to you is, is there any real need to address/dispute what's written on Coup-4.5? They tell such blatant lies - that would be so obvious to readers, I think. I'm afraid that your responding to their lies might prolong the notion that they are publishing "news" that the Fiji Govt does not want the rest of the world to know.
I lived in Fiji through the '87 coup and the subsequent "democratically elected" Rabuka govt. I will never support any coup. But I say Bainimarama's govt is serving the people very well. Their real problem is the loss of the country's biggest asset, the people. Fiji's skilled and smart citizens are forever migrating. I believe you will serve the people of Fiji Better (which I presume is your real aim) by highlighting whatever good the Fiji govt is doing and how it is helping the people. I.e. focus on the positive, the negative will die its natural death.
@ Well done Croz ... I don't see what is a racist attack on Ratu Jone by either Jone kei Joji or me. In my copy of Fiji:an Encyclopaedic Atlas which I wrote, and he launched immediately before the Coup, he wrote: "To Professor Walsh, In gratitude for the perceptive and insightful study or ourselves, ni moce mada, ko Jone Madraiwiwi."
I know he disagrees with my stance on the present Fiji situation (as I do with his) but we are both acting from principle and we both respect each other's opinion. I'm also quite sure that Ratu Jone would distance himself from your intolerance and threats.
@ Intolerance and racist threats....to acts of terrorism
There is a long-standing culture of corruption in Fiji which is under-pinned by a capacity to incite and to issue threats. Most of these threats amount to criminal intimidation and they are covered amply by the Crimes Decree #44 of 2009 and should always be investigated and charged by the Police if the evidence is sufficient. We should look at Guatemala where a Culture of Corruption and criminal violence by drug gangs and warlords (stoked by Mexican gangs from the North and Colombian drug cartel from the South) have led in 2009 to 6,000 civilian deaths. That is what a Culture of Corruption and organised crime with all this implies leads to. BBC World Service's Zeinab Badawi has just been to Guatemala. See and hear what she has to say. She interviews the Minister for National Security who confesses to an income tax rate of only 9%: completely inadequate to fund credible national security. But there must also we the will to impose national security by force, if required. The choice is stark: impunity or the imposition by force (or the implied threat of justifiable force) to secure the country. Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico are extreme examples of nations teetering on the edge. So, Fiji is actually doing far better than they despite the brickbats. Where there is a WILL there IS A WAY.
The Pharamceutical Cartel in Fiji....
Talking of cartels, just an ask around the office has proved to us that we are being ripped off by various pharmacies in Fiji. we have now begun to look out and compare notes and what we suspected for many years even is now evident: the companies which supply drugs and medicines are "out of order" along the lines of the Consumer Council of Fiji's report. Even baby milk powder may differ by a price of $10 per tin from a well-known Supermarket. THis is profiteering. If it is prolonged and endemic it is ....corruption. Price fixing is corrupt. Non-issuance of correct receipts for medicines and drugs is criminal: it puts lives potentially at risk. Time to apply the Crimes Decree with rigour and marry it to the Fair Trading and Commerce Commission legislations Once again, there is the revelation of "We are above the law - We know best". And in the process we shall fill our pockets at the Public's Expense?
Coup 4.5 have a wish bone where their back bone aught to have been.
No more no less....
@ Inspector Columbo.....
Is Peter Falk reborn? That wonderful, sleazy-looking, creepy guy in the greasy raincoat! But despite his down-trodden looks and demeanour, the 'guy had guts'. He had backbone and sooner or later....he won!
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