PRESS RELEASE (No. 2 of 2014)
DPP TO WITHDRAW CHARGES AGAINST UNIONISTS
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Christopher Pryde, has decided to withdraw unlawful strike charges against trade unionists Daniel Urai, Peni Finau, Sikeli Gavidi, Isei Levula, Merewai Vocevoce, and Akariva Nawai.
The six accused are members of the National Union of Hospitality, Catering and Tourism Industries Employees Union and were charged in the Magistrates’ Court under section 177 (d) of the Employment Relations Promulgation 2007 in relation to an alleged unlawful strike at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on 31 December 2013.
“I have reviewed the charges and the evidence and I am satisfied that no offence was committed. Accordingly, we will be filing a withdrawal of these charges when the matter is next called in court”, Mr Pryde said.
The matter will next be called in the Nadi Magistrates’ Court on 17 March 2014.
9 comments:
Of course it was a party to the prosecution . . . give your head a shake, Croz.
What are you implying Marc? You know as well as Croz and everyone else that our judiciary in Fiji is completely independent and consistently delivers fair and unbiased rulings without any interference of the government. Many international legal bodies as well as ILO's resident representative in Fiji have officially certified to that effect. Our constitution provides for rights of assembly and rights of unions and thus the prosecution had no case. Chris Pride did the right thing dropping the charges and he achieved a win-win outcome by doing so. The signal to pernicious unionists is clear: You break the Essential Industries Degree and you will be dealt with. One the other hand we retain the option to drop charges if there is risk of political backlashes and international condemnation.
forget the judiciary for a moment . . . prosecutors work for the Attorney General, who IS the government at the moment . . . next perhaps Croz will try to convince us that white is black or down is up . . . even Grubby wouldn't attempt a deception so monstrous
It is true that the prosecutors work for the AG. However, the AG is a much beloved man of great dignity. Talk to anyone in Fiji and the outpouring of love for the AG and his family will be evident.
"This sort of thing is not good publicity..
Is that what all things boil down to? Publicity.
Croz, will you ever admit that your judgment has been wrong? Will you ever concede that you have been misled?
You have the chance to use your blog for the people of Fiji. It is time you removed your rose coloured glasses and employ just a little bit of objectivity.
What we have her is about an unlawful arrest and detention. Not a misconceived "publicity" stunt.
It was no great act from Pryde. He simply had no choice. Any further and they would have had a malicious prosecution as well.
You say the government were not a party. That is plainly wrong. The police were acting on instructions from someone.
Sorry Croz. We all know that you think Frank, the AG, Gates and Pryde are men of intellect and integrity.
I beg to differ. What will it take for you to see these criminals as they truly are. Destroyers of democracy. Builders of foreign debt.
Marc, you have over played your hand. Croz is evidently delusional. Grubby is simply a whore.
Croz is absolutely right: Such things are bad publicity and cannot be construed to be human rights violations. Every government has the right to rough up its opponents and this is what we see. These agressive unionists deserve a good beating.
Ahh, the chameleon marc edge. Is this the same marc edge who condemned the media development authority as authoritarian, only to lodge a complaint against a journalist with the very same authority, thus legitimising it? This is whorism at its worst, not to mention a monstrous deception.
Edited version of interesting viewpoint posted on coup 4.5:
Why so many coups in Fiji? The answer lies in the national character of Fijians and its three major philosophical pillars: Kerekere, lamusona and liumuri. kerekere is the expectation of unearned income (handouts) without investing any effort. Bainimarama played to this aspect of Fiji’s national character. With little of no dignity the masses keenly lap up the crumps thrown by the rulers.
Closely related to the desire for unearned income is the deeply ingrained fear of authority and the general cowardice that is so evident both amongst the general population and their rulers. The legendary cassava patch sprint of Bainimarama is as impressive as runner done by Mara who had the chance to change the game as commander of Fiji’s largest military unit the 3FIR. In line with lamusona philosophy he decided to run to Tonga.
Lamusona is perhaps the strongest single characteristic of Fiji’s population, which is quite obviously not prepared to take even the smallest risk in return for some dignity or self-respect. The entire population has cowered down and hopes that somehow, someone from Australia or elsewhere will change things around. When Qarase had the chance to mobilise the population against military dictatorship, he begged Australia for intervention instead of taken up the fight.
The third pillar is liumuri or backstab. While the average Fijian does normally not have the opportunity for liumuri, the elites have. Those urban professionals who have lost their jobs and their influence under the Bainimarama regime want to get back at the ones that have taken away so much from them.
It is tempting to see race as the key to Fiji’s political instability. The large Indian community has remained culturally distinct from the ethnic i-Taukei community. Most institutions are either predominantly i-Taukei or predominantly Indian, creating a divide prone to widen in times of political and economic stress.
At the community and individual levels, Indo-Fijians and i-Taukei coexist harmoniously. There are historic tensions within the Indian community based on income levels that echo the religious, regional, and caste differences in their country of origin. The desire to backstab a competitor is as strong in the Indian community as amongst the i-Taukei.
Tensions within the indigenous Fijian community come not just from historical rivalry of clans and confederacies, but also from the stresses of a communal society that is adjusting to the pressures of a modern economy by trying to backstab competitors. It is clear that the socio-cultural fabric of our society provides the most attractive environment for military coups and dictatorship.
What the F.....you want to prove Annon when you dont know the difference betwen mango and apple?
Putting Frank, AG and Gates in the same box! Come on idiot, Gates is more intelligent and ofcourse man of integrity than AG and his boy Frank.
The other fellow you mentioned is a MONKEY.
Remember the saying: you pay peanuts and you get monkey - Pryde is that Monkey
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