pn 925. Fiji: Pot calling the kettle black — Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and Biman Prasad over USP

 

Prasad (L), Sayed-Khaiyum (R)

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It's incredibly difficult to differ with someone without the argument becoming personal, and the heated exchange in Parliament last Wednesday between Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad about the University of the South Pacific proves the point.

 Prime Minister Bainimarama might rightly accuse the Opposition of personalising politics but as the saying goes, it takes two to tango.  Sayed-Khaiyum  said "unfortunately for Prasad he is very personally linked to USP." Thus, presumably, debarring him from commenting on the sorry relations between government and the university which, at least partly, have been caused by Sayed-Khaiyum  who has no links with the university. I doubt links or lack of links explains either position.

The exchange occurred during the right-of-reply debate on the Budget when Sayed-Khaiyum read out an anonymous letter regarding allegations of abuse of office and corruption by the USP Human Resources division such as promoting people with limited experience, fancy job titles, Indians favoured for promotion, and advertising and appointment procedures being only a formality.

What is interesting here, apart from the accusations and the fact that the government with Sayed-Khaiyum prompting has not paid Fiji's financial contribution to the university for three years (F$78.4 million), is that government says it is waiting for an independent review of alleged malpractices, although according to USP staff unions there have already been four reviews, none of which found Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pal Ahluwahia's administration guilty of malpractice.  I argued in a previous posting (pn923) that if these reviews are not sufficient, Government should conduct its own enquiry. Instead, it has used an anonymous letter — hardly the independent or verified source which it demands of the university — to justify its position.

If alleged corruption at USP  is the sole or real reason for the withholding of funds from USP for three years —and has nothing to do with personalities!—  one must ask would the government also withhold funds from the Water Authority and Air Fiji in similar circumstances, leaving the country without water or planes in the air? I think not. The review and service would both proceed simultaneously. 

Fiji has previously accused "big brothers" Australia and NZ of putting pressure on the smaller nations of the Pacific Islands Forum to achieve their own ends. Fiji reacted by forming the Melanesian Spearhead Group.  But now Fiji is applying its own "big brother" pressure on other Pacific Islands countries whose students attend USP and which they help to fund.  Fiji's actions on USP sours relations with countries it needs to work together with on issues such as climate change, maritime protection and trade. The PM needs to ask Sayed-Khaiyum to reflect on the goodwill it has lost as a result of his actions against  USP.

Recently in another context, Sayed-Khaiyum warned that "every single independent institution will be under threat by any other political party that comes into government", failing to note that at least one institution, USP, is already under threat from his government.

Disclosure. I am an Emeritus Professor of USP and worked there in the 1970s and 1990s. The person who nominated me for this honour was Professor Biman Prasad.

And as an aside, we note that opposition party  SODELPA  is on a 40-day fast, thus strengthening its iTaukei and Methodist roots,  to enhance its chances of winning the forthcoming election.

Such is Fiji. 

-- ACW