pn920. Fiji's Coalition Government Looks Very Fragile

Lydia and Sitiveni. 

The largest party in Fiji's Parliament is Oppositon party Fiji First, the party of former PM Voqere Bainimarama and former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum.  

Government is made up of a coalition of three parties, the largely i'Taukei (ethnic Fijian)-supported People's Alliance (PAP), the National Federation Party (NFP)  supported by many Indo-Fijians, and a rump taukei-nationalist SODELPA party. 

At the last 2022 election PAP and the FPF party needed the three SODELPA MPs to form the government and for a while it looked the three were not unaminous about joining the Coalition.  There was one dissenting MP, probably Aseri Radrodro who has been very much in the news lately, mainly because of his sordid affair, "brutal sex and sharing drugs, with Lynda Tabuya while on an official government visit to Sydney. Aseli's wife was a few rooms down the hotel corridor while the two entangled.   

Lynda, a former Hibiscus Queen, now 52, divorced with six children, is the Deputy Leader of the Coalition and Minister of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation. Aseli was Minister of Education until he was sacked a few days ago for "disobedience"on a matter unrelated to his dalliance  by PM Sitiveni Rabuka. 

SODELPA insists he be reinstated and Rabuka says he may be reinstated "sometime." Whether this will satisfy SODELPA is as yet unknown. They could accept it or shift their support to Fiji First bringing down the government.   The Fiji Government looks very fragile.

Another incident adding to the fragility is the dismisal of Assistant Deputy of Public Prosecutions British-born and long Fiji resident Elizabeth Rice  by the acting Director of Public Prosecutions, illegally appointed John Rakuka, because she is "white". He is supported by Attorney-General Siromi Turaga, who want  an i'Taukei as Assistant DPP. 

Ms Rice is taking the matter  to court for wrongful dismissal. What makes this situation even more serious is that Ms Rice was about to prosecute Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum for misconduct and her replacement is far less likely  to win the case which would be a victory for Fiji First and yet another display of the Coalition government's instability.

How long this can go on is unclear but at this stage the signs are that the Coalition could well lose the next election.

Note: The sex and drug story has been poorly reported by the Fiji media but has been well covered in social media's Victor Lal's Fijileaks and Graham Davis's Grubsheet.   Check them out if you want the nitty-gritty.

-ACW