Speeches - Fiji Government Online (www.fiji.gov.fj)
PM's Speech at Press Conference, 24/2/08
Feb 25, 2008, 08:20
Good afternoon Ladies and gentlemen.
It is good to be back home.
First let me start by making a short statement on the allegations as reported in the Fiji Times yesterday in regard to the Minister of Finance.
Just before I came to this press conference I received a letter from the Minister of Finance in regard to the allegations made.
I should point out that when this same matter was first brought to my attention I had taken action on this. I had instructed FIRCA to undertake an investigation and report to me. That report had categorically stated that there were no breaches of the Income Tax Act by the Minister.
Not withstanding that, Mr. Chaudhry has today written to me, inviting me, as Prime Minister, to carry out, yet once again, any necessary action to establish the truth.
Mr. Chaudhry has further suggested that the findings of any such further investigation be made public.
It is my understanding that Mr. Chaudhry will be taking legal action against the Fiji Times and others.
I acknowledge with appreciation Mr. ChaudhryÕs commitment to ensuring transparency and good governance.
I have called this press conference to clarify a number of misconceptions. Misconceptions that have always been created in the minds of the public by a select few:
the usual opportunists and corrupt people. I also want to address the fallacies and deliberate misinformation spread by certain sections of the media.
While I was away the usual power hungry people who have no qualms in dividing the nation for their own political gain took the opportunity once again to incite.
They did this by making seditious comments that were gladly lapped up by media personnel who have an axe to grind with the Government.
Despite repeated attempts by the Government to explain the reasons for taking certain actions for the improvement of the nation, the media still misconstrues by deliberately ignoring the ethics of a responsible media organization.
We also have the recent case of an opinion columnist in the Fiji Sun masquerading as a regular correspondentÉwriting front page stories. So blatant has been the Fiji SunÕs disregard for ethics that these lead stories have explicit opinions contained within the article.
These little tricks are getting out of hand and that is the reason why we have called everyone here to explain to you in detail once and for all the truth that continues to be misconstrued and disregarded by most sections of the media.
Land
Much has been said about the recent report on land usage by Dr Krishnamurthi.
Let me state categorically it is only a recommendation. That is all.
We in Fiji have had hundreds and thousands of reports and recommendations.
Most have not been followed or have been modified.
There have been recommendations on land, on the GCC, on indigenous administration, on municipal councils, on our constitution, on our electoral system, on our bus stands, on our drains. Some have been followed and most have been shelved or rejected out right.
Let me state categorically that no de-reserving of indigenous land will take place if it does not give any economic benefit to indigenous Fijians.
It goes without saying that the land owners need to consent to the de-reservingÉ.the media knows this, yet it deliberately ignored this when first reporting on the Krishnamurti report.
It is a report only and it needs the consent of the NLTB and the landowners before it can be implemented É..It is as simple as that.
I want all indigenous Fijians to know this. This is a fact.
So why is it that when no decisions have been made and landowners have not been formally consulted, that Fiji TV, Fiji Times and the Fiji Sun, are all reporting it as if the Report has already been implemented? Why?
Why this distortion? Why this misrepresentation? Where is the supposed balanced, intelligent analytical and responsible reporting? Why are they continually fanning the seeds of discontent and misconception?
Why are they feeding the people of this nation false information and then waiting on the sidelines for this misinformation to be lapped up by devious politicians?
Politicians who quickly attempt to poison the minds of our people publicÉ.. just so that their message of hate and disunity can be lapped up by the media once againÉ..one conniving body perpetually feeding off the other.
Where are the publishers, the editors, the sub-editors, the journalists and the media council who are ready to talk about and defend media freedom yet failing to get the basics of professional journalism right? Where is Daryl Tarte and the Media Council in all of this?
Why is the media rolling out the usual suspects, the opportunists such as Ratu Osea Gavidi, Ratu Ovini Bokini and Ro Temumu, Taniela Tabu, Pramod Rae and a number of disgruntled chiefs and pseudo chiefs to incite people on so Ðcalled indigenous issues and rights?
Even Mick Beddoes who should know better than to be hoodwinked by simple journalists and sophisticated lying politicians has also joined the fray.
These people are attempting to cause disquiet. These people are spreading misinformation and attempting to incite people by falsely appealing to their emotions, culture and traditions.
They are not telling the truthÉ.they are liars.
IÕll tell you why they are doing this. They are doing it for their own gain. They have been politically marginalized and they are trying everything to get back to power. Shamelessly getting back to power at whatever costÉeven if it means by instigating strife and confrontation between our peopleÉ.
Let me tell the ordinary indigenous Fijian people and all indigenous Fijians who want a prosperous life; who want equality and justice; who want sustained economic growth; who want water in their taps, and electricity: people like Ratu Osea has not, has not, I repeat, despite given the political privileges, brought any positive change in your lives.
This is the same Ratu Osea who was going to bring 6 billion dollars. We are still waiting for it.
Ro Temumu was a minister in the Qarase government. What real and sustained benefits did she bring?
It is during her term as minister in the Qarase government and during the chairmanship of Ratu Ovini Bokini that NLTB lost millions.
It was during her term as Minister for Education that the vice chancellor of USP was getting hundreds of thousands dollars without having to pay proper taxes.
During the term of the Qarase government millions of dollars of indigenous Fijian monies was lost through fanciful schemes in the Vanua Development Corporation which flowed into Ballu KhanÕs controlled Pacific Connex.
These companies squandered more than 12-million dollars of which 3.5 million dollars were extinct mataqali funds.
Those funds are now goneÉ.finished.
The NLTB continues to lose money. In other words the common ordinary indigenous Fijians did not get and do not get what they deserve.
Did those so-called guardians and leaders of the indigenous Fijians, blink an eye? Did they stop this wastage of indigenous Fijian money?
The answer is a big fat no.
Today, class A shares in Fijian holdings is mainly held by well connected indigenous Fijian individuals or their family companies.
The provincial councils own only class B shares. The provinces are the intended beneficiaries but in reality they are not. This means that the commoner indigenous Fijians have lost out.
Why has all this happened?
Because a handful of indigenous chiefs and the elites have taken the commoner indigenous Fijians for a ride.
They have for years only sought political positions and supremacy for themselves and their families - to the detriment of the commoner indigenous Fijians and the nation as a whole.
They have always blamed someone else, most times the ÔkaiindiaÕ, even though some of their best friends are the rich business indo-fijians.
But the real losses, the real detriment have been caused by our own people.
We as indigenous Fijians have to wake up and realize that our lives will not improve simply because we allow some chiefs and the elite to hold political positions.
Our lives will only improve when we all work together as a nation, when we appoint people and chiefs to positions of power who have the real interest of the country at heart, who will have the interest of the commoners at heart, who will want socio-economic improvement for all.
GCC
Let me turn to the controversy whipped up by same people about the new GCC regulationsÉ...
But first let me state some facts about the GCC.
The GCC was created by the British in 1875. The GCC at that time was called the Native Council.
The Native Council which subsequently was called the Council of Chiefs and then the Great Council of Chiefs was presided over by a European Ð a British colonialist.
The GCC met and conducted its affairs only at the behest of the Colonial Government. It was an apparatus of the Colonial State.
In 1944 when the Ordinance in respect of the GCC was changed with the assistance of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, the chairman of the GCC was the Secretary for Fijian Affairs. The Secretary was the equivalent of the Minister in the Colonial Government.
After independence the chairman of the GCC was always the Minister for Fijian Affairs.
This continued until March 1999 when RabukaÕs Government changed the regulations before they lost the elections. The amended regulations allowed the chairperson to be appointed from amongst the council members.
So, since 1875 until 1999, the person presiding over GCC meetings has always been the Minister or the equivalent. And for a good period of time, in particular during the colonial era, it was not even an indigenous Fijian, let alone a chief.
Let me tell you something else. Vatiliai Navunisaravi was a commoner and Minister for Fijian Affairs for nearly 5 years and therefore also chairman of GCC.
Sitiveni Rabuka a commoner after changing the regulations in 1999, became chairman of the GCC. A commoner who also became a life member, something which no other person, including a chief, has enjoyed.
The question again is where were these people who are now objecting to the minister for Fijian or Indigenous Affairs becoming the chairman? Where were these people when you had commoners as chairpersons? Do these people know that the GCC was created by the British and that they ran the GCC?
It is utterly pathetic to see Fiji Times write articles on the current GCC regulations without even informing the readers that the minister being the chair is the rule, rather than the exception, given GCCÕs history.
Such ignorant journalism, ladies and gentlemen, deliberate or otherwise, is now prevalent in our country. It has reached alarming proportions.
The task team that was headed by Ratu Cokanauto, found in their consultations that the majority of the provinces wanted the GCC to get its mana back, in other words the status of the GCC had eroded over the years. They wanted that status back.
The manner in which the GCC reacted to RabukaÕs 1987 coup and its position in the 2000 overthrow of the duly elected Government were major examples of its politicization.
Given this track record, the position the GCC took in 2006 was surprising. The very people who were keen to abrogate the Constitution, and actively participated in removing democratically governments in 1987 and 2000, suddenly became the advocates of parliamentary democracy and the upholders of the constitution.
Therefore, the Cokanauto task team recommended that the GCC become apolitical. The report in this regard suggested that the president, vice president and the PM should not be members of the GCC. It also said that the membership of the Minister of Fijian Affairs be reviewed at a later date.
This is the only substantive instance in which the current regulations have deviated from the recommendations of the task force.
The Cabinet subcommittee which reviewed the Cokanauto report recommended that the Minister for Fijian Affairs should continue to be a member of the GCC and be the chair.
The Cabinet subcommittee was of the firm view that the inclusion of the minister as a member and chair would provide a direct link between the GCC and the government of the day, and the office of the President.
Such a move reflected the importance the subcommittee accorded to the GCC in national affairs. So the reason for the inclusion of the minister was to give more prominence to the GCC and its place in our modern day society.
It is of course logical that the mere presence of a minister out of the 52 members does not mean that the body becomes political.
But of course this has been twisted by the Fiji Times, by Fiji TV and Fiji Sun.
The usual suspects Komaisavai, Ro Temumu, Osea Gavidi, Rabuka, Mick Beddoes and others were rolled out by the media.
It is the Minister for Fijian or indigenous Affairs who is the Chair of GCC not Voreqe Bainimararma.
What this means is that one is not entitled to the chairmanship because of who you are but because of the position you hold.
I assure you that Voreqe Bainimarama unlike commoner Sitiveni Rabuka will not become a life member of the GCC.
The Minister under the regulations does not choose the 42 members from the provinces or the 3 members from the Rotuma Council. He simply appoints the members after their names have been submitted by the provinces and after they have met the criteria set out clearly in the regulations.
It is the provinces through the Bose ni Vanua and the Rotuma Council who will chose their members to the GCCÉ. not the minister!
So the MinisterÕs right to appoint is to ensure that the criteria set in the regulations are met.
It should also be noted that the regulations allow provinces to refer a wide range of issues to the GCC.
It also states that should the minister not be available to chair the meeting then the members shall elect a person from among their own number to act as chairperson at the meeting.
All this is very simply laid out in the new regulationsÉany one can understand itÉ.but once again certain sections of the media and some politicians are deliberately spreading detrimental false information.
Corruption
Let me now turn to corruption.
FICAC has laid a number of charges against certain people from the private and public sector.
Most of these charges have arisen after the auditor general or a special audit was conducted into the affairs of a company or individual.
One example is the former CEO of AFL.
Now that so many charges have been laid and the cases are coming before the courts you will now see two developments.
First lawyers and people closely connected to accused persons will start to attack the credibility of FICAC either directly or indirectly.
Second the same people will attack and seek to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
Some will do so publicly and openly, while others will do so secretly. They will use friends and connections in international and overseas agencies, local civil societies, in the business community and mates and sympathizers in the media.
These people will undertake such actions to distract the public from the real issues in all of these cases.
The real issue is the evidence and the related events.
All charges laid against these persons have been laid only after concrete evidence has been painstakingly gathered and scrutinized.
Indeed it is only after this exercise, and after there is a belief by FICAC, that a genuine case does exist, has FICAC laid charges.
You will find that the many detractors of FICAC are those who are either associated with accused people or are themselves implicated or potentially implicated in corrupt practices.
None of the charges that FICAC has laid have been created under any new law. All charges laid are under the Penal Code which has been in existence for the past 50 years or so in Fiji.
Some of the detractors of FICAC, and parts of the media, are connected to these accused people and are working hand in hand to undermine FICACÕs work.
Accordingly those trying to delay the hearing or trials through constitutional challenges should, if they believe their clients are innocent or are being politically attacked, go to trial.
Do not take the easy way out.
These people are answerable to the people of Fiji. They have held senior positions in our society and have in general terms abused the trust and monies that were entrusted to them.
The charging by FICAC is not political expediency as Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi says. What it does show is that this government has the political will to tackle corruption.
I am amazed that people like Ratu Joni, who was a former high Court judge and is hailed by some NGOs as a good leader, has the cheek to write recommendations for Alice Tabete to the New Zealand government to allow her to stay in that country while she is wanted for potentially breaching the law in Fiji.
The breaches have not been pulled out of thin air, they have been shown in special audit reports and the auditor generalÕs report.
For years the independent auditor general comes out with his findings but no concrete effort is ever made to charge persons for fraud, abuse of office or basic theft.
For years there was discussion that a corruption commission should be set up but no one did.
For years the public begged the government of the day to do something about the corrupt who without any conscience ate their,.. the tax payers moneyÉ.but nothing was done.
Organizations like Transparency International made approaches to the Qarase government to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption but the Qarase Government did notÉ.it did not have the guts.
This Government has done all of this.
This Government has the political will to tackle corruption.
We should now let the courts decide as to the guilt or innocence of the accused bearing in the mind the presumption of innocence.
People like Graham Leung should stop writing letters to the editor vouching for peopleÕs character when they have already been charged. I am surprised that a person of his supposed standing as a senior lawyer is taking such action.
Indeed what he is advocating is that because someone is rich we should not charge him or her. In other words if you are poor, and are not well connected, you bear the full brunt of the law. If you are rich and well connectedÉ. donÕt worry.
I warn the media that in the past, when rich and well connected people have been charged with criminal offences, they have attacked the prosecution and the courts to try and obscure the evidence. Do not be used by them.
I know some of the media outlets are connected to these people. Certain sections of the media have already shown their lack of independence and partiality.
I caution the public that when you read news paper articles, watch TV and listen to the radio, remember these people have their own agenda. ThereÕs a reason why these people are so strongly opposed to every bit of good this government is trying to introduceÉ..they fear they will be exposedÉthey fear this Government will succeed.
Just like those politicians who fear that if our government is successful in bringing about changes then the common people will see past their smokescreen of lies and deceit.
They fear that people will stop believing in their rhetoric about racial supremacy, about land takeovers. They fear no one will believe them when they spread lies about indigenous Fijians being displaced from their land. They have a lot to loseÉthey are extremely desperate.
I urge journalists to think about the nation, about your future, and the future of everyone in this country, and of what we are trying to achieve.
Do not get fooled and swayed by some within your industry who have an axe to grind with the government.
We know the media industry does not pay wellÉthat YOU donÕt get paid wellÉ..the solution to this lies within your industryÉ.it does not lie in venting or in getting used by some within or outside your organization.
Strive harder to recognize the truthÉ..do what you are supposed to doÉ..be fairÉtell the public the whole truthÉ.that is your responsibility.
ItÕs a responsibility that is needed now more than itÕs ever been needed in the history of our country.
Our people deserve the whole truth, donÕt be carriers of false news or half truthsÉ.be fair and be just - just as this government is trying to be with all of the people of Fiji.
Two weeks ago the Cabinet approved the payment of an additional 4% for unimproved capital value on top of the 6% allowed under ALTA, to land owners.
This means that the landowners will get more money because this is the premium they deserve.
Government will provide this top Ð up.
We have also informed NLTB that they will not take out their 15% poundage from this additional amount. Therefore this additional money is going directly to the landowners.
This is a step to address the many wrongs of the past. But again, unfortunately, the media failed to give it the prominence it deserved.
There was much more attention on a PROPOSED report than on a reality that will significantly benefit landowners.
I have also in the past two weeks informed the NLTB Board that it needs to be more accountable to the landowners. The NLTB is there for the landowners not the other way around. NLTB will undergo an audit.
In the next few weeks you will see some major initiatives regarding the benefits for landowners from our mahogany forests.
You will also see significant improvements by the end of the year in the organization of service through the water and road departments.
We are here tackling decades of neglect and mismanagement and it will take some time and effort to carry out this most important task. However this government has the political will to do so.
We are not here to hood-wink the people, we are here to restore services, we are here to improve our country, we are here to make our people rise above petty politics, to think as one people, people who are proud and concerned about their country.
We want everyone to strive towards a new beginning where everyone will forgo petty and racial politics; where everyone will have better socio-economic conditions; have more jobs; become better educated and be proud to be called citizens of Fiji
Éa country we all are proud to call our home.
As we head towards elections this Government, my Government, is setting the platform for good governance and better delivery of service to our citizens.
This standard must be maintained by the elected government. Our people will expect that.
I urge the media to realize this. This is not the time for petty politics. We as a country are at an important juncture. All those who call this country home, who love this country, must and should show their allegiance to our country.
This is the time. We must make a strong and independent Fiji before elections can be held.
I urge you all in the media, sincerely, to stop these double standards in reporting, stop getting used by people who want to conceal the truth by dividing our nation.
You have a responsibility to report all the facts, the full storyÉ.uphold your ethics, uphold it now before the same forces of division again succeed in spreading misinformation and lies.
Our country is too important for all of us to allow that to happen.
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