Page 8 - IB July 2018

Whispers

at DPP Fiji. During the hearing, his fellow political wilderness of despair and hope-
Fijian Solicitor General Udit Jay submit- lessness,” that prompted a response, this
ted an affidavit from yet another Fijian, time from a retired Colonel who acts as
Secretary for Justice, Graham Leung but staff officer to Rabuka in his current role
withdrew the affidavit the moment defence as opposition SODELPA Party leader:
lawyers applied to cross-examine Leung. “When you start a fire, be prepared to feel
the heat… That was only the first volley,
t more to follow.”
t
Drug-starved hospital
Stateless Samoans Assurances by Solomon Island leaders
Bad news for American Samoans and about restocking of much needed drugs for
other Pacific Islanders seeking automatic the country’s largest hospital in the capital
US citizenship in this remote American are apparently falling in deaf ears as social
outpost of a territory in the South Pacific media is saturated with reports of the drug
with the ruling by a state court in Utah shortage continuing unresolved. Now that
that courts do not determine citizenship, campaign has heightened with calls for
but the US Congress does. Three American the removal of the country’s minister for
Samoans had gone to court to argue that health and his permanent secretary. The
they should be US citizens by virtue of the influential Forum Solomon Islands Inter-
fact that they were born in the American national on Facebook has supported calls
territory. They cited the 14th Amendment for heads to roll and has said that it would
of the US Constitution, the clause that be writing formally to Prime Minister Rick PNG’s loss, Samoa’s gain
deals with citizenship, submitting that Houenipwela for the removal of the two So the story of how Samoa’s leading
without US citizenship, they are effectively senior health ministry officials. daily coup-ed one of PNG’s leading scribe
stateless. is a story you won’t be reading in the
media headlines any time soon, but Alex
t Rheeney, one time editor-in-chief of Post
t
Courier in Port Moresby is now working
Frying ‘Fijians’ at the new headquarters of the Samoa Ob-
Is it a case of jumping out of the frying server in Apia. He arrived just in time for
pan straight into the fire for this small the newspaper to move to new premises
but growing group of Fijians that are part with open space seating and top of the
of the expatriate community in Nauru? range Apple computers. He apparently will
Reportedly fleeing the asphyxiating work be co-editing the paper with the Observer’s
environment back home, these group of long time editor Mata’afa Keni Lesa. His
highly qualified professionals in mainly reputation as a no-nonsense news hound
law and public policy are increasingly that won’t settled for the doctor’s spin in
finding themselves embroiled in the some- Waigani had won him the new job for a
times controversial affairs of the island Soldiers in war of words newspaper that has a chest full of awards
republic. When Fijian high chief, the late With Fiji gearing up for general elections for its fearless stand for free and indepen-
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi died last year as at a date still unknown, the war of words dent media.
the sitting Chief Justice of Nauru, another has already begun and it is fascinating
former High Court of Fiji succeeded him. to watch the exchanges between former t
Likewise when the Fijian Public Legal comrades in arms. So when former Fiji
Defender was moved across to become Di- military commander now Prime Minister Media’s double talk
rector of Public Prosecutions, his successor stated in his budget address that “when Talking about the media … a veteran
at his old job was another senior counsel you look at the charts, one factor stands journalist was recently invited to head a
from Fiji. Both the Solicitor General and out as having an even more devastating regional media grouping that has given
the Secretary for Justice are also Fijians. effect on the Fijian economy than cyclones. itself the watchdog role of media freedom
That factor is Sitiveni Rabuka. The Fijian and independence. Its all well and good if
t economy suffered its biggest blow in his- it wasn’t for a minor snag. The invitation
tory after his 1987 coups,” the ‘SR’ factor apparently came from the same source that
Fiji’s enigma in Nauru who is also a former army commander and demanded her resignation with immediate
The Fijian enigma or is it that good old former PM replied: “PM Bainimarama’s effect not too many moons ago. Reason
Karma is the whisper doing the rounds claims are mischievous and show the given was that she was no longer work-
in Nauru following the recent high profile breath of his level of education since he ing in “mainstream,” making her tenure
court case involving the so called Nauru has been coddled throughout his career. as head null and void. But fast forward
19 – a group of islanders including former As his senior and commanding officer, I to 12 months later, the position has just
parliamentarians charged in relation to a will continue to show respect and leader- been made available and the chief scribe
protest outside their parliament house in ship to my junior officer.” The exchange was invited to return. Her response could
2015. John Rabuku as DPP had to appear prompted a former junior officer to vent not be republished here.
for the state, assisted by another senior on social media: “You are both taking
lawyer from Rabuku’s previous work place this country further into the gutters and t

8 Islands Business, July 2018