Page 11 - IB June 2019

Cover Story

Members of the USP council with Prime Minister Charlot Salwai (sitting at centre with garland) in Vanuatu Photo: Supplied

university council agreeing at its May meeting in Port Vila that Anniversary year of USP. Not giving him a full second term was
another investigation, independent to that of FICAC, be launched a reflection that Council was not fully satisfied with his perfor-
to look into issues raised by the Ahluwalia report. mance,” said this former Councillor.
This investigation will come under the purview of Thompson’s “The leaked report speaks to the failure of both [the ex-VC]
deputy in the USP Council, deputy pro chancellor Aloma Johans- and Winston to effect a management transition. Prof Ahluwalia
son. She said in a media statement released by the university on was at USP for two months leading up to his start date of January
4 June that this independent investigation would start on 20 June 2019. He never had a face-to-face meeting with [ex-VC]. Winston
and its report should be ready by 16 August. was asked to facilitate a transition process, but he never did it.
What she did not mention in that media release was the direc- It’s a complete failure of leadership function and duty of care of
tive she issued in a general circular to all staff of the university on the organisation.”
3 June, where she instructed that “all actions, documentations or While the council met in Vanuatu, a small group of academic
any matters related to the subject giving rise to the investigations and administrative staff and students at the university’s main
of past management decisions must not be in any way altered campus in Fiji, held a rally to voice their strong support for Pro-
or touched.” fessor Ahluwalia.
She further ordered that all internal investigations into the mat- They called for an independent and thorough investigation on
ter cease until after the independent investigations are completed. matters Ahluwalia had raised in his report, and that all those im-
plicated in the report (which included Pro Chancellor Thompson)
Reacting from the region ought to be suspended during the duration of the probe.
It is believed the New Zealand Government has been at the For its part, the USP Students Association issued a general
forefront of the calls for an independent investigation. Its repre- circular to students assuring them that the Association is working
sentative made this very clear at the Council meeting in Vanuatu, with the new Vice Chancellor to ensure that the extensive publicity
and it was through New Zealand’s insistence that Pro Chancellor generated by the leaked report does not impinge on their studies
Thompson was asked to let his deputy take the lead in overseeing or affect the looming final exams.
the investigations. New Zealand’s concerns were confirmed in a Islands Business spoke to Professor Ahluwalia in the prepara-
Radio New Zealand news report on 24 May in which its foreign tion of this cover story. But the interview was only granted on the
minister Winston Peters said: “We’re concerned of course for condition that the leaked report should not be raised. “As you
the outcome for the students, for the viability of the operation know these matters are under investigation and I am explicitly
in the first place but we are in the present moment trying to find barred from speaking about them,” was what he told us by email.
out what the answers are, what the causes are and what the Because his report was off-limits, IB was unable to seek
explanations are.” Ahluwalia’s response to the assertions made by his boss, Pro
As we went to press, we were told that the Australian Gov- Chancellor Thompson. But the Kenyan-born academic spoke pas-
ernment is withholding its promised F$85 million (US$39m) sionately about his ambition to take the USP to greater heights,
contribution to the university until the independent investigation with the ultimate aim of breaking into the enviable position of
into the allegations raised by the Ahluwalia report is completed. the world’s top 1000 universities.
We have been told that out of the scheduled $7 million (US$3m) “For the benefit of our staff who work so hard that they should
first tranche, Canberra paid only $3.5 million (US$1.6m). be recognised that they are working in an institution that is world
A former member of the USP Council who spoke to us on the class. It is also about getting that recognition and you want to
condition of anonymity has told Islands Business of how the keep that kind of company where you are recognised as be-
Pro Chancellor and the former VC of USP blocked discussions ing amongst the best universities. In the world there are about
about reports that reflect unfavourably on them or certain senior 25,000 universities and I would like us to break in to that top
members of the faculty. 1000 universities in the world which will be very, very fitting for
“When [the former VC] had his midterm review to assess if all the hard work that has gone before me and the work that is to
he was to be given a second term (of six years), it was decided come, it is really to recognise the hard work that our staff does.”
to offer him only three years, bringing the total of his tenure to To break into the top 1000 institutions, Professor Ahluwalia
nine years. Subsequently, Council extended him to cover the 50th said USP will need to fulfil several criteria. He says one, the

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