Such deals tantamount to land speculation, as in the Raiwaqa case where a lease was acquired on highly favorable terms and five years later sold for a hefty $19million. Last week the Chinese Ambassador Qian Bo spoke of the need…
Submissions to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights Bills 50 and 52 of 2020 Mr Chairman, before I look at the proposed Bills I wish to make a few general observations. You and I well know…
For the first time in Fiji’s history our national debt level has exceeded the GDP. It is time to ask where the borrowed billions are going :Mahendra Chaudhry, Leader Fiji Labour Party . It had become quite clear even before…
Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau shocked the nation by declaring in Parliament that the deportation of USP’s Vice Chancellor Prof Pal Ahluwalia last week, and the brutal manner in which it was executed, was not a matter of national concern. The…
It is disappointing that our regional development partners, Australia and New Zealand, have chosen to remain silent on the horrendous manner in which VC Prof Pal Ahluwalia and his wife were terrorised, manhandled and deported from Fiji. That this despicable act…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has called for the deportation order against USP Vice Chancellor Prof Pal Ahluwalia and his partner to be rescinded and for them to be allowed back into the country. “We strongly condemn the high handed manner…
“As owners of the nation’s major resources – land, forests, fisheries and minerals – it is unconscionable, indeed tragic, that the indigenous people have largely remained poor and their resources largely undeveloped”: Mahendra Chaudhry It is worth pondering why despite…
“In my view, successive governments could and should have done much more to promote the interests and welfare of the iTaukei community. It is time for us to make decisions in the best interests of our people in the Ba…
The new $5.3m Namaka market complex in Nadi has a serious issue with bird poop from nesting pigeons posing a health hazard and affecting businesses located at the market, complain vendors and operators. They are fed up with the poop…
The current controversy surrounding the final cane payment for the 2019 season vis a vis the government promised guaranteed price of $85 per tonne, will further erode growers’ confidence in the sugar industry: Mahendra Chaudhry In a statement issued on…
Two recently published reports reveal a shocking picture of the existence of a well organized racket in Fiji that commercially exploit women and children in sexual activities ranging from prostitution, pornography and sex trafficking. The first, is a US Government…
Fiji became a sovereign state, joining the comity of nations 50 years ago. But our people, as a whole, have yet to reclaim the freedoms they lost in the wake of the four coups that have dealt a crushing blow…
There is little doubt about why the Bainimarama government has not, in its six years in office as an elected government, enacted enabling legislation to check corruption and abuse of office – as provided for in its own 2013 Constitution:…
“Economy Minister Sayed-Khaiyum is dragging the nation deeper and deeper into the debt trap with his insatiable appetite for borrowings, putting a noose around the necks of our children for the future” : Mahendra Chaudhry. Alarmingly, he borrows more…
Fiji Airways Chief Executive Andre Viljoen deserves a rap on the knuckles for his comment that the airline does not respond to political statements, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. He must not forget that the people of Fiji are the…
Fiji Airways must come up with a viable rescue plan amidst concerns that borders with our major source markets, Australia and New Zealand are not likely to open anytime soon. “The national airline is unlikely to survive without a comprehensive…
The Fund is a superannuation Trust worth billions in assets and members’ savings. It must be managed to the highest ethical standards, free from political control, interference or influence: Mahendra Chaudhry FNPF embarked on a $23m retail development complex on…
“There are genuine concerns about a lack of transparency in the disclosures pertaining to the financials of the Fund’s associated companies and its subsidiaries”: Mahendra Chaudhry A full page ad by FNPF (FT 1 July 2020) proudly announcing a 5% interest…
Fiji Labour Party has called on the Fiji Roads Authority to account for the massive $3billion it has received in the last 7 years to keep our roads motorable. “Most roads are so riddled with potholes that driving on them…
Education Minister Rosy Akbar denies government interference in the affairs of USP, following the recent ruckus over the suspension of Vice Chancellor Prof Pal Ahluwalia. This is hard to accept considering that Prof Ahluwalia was specifically targeted by a top…
USP Pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson must step down forthwith as he has lost the confidence of the USP Council, and the students and staff of the university, says FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “Professional accountability demands that Mr Thompson as one of…
Well known NZ journalist Michael Field has managed to get hold of the suppressed BDO Report which looked into claims by the suspended USP Vice Chancellor Prof Pal Ahluwalia of the financial rort at the regional university under its former…
Fiji Airways is in serious trouble, there is no doubt about that. The government loan guarantee of $455m will not get it out of the woods: Mahendra Chaudhry The question is: are its current circumstances wholly attributable to the COVID-19…
The Reserve Bank’s recently released monthly Economic Review for April shows an alarming picture of economic contraction well before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation is bound to get much worse. The April review provides data on a…
Twenty years after the 2000 coup which deposed the Labour-led government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry on 19 May 2000, a lot of questions still remain unanswered, and the real conspirators have yet to be brought to justice. Also at…
In the past 2 months or so world and media attention has been dominated by reports on the spread of the COVID-19 virus and efforts to contain it, almost to the exclusion of other news. It is time, however, for…
Is there a future for the sugar industry under the Bainimarama government? How much longer before the eventual collapse? These are the oft-asked questions bothering those who have been witnessing the slow but sure strangulation of this once premier industry….
People with some real knowledge of the Fijian economy are likely to scoff at the ADB’s projection, in its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) Report 2020, that growth will improve in 2021 and reach about 3%. It has also projected the…
The Fiji Sugar Corporation has failed to meet its target for sugar production for the 2019 season. In the Corporation’s 2019 Annual Report, chairman Vishnu Mohan wrote that FSC was “envisaging” a 2 million tonne cane production and sugar output…
We in Fiji must brace ourselves for some difficult times ahead as the full global impact of the COVID 19 virus hits our already troubled economy. There is no room for complacency. So far we have been sheltered from an…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says he stands by his statement that it may be unlawful for the Elections Office to call for re-registration of all voters. He is responding to the Supervisor of Elections claim that he was “grandstanding” and…
The Fiji Labour Party strongly opposes, and questions, the new policy statement by the Fijian Elections Office that it will only accept a person’s name as on the birth certificate as the approved name to be printed on the Voter…
FICAC has refused to investigate the Khaiyum/Nur Bano link in the Rewa Dairy consultancy contract scandal but speaks now of its “mammoth vision to ensure the people of Fiji live a life free of corruption”. What gross hypocrisy, says the…
Former Prime Minister and Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has strongly denounced the decision by FBC’s Radio Mirchi to use Fiji hindi as the official medium for its programmes. “One must question the rationale and motive behind this decision to adulterate…
It is typical of the FF government to blame others rather than its own failures for the high cost of living in Fiji, says National Farmers Union general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry. Mr Chaudhry was reacting to a comment from Agriculture…
Now that the Fiji Court of Appeal has thrown out the appeal by Aliz Pacific and Nur Bano against the Auditor General for questioning the awarding of a $500,000 contract to the company, the case must not end there. The…
One is forced to ask whether Grace Road is getting government protection. If so, who is being protected here? A questionable cult group that has been accused of holding members against their will in Fiji and indulging in ritualistic violence?”…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry told the Party’s Annual Delegates Conference in Lautoka today that the government’s financial situation was so critical, it was not in a position to pay its creditors. “As a consequence of which businesses and individuals are…
The alleged physical abuse of a teenager by military officers, as reported in the Fiji Times of Saturday 19 October, must be condemned in the strongest terms, says the leader of the Fiji Labour Party, Mahendra Chaudhry. “Instances of arbitrary…
Parliament is not empowered to deal with criminal acts committed by its members: Mahendra Chaudhry Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says he is shocked by the decision of Director Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde that no charges be laid against PM Bainimarama…
“It is time to take an objective and dispassionate look at the future of the Fiji Sugar Corporation and the sugar industry in Fiji,” says Mahendra Chaudhry, General Secretary National Farmers Union: FSC AGM. Fiji Sugar Corporation has announced a…
AG Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum travels all the way to New York to tell the world that “Fiji as a small island nation was held hostage to the climate crisis”.(FT 19 July) While back at home, his government appears to be letting…
FSC should stop playing games with glowing reports of multi-million dollar mill refurbishments and high crush figures when none of its three mills is performing to industry standards. Despite the highly upbeat reports by FSC’s chief executive Graham Clark, it…
Fiji Labour Party has called on the FCCC to inquire into the secret FEA/EFL agreement with Telesource (Fiji) Ltd and its successor Pernix (Fiji) Ltd, to operate and maintain its diesel stations at Kinoya and Vuda. Details of FEA’s agreement…
Energy Fiji Ltd’s (EFL) bid for a 17.27% increase in electricity rates is unwarranted and must be strongly resisted. Such a substantial increase will have a debilitating impact on the economy. It will further fuel inflation and raise the cost…
Energy Fiji Ltd’s CEO Hasmukh Patel is misrepresenting facts by claiming that EFL has lost $100m over the past years because of a decrease in electricity tariff in 2013, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. Speaking to members of the Nadi…
The Fiji Government is misleading the ILO Conference currently underway in Geneva with commitments by its Permanent Secretary for Employment and Industrial Relations Osea Cawaru that his government will uphold trade union and workers rights. These rights were under assault…
National Farmers Union president Surendra Lal was arrested at his home around 6pm Monday and held in custody at the Labasa Police Station all last night. As far as we know he is still in custody. He was not allowed…
The chickens are definitely coming home to roost for Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. The lavish spending of the past 12 years, growth based on unsustainable levels of borrowing and consumer spending, instead of the productive sector are now becoming evident…
With $12.5 million of tax payers’ funds involved in the project, it should have kept close audit on financial expenditure, insisting on accountability and transparency throughout. Fiji Labour Party hopes that all those implicated in the Lagilagi Housing Estate saga…
Energy Fiji Ltd’s bid for a 17.6 % increase in electricity rates is unwarranted and must be strongly resisted, says Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “Such a substantial increase will have a debilitating impact on the economy. It will…
Cane farmers must now seriously consider whether they want to continue cultivating cane faced with the continuing low cane prices,” says National Farmers Union general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry. “FSC announced a shockingly low forecast price of $53.69c a tonne for…
AG Khaiyum dodged replying in Parliament to queries by the Opposition Leader on a matter indicating a scam saying government does not respond to leaked documents. That is untenable, AG. You must be held accountable same as everyone else. You…
Fiji Labour Party strongly denounces the strong arm tactics used by the Police in arresting and holding overnight unionists and workers involved in the WAF industrial dispute. “This is nothing but intimidation of workers and unions and a denial of…
Now that Fiji has done apologising and dining and fete-ing the wrongly detained New Zealand journalists, it is time to get back to the crux of the issue and that is: Why or How was Freesoul allowed to carry on…
It is difficult to believe that a small group of “rogue” Police officers would have acted on their own volition to arrest three NZ journalists and keep them locked up overnight, as claimed by PM Bainimarama. It is more likely…
We are reliably informed that despite the denials by the Minister and the Banks, there is indeed a problem and it may be quite critical: FLP Economy Minister Sayed Khaiyum has gone out of his way in the past week…
Why do rumours of a coup surface around election time? Why do we invariably have military exercises or parades with armed soldiers in various parts of the country a few weeks before elections? Why do the heads of our security…
“It is a well thought out, forward looking document that endeavours to redeem the pain and suffering inflicted on our people through 12 years of misrule and the anti-people policies of an insensitive government”: Chaudhry. Labour’s 2018 Election Manifesto is…
Bainimarama’s excessive pay as prime minister and his $3000 a day overseas allowance have been the subject of strong public criticism. Particularly considering that his government has kept the pays of ordinary workers suppressed, refusing, deferring or reducing recommendations of…
A Fiji official told CNN – Grace Road Group has established tight connections with high-ranking government officials which makes it harder to arrest them in Fiji even if they are involved in crimes.” – Korea Times Question: Why is the FF…
Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem should admit that his record as SOE has been deeply tainted by the Fiji Court of Appeal ruling against him in a case filed by the 2014 Electoral Commission. The Commission had taken the SOE…
Attorney General Khaiyum says that the operations of Grace Road in Fiji were not affected with the arrest of its owner and cult leader Shin Ok-Joo in Seoul. But Police Commissioner Qiliho announced that Police had commenced preliminary investigations into…
Bus operators are agitating for a fare increase following the recent hike in fuel prices. But have not yet made a formal submission to the proper authorities for an increase. Fiji Labour Party asks what has happened to the…
The Bainimarama government has left a legacy of crippling national debts, more and more taxes and rising costs of living after 11 years in government, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. Just before leaving for yet another overseas jaunt, this time…
A major cause of concern is the recent closure of a number of Community Police Posts throughout the country. This has left communities with high crime rates vulnerable to thieves and gangsters. In a number of cases, appeals by residents…
An average national figure distorts the true and grim picture of real poverty in Fiji. There is gross regional disparity in rates of poverty: Mahendra Chaudhry As a responsible political party, the Fiji Labour Party does not manipulate or concoct…
The Prime Minister must stop using religious events and Hindu temples to campaign. It is a despicable act, showing utter disrespect for Hindu religious rites, to manipulate such events for cheap political mileage:FLP PM Bainimarama stands in a temple to…
Economy Minister Khaiyum’s Budget fails to address the crucial issues affecting a majority of our people who have to struggle each day to provide for their families. One must question why an important event like the presentation of the national…
Fiji Labour Party is appalled at government’s unilateral and unlawful decision to scrap the Wages Councils. “The Wages Councils are provided for in law through the Wages Councils Act (Cap 98 of 1960) and cannot be scrapped at the whim…
Fiji today is not a genuine democracy and falls way short of ensuring the democratic principles that the Party upholds. Most seriously, the imposed 2013 constitution is undemocratic and fundamentally flawed as the supreme law of the land, says Labour…
Fiji Labour Party deplores the use of armed soldiers at Bau Island early this morning to arrest Ratu Epenisa Cakobau along with other supporters for questioning. Whatever the merits of the case against Ratu Epenisa, it was a civil matter…
Fiji Labour Party refutes a claim by Senior Legal Officer at the Solicitor General’s Office that Fiji’s laws were already compliant with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). (FT 5 May) “It is ridiculous to make such…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry questions whether Fiji had a future to offer its youth given the high rate of unemployment in the country, mounting costs of tertiary education and a stagnant economic climate. “In a nutshell Fiji today is very…
Is it a guise, a first step towards the privatisation of the Fiji Electricity Authority or Energy Fiji Ltd (its new name) and the sale of its shares as originally planned by the government? As we see it, FEA is…
Human Rights lawyer Aman Ravindra Singh will lead the Fiji Labour Party into the 2018 general elections. His appointment was made at FLP’s National Council meeting in Nadi this morning. More than 40 delegates from around the country met at…
“For the chief legal officer of the government to mislead Parliament is a very serious misdemeanour,” Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry said. He is calling on the Opposition to file a motion to have the Attorney General taken before the Parliamentary…
Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum may have deliberately misled Parliament on Monday when he said no data had been collated on ethnicity under the 2017 Census. Because Census Commissioner Epeli Waqavonovono reportedly said they did collate data based on ethnicity but…
Government’s announcement that it will enter into a public/private sector deal to operate our hospitals is nothing new, it is stolen from the Fiji Labour Party manifesto said Labour Mahendra Chaudhry. “A State/private sector partnership to run our hospitals has…
“Civil and political rights are not a threat to government. On the contrary, opening up the space to argue and debate, results in better laws and policies and Fiji will be stronger and healthier for it. All rights need to…
Fiji Labour Party calls for a thorough investigation into the controversy surrounding the reconstruction of schools damaged by Cyclone Winston two years ago. “Attorney General and Education Minister Aiyaz Khaiyum speaks around the subject but has not told us yet…
ATS workers’ long standing grievances with its management came to a head when Riaz Sayed-Khaiyum was appointed as Chair of the ATS Board. Two of the three workers’ directors on the Board were fired when they questioned his appointment which…
ATS staff have been bullied, harassed, suppressed and ill-treated by the company’s government dominated Board since 2009 despite being shareholders. “ATS which began as a model of worker co-ownership of enterprises, has become a dictatorship operation under a government that…
A Lautoka woman who helped her husband misappropriate $286,000 from the Fiji Sugar Corporation has been jailed for 5 years, but no action is taken against a former FSC executive chairman who siphoned off millions of dollars of FSC funds….
Labour is calling on government to restore the FNPF annuity rate to 15%, slashed 50% in 2012. This will be one of the key resolutions at the Party’s delegates conference in Nadi tomorrow. Key speaker at the conference will be…
Qorvis the Fiji government’s image building US-based company, was awarded a $4.7 million contract in March this year to provide communications and public relations services to the COP 23 presidency without tenders being called. The contract breached Regulation 30(1) of…
Academic Dr Ganesh Chand has warned that a society where its “mirror institutions” have collapsed and the three arms of government are no longer independent, that society will be doomed. Speaking to the Labour Convention last Saturday, Dr. Ganesh warned…
Human Rights lawyer Aman Ravindra Singh’s message to the Labour Convention on Saturday was for people to stand up and fight against the denial of their human rights in this country. “You must start getting engaged. Talk to your friends,…
The Fiji First government falls short of internationally accepted standards of transparency, accountability and good governance, Pacific Dialogue Chairman Jone Dakuvula told the Fiji Labour Party convention on Saturday. “It has sophisticated public relations through its foreign Media agency QORVIS,…
The “greed and self-interest” of a small lobby of employers who exercise undue influence with the government have successfully blocked wage increases for workers for years, Father Kevin Barr told the Fiji Labour Party convention on Saturday. Speaking on Social…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry warned that Government’s Green Bond was issued in contravention of the Finance Act. The Government yesterday launched its sovereign Green Bond issue aimed at raising $F100m for projects aimed at mitigating and adapting to problems created…
The FF government is inflicting serious harm on Fiji’s Education service by its continuous interference in the affairs of the Ministry – work that should rightly be handled by the Permanent Secretary and his staff, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry….
As far as I am concerned, the matter is still very much in the public domain. The constitutional provisions in question constitute a violation of our fundamental rights and were decreed by a group of people simply to protect their…
Current deputy chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Mohammed Dean faced allegations of fraud in 2015 when he was employed as Coordinator West with the Education Department. (Ref FT story 14/7) But a full internal inquiry into the allegations was…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says government’s move to peg public sector pay increases to the requirement that employees sign a new contract is “straight out coercion”. “They are using strong arm tactics to impose shorter term contracts on civil servants…
The ordinary worker gets no benefits from Budget 2017-18, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “It is a show Budget which flaunts the allocation of big moneys to different sectors but we will have to wait and see how much of…
The Electoral Commission must be pro-active not passive when it comes to delivering free, fair and credible elections! It stands in danger of losing public confidence if it does not change its attitude to assist in the process of making…
The Fiji Labour Party is extremely concerned that the Fiji Elections Office has procured the services of Pakistan’s NADRA to develop its Election Management System. The company’s credibility is in serious question. Pakistan’s ISI has named some of its top…
With Government and the Unions deadlocked over the issue of a fair national minimum wage, Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry recommends that $3.50 per hour be adopted as an interim NMW to give immediate relief to workers while tripartite negotiations continue…
About 400 cane farmers took to the streets in Labasa yesterday to push their demand for a minimum guaranteed cane price of $100 a tonne and a $10 top up from government for their 4th cane payment. It ended with…