In Rotuma earlier this week, Prime Minister Bainimarama denied he was receiving a salary in excess of a million dollars. He said his salary would be revealed after the registration of his political party. We say that the salary of…
Fiji Labour Party questions the appointment of former judge Nazhat Shameem as Fiji’s permanent representative to the UN based in Geneva. In a statement issued today the Assistant Secretary-General of the Party, Mr Kini Marawai said that the position was…
The Prime Minister must provide audited accounts of his salary and those of his Cabinet Ministers from April 2010 onwards, duly certified by the Auditor General and the Permanent Secretary for Finance, says the Fiji Labour Party. The FLP call…
Since its inception almost 29 years ago, the Fiji Labour Party has strongly advocated and championed the rights of women. Indeed, the FLP is a trend setter in ensuring active and equal participation of women in positions of leadership be…
Aiyaz Khaiyum is deliberately misleading and misinforming the people of Fiji about the appointment of a Minister for Elections in the past, says the Fiji Labour Party. “Neither in Rabuka’s time nor under Laisenia Qarase was there ever a…
Aiyaz Khaiyum cannot continue to be Minister for Elections now that he has been appointed general- secretary of the Fiji First Party, says the Fiji Labour Party. “Failure to do so will tantamount to abuse of office. It is…
There has been much speculation in the media concerning the leadership of the Fiji Labour Party, following the conviction last month and sentencing last Friday of its leader, Mr Mahendra Chaudhry. The FLP Management Board is to meet later…
Father Kevin Barr: Mahendra Chaudhry is someone …I have come to admire and would consider him a good friend. I also see him as an inspiring person, an outstanding leader, a man of integrity and a fighter for social justice,…
Fiji Labour Party questions a statement by Peter Thomson, Fiji’s Ambassador to the United Nations that Fiji has done better than most Pacific Island nations in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. “In fact, in many aspects of human development, Fiji…
FLP’s mini manifesto setting out the Party’s main policy platform for the 2014 elections was issued in August last year. A more substantial document will be released shortly now that the Electoral Decree is out and a date has been…
No decision or action of the Electoral Commission or the Supervisor of Elections can be challenged in the Courts of Law, under the Electoral Decree This and several other provisions of the Electoral Decree confirm FLP’soft-stated fears that the September…
The Fiji Labour Party questions the accuracy of Fiji Sun’s front page report today (17/4/14) claiming big support for Bainimarama from farmers in the North. The report is sensational and exaggerated, affirming the Sun as just a propaganda tool…
Mahendra Chaudhry has once again won acclaim as the first person to be ever convicted under an antiquated legislation that even the Judge described as “draconian”. The Exchange Control Act (ECA) under which Justice Paul Madigan found Mr Chaudhry guilty…
Fiji Labour Party warns that the Commerce Commission decision to lift the freeze on domestic rents would see an explosion of rent increases and cause more hardship for people already struggling with high living costs. FLP also denounces the Commission’s…
Dr Wadan Narsey has provided two very good articles analysing the Electoral Decree released a week ago. One is titled Bainimarama regime presents Fiji’s electoral nightmare and looks at the chaos likely to be created on polling day as a…
Fiji Labour Party is inviting expressions of interest from Fiji citizens wishing to contest the next general elections as FLP candidates:
Fiji Labour Party will scrap the Road User Levy and revise the unreasonably high fees, charges and penalties imposed on vehicle owners and drivers today. Owning a car is no longer considered a luxury in modern society. Yet, in Fiji…
The Fiji Labour Party questions the appointment of Mohammed Saneem as Supervisor of Elections since he clearly fails to meet the minimum requirements of the post as advertised by the regime in September last year. The advertisement required the applicant…
Voreqe Bainimarama can go around spending millions of dollars on vote buying sprees but this is not going to assure him the support he needs to win the next general elections. Vote buying techniques have not worked in the past….
Attorney General Aiyaz Khaiyum needs to get his own house in order first before preaching to others about transparency and accountability, says the Fiji Labour Party. FLP is referring to Khaiyum’s address at the Fiji Taxi Association general meeting in…
Address by Labour Leader Mahendra P. Chaudhry at the State of the Pacific Dialogue Pacific Islands Development Program East West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii 25-26 January 2011 Aloha, Ni sa Bula Vinaka Good Morning, Ladies & Gentleme I feel privileged to…
Yet another year has ended. It is conventional, as we stand on the threshold of a new year, to take stock of the past in order to prepare for the year ahead. Four years have lapsed since the regime change…
Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has reiterated his concern that the imposition of a 15% VAT will bring acute hardship to the poor and low and middle income families. He was replying to comments on Fiji Village by interim…
FLP sent the following letter to Commodore Bainimarama in November 2009 when the regime called for expressions of interest from those interested in attending the National Dialogue Forum. Labour said the repressive climate under the PER was not conducive to…
To: Heads of Diplomatic Missions The regime’s Attorney General has announced that discussions and consultations on the constitutional process can be conducted freely but we have been informed that the Police still require that permits be obtained for any meetings…
Fiji Media Decree – Top Five Issues ( International Senior Lawyers Project – ISLP) Executive Control of the Regulating Authority: The decree vests control of the Authority which regulates the media in the hands of the executive government officials. Such…
State Proceedings (Amendment) Decree 2012 granting privileged protection to the prime minister and his team in the lead up to general elections is another blatant denial of individual rights and freedoms. Together with the Public Order Decree 2012, it will…
Political parties face more draconian measures that violate guarantees on the right to privacy and freedom of association promised under the regime’s imposed constitution. The added imposition is via amendments to the Political Parties(Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Amendment Decree…
The amendments to the already draconian Political Parties Decree reveal the regime’s pathological fear of existing political parties, says former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry. It imposes a $50,000 fine or a prison term of up to five years, on any…
Despite strong opposition from trade unions at home and the international community, the interim government has gone ahead with the enforcement of Decree 35 with the promulgation of Regulations that identify essential industries covered under the Decree. The National Farmers…
It is also discriminatory against existing political parties. All existing parties have to apply for fresh registration within 28 days of the effective date of the decree ie 18 January 2013. New parties have until before the Writ of…
Decree 4 of 2013 is, undoubtedly, draconian and oppressive. Its provisions both for registration and in terms of the administration, operations and conduct of political parties are onerous and harsh. Penalties for non-compliance, or breach of the decree by party…
The Fiji Labour Party is very concerned that important election details are being released by Voreqe Bainimarama during his campaign trail in the Lau group while the Electoral Commission maintains its silence on these important matters. In today’s FBC radio…
Suva under floodwaters? Yes, as preposterous as this may seem, we have just experienced vast areas of the city and its environs under at least two feet of water after less than 12 hours of downpour. Key thoroughfares such as…
It is said, not unwisely, that the guilty will always point an accusing finger at others for their own failings and misdeeds.The Bainimarama/Khaiyum duo, for sometime now, has been accusing “former politicians” and political parties of lying to the people…
The Fiji media has an important responsibility to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair and credible – this can best be ensured if the media allows honest, balanced and unbiased coverage of statements and views across the political…
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s confidence is totally misplaced, if she believes that one-day elections in Fiji in September is achievable, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “One day polling requires massive organizational capacity and resources which the Elections Office will…
Fiji Labour Party has called on the Electoral Commission to release the draft Electoral Decree for comments from political parties and the public. “Why is the draft decree being kept so secret?” asked Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry, in response to…
The Electoral Commission’s first and most urgent priority should be to appoint a Supervisor of Elections, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. The Supervisor is the executive head of the Elections Office and should have a major say in the formulation…
The Fiji Labour Party filed its application for registration as a political party this morning. The Party has informed the Registrar of Political Parties that its application was without prejudice to the legal proceedings it filed in the Suva High…
The Fiji Labour Party is concerned that some 20% of eligible voters have not been registered yet, with the promised elections only 9 months away. According to official figures the eligible voter population at 30th June 2013 stood at 628,000…
As Fiji observes the UN Anti-Corruption Day on 9th December, FLP recalls that the 2006 coup was executed to carry out a “clean up campaign” to rid Fiji of corruption. This is an appropriate time to assess how effectively this…
“Fiji today faces its biggest challenge as a nation. Seven years of repressive authoritarian military rule has been a disaster for Fiji. Our civil and political rights have been severely curtailed, the media is not free and critics of the…
Commodore Bainimarama’s claim about a turnaround of the sugar industry is not supported by facts obtained from industry statistics, says FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “In fact, the contrary is true. Cane production has been declining steadily since the military takeover…
Commodore Bainimarama’s claim about a turnaround of the sugar industry is not supported by facts obtained from industry statistics, says FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “In fact, the contrary is true. Cane production has been declining steadily since the military takeover…
“Budget 2014 is a reckless, vote buying budget,” says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. “You can promise anything. It is the delivery that is important and this government has a record of not delivering on its promises,” he said. Its Budget…
Rising poverty levels, chronic unemployment and high living costs are forcing the people of Labasa to relocate to Viti Levu in search of a better life, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry. Mr Chaudhry who returned from Vanua Levu in the…
The sugar industry strategic plan announced by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the ACP meeting is sheer propaganda as its targets are certainly not achievable in the announced five year timeframe of 2013-2017. It is just a paper plan designed…
Controversy over access to the National Register of Voters and non-compliance with the provisions of Electoral (Registration of Voters) Decree 54 of 2012. (Reference our telephone conversation this morning) I write following the recent media controversy over access to the…
Fiji Day Message by Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry Fiji today observes 43 years of its nationhood. It should be a time for somber reflection on how our nation and her people have fared over the past four decades…
FLP paper looks at challenges facing political parties in the lead up to the 2014 general elections, the current depressed state of the economy and deteriorating social conditions. It outlines the Party’s major policy guidelines to address these issues (Mini…
Fiji Labour Party denounces the regime’s decision to award hefty pay increases, ranging from 46%-192%, to heads of disciplinary forces and permanent secretaries. “This is outrageously immoral at a time when 60% of our workers earn below poverty line wages…
FLP’s response to statement by Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Bob Carr on the purported Fiji constitution The Fiji Labour Party is extremely disappointed with the statement from Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr welcoming the release of the Fiji regime’s…
The Fiji Times editorial comment today titled “Let us Rejoice” based on the AG’s announcement that the regime’s constitution will be out tomorrow, is something of a laugh. How can we rejoice over something we have not seen, that has…
The brief statement issued last week (Aug 15) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Consultation Mission to Fiji, is seriously flawed and factually incorrect in some key respects. Firstly, the overall unemployment rate is much higher – at around 17%…
The justice of a socio-economic system deserves in the final analysis to be evaluated by the way in which a person’s work is properly remunerated in the system. As Fiji moves more and more from a subsistence to a cash…
Prime Minister Commodore Bainimarama persists in blaming everyone else but the incompetence of his own regime for the drastic decline of the sugar industry since he took over as Sugar Minister. In his address to the International Sugar Organisation meeting…
Minister Luveni’s claim that the Social Welfare Ministry is receiving adequate funds to maintain welfare llowances cannot be accepted when hundreds of recipients are being taken off the list. She speaks of “major reforms” being undertaken by her Ministry but…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry condemns as cruel and grossly insensitive the regime’s decision to cut off most of the 19,000 recipients of its Family Assistance Scheme from the welfare programme. This will, in effect, mean sentencing them to extreme hardship…
The Fiji Labour Party rejects outright the imposition of the regime’s tailor-made constitution on the people of Fiji. The document does not reflect the will of the people and deserves no credibility and no recognition. It is merely an entrenchment…
Court ruling on the Political Parties Decree case The Political Parties Decree (No 4 of 2013) infringes a number of International Conventions on the civil and political rights of individuals. The Fiji Labour Party challenged the decree in court and…
Decree 4 of 2013 is, undoubtedly, draconian and oppressive. Its provisions both for registration and in terms of the administration, operations and conduct of political parties are onerous and harsh. Penalties for non-compliance, or breach of the decree by party…
Fr Kevin J. Barr As usual there was a mixture of positives and negatives in the 2013 Budget. The business community, of course, were overjoyed with the continuation of incentives to investors and there was great hype in the media….
Statement by former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry on the Political Parties (Amendment ) Decree No. 11 0f 2013 The amendments to the already draconian Political Parties Decree reveal the regime’s pathological fear of existing political parties, says former Prime Minister…
The Fiji Labour Party is relieved that good sense has prevailed and the regime’s decision to expel Catholic priest and social activist Father Kevin Barr, rescinded. Nevertheless, the Party condemns in the strongest terms possible the earlier order to Father…
The controversy over the super-salaries of the Prime Minister and the Attorney General has been ongoing since mid-2010. Until now, the regime has chosen not to comment on these reports. On 23 August 2010, the Fiji Labour Party posted a…
The controversy over the super-salaries of the Prime Minister and the Attorney General has been ongoing since mid-2010. Until now, the regime has chosen not to comment on these reports. On 23 August 2010, the Fiji Labour Party posted a…
In a joint statement issued today Fiji’s major political parties have called on the Prime Minister and the Attorney General to disclose their incomes and assets, including properties they have acquired since seizing power. They should also disclose moneys held…
1. In a joint statement issued today Fiji’s major political parties have called on the Prime Minister and the Attorney General to disclose their incomes and assets, including properties they have acquired since seizing power. 2. They should also disclose…
New decree shows the regime fears opposition The severity of the new political parties decree as disclosed to the media yesterday is a clear sign of the regime’s fear of the mounting opposition to its illegal rule. “This is a…
There is absolutely no truth to claims by Felix Anthony that the Fiji Labour Party is no longer multiracial and does not represent the interests of workers. The FLP has a proud history of fighting for social justice, defending the…
There is absolutely no truth to claims by Felix Anthony that the Fiji Labour Party is no longer multiracial and does not represent the interests of workers. The FLP has a proud history of fighting for social justice, defending the…
The National Council of the Fiji Labour Party in a statement issued today says it deplores the current cowardly stance of the Fiji media which refuses to run statements issued by political parties on issues of critical importance to the…
It is a day of shame for Fiji. A widely accepted draft constitution that addressed many of the problems of overnance plaguing our nation for the past three decades, is to be trashed to preserve power and status quo for…
Reports received from the Northern and Western parts of Fiji show that stricken Indian families in homes and settlements devastated by Cyclone Evan have not as yet received State assistance in any form. Home of a farm labourer in Lautoka…
How dare the regime change the Fiji flag which is the symbol of our nationhood and sovereignty? In his New Year’s address Commodore Bainimarama announced that his next step would be to change Fiji’s flag. The FLP asks: What is…
Three weeks after Cyclone Evan devastated homes and crops and brought down power lines, much of the rural areas of the West are still without power. Ra Reports from Ra show that most of the Province still has no electricity….
FLP calls on the Prime Minister and the Attorney General to clarify reports that they are each collecting upwards of $1million a year in salary and benefits. Salaries paid to Bainimarama and Khaiyum have been a matter of public concern…
Schools in the Western Division sustained heavy damage from Cyclone Evan last week. The Raviravi Sangam School was completely demolished by the hurricane-force winds. Cyclone-ravaged Raviravi Primary School All three classroom blocks were blown away as well as the staff…
Most victims are still awaiting immediate relief Lautoka received a severe battering from Cyclone Evan which inflicted substantial damage to at least 25% of homes and properties in the city and its rural hinterland. Lashed by strong hurricane-force winds, the…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry was somewhat intrigued to find a mobile phone lying on his compound. Inquiries revealed that the phone belonged to an Army officer. The incident occurred about a week ago, the morning after Mr Chaudhry returned home…
Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry was somewhat intrigued to find a mobile phone lying on his compound. Inquiries revealed that the phone belonged to an Army officer. The incident occurred about a week ago, the morning after Mr Chaudhry returned home…
Natadola Bay Resorts Ltd (NBRL) has not paid a single cent to the FNPF, to reduce its massive loan of $303 million. The Fund’s annual report for 2012, just released, shows that the loan balance remains unchanged from the previous…
New tax laws and duty increases announced in Budget 2013 will undermine business confidence and fuel inflation. Draconian changes announced to the tax laws in the Budget are hostile to businesses and will compel the local business community to look…
New tax laws and duty increases announced in Budget 2013 will undermine business confidence and fuel inflation. Draconian changes announced to the tax laws in the Budget are hostile to businesses and will compel the local business community to look…
The State’s annual Budget sessions in the past four years have become much of a farce in an environment completely lacking in transparency and accountability. It is farcical to hand down a Budget when government accounts and financial statements are…
The State’s annual Budget sessions in the past four years have become much of a farce in an environment completely lacking in transparency and accountability. It is farcical to hand down a Budget when government accounts and financial statements are…
Diwali in Fiji is fast becoming a festival for the rich and the well to do in Fiji. The rich can afford to lavish money on the very expensive sweets, fireworks, clothes. Even ordinary food items these days are outside…
Diwali in Fiji is fast becoming a festival for the rich and the well to do in Fiji. The rich can afford to lavish money on the very expensive sweets, fireworks, clothes. Even ordinary food items these days are outside…
The regime has slashed Wages Council recommended pay increases by almost 50% in several categories, compared to the rates awarded in August under the Chair of Father Kevin Barr. In the case of workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry,…
The regime has slashed Wages Council recommended pay increases by almost 50% in several categories, compared to the rates awarded in August under the Chair of Father Kevin Barr. In the case of workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry,…
The regime has slashed Wages Council recommended pay increases by almost 50% in several categories, compared to the rates awarded in August under the Chair of Father Kevin Barr. In the case of workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry,…
FLP is surprised at the President’s attack on trade unionists in an address he gave to the Fiji Human Resources Institute’s 2012 Convention held at the Shangri-La Fijian Resort last week-end. He said Fiji “needed to guard against the work…
A petition to His Excellency the President signed by three leading high chiefs, the four major political parties and trade unions have urged him to appoint a caretaker government to oversee Fiji’s constitutional and electoral process back to democracy. The…
Commodore Bainimarama should stop misleading landowners regarding the security of their land which has been well protected under every Constitution, and by political parties in the past. Speaking at the Salusalu Festival in Lautoka on Saturday, the Prime Minister told…
Commodore Bainimarama should stop misleading landowners regarding the security of their land which has been well protected under every Constitution, and by political parties in the past. Speaking at the Salusalu Festival in Lautoka on Saturday, the Prime Minister told…
The news that some 30 Fiji bridges need urgent repair works, raise serious questions about accountability considering that in 6 years the regime allocated $220 million on maintenance of roads and bridges. The authorities are blaming past governments for failing to maintain…
Prime Minister Bainimarama is saying that his regime will meet the Millennium goal of reducing poverty to “negligible levels” by year 2015. This is indeed laudable. But the regime’s record to date shows it has a somewhat unique way of…
FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry in presenting the Party’s submission to the Constitution Commission Friday morning, called for the appointment of a caretaker government to oversee the process of returning Fiji to constitutional rule via general elections. He said the current…
Fiji Labour Party has written to the Fiji National Provident Fund seeking information on its decision last year to expend a further $12 million on the failed Momi Bay resort development project. The FNPF Board spent $12m in July 2011…