It is political status quo for Fiji for next three years

[posted 1 July 2009, 1600]

Fiji’s political landscape will remain unchanged for the next three years at least - this was made clear in the Interim Prime Minister’s address to the nation today.

It is political status quo for Fiji for next three years
[posted 1 July 2009, 1600]
Fiji’s political landscape will remain unchanged for the next three years at least - this was made clear in the Interim Prime Minister’s address to the nation today.

 

 

 

FSC consultants cost $750,000 annually

[posted 26 June 2009, 1500]

 The four Australian expatriate consultants and executives hired by FSC late last year are costing the Fiji Sugar Corporation around $750,000 annually.

NFU is reliably informed that the four consultants are drawing emoluments and benefits in excess of $150,000 each. In addition, they are provided with vehicles, housing and executive travel benefits by the FSC.

Despite this huge sum expended on these (local) expatriates, problems at FSC appear to have compounded this season. Almost a month into the 2009 crushing season, none of the mills are performing to expectations. Penang, Labasa and Lautoka Mills are constantly grinding to a halt due to mechanical problems while crushing at the Rarawai Mill has been deferred for another week.

A report compiled by these expatriates who are in fact former CSR/FSC employees who left the country after the 1987 coups to settle in Australia, recommended a number of changes to industry institutions and the FSC management hierarchy.

It is believed that it was their recommendations that resulted in the dismantling of time-tested industry institutions viz. Sugar Commission of Fiji (SCOF) and Fiji Sugar Marketing Ltd (FSM), much against the wishes of the growers.

They also made sweeping changes to the FSC management structure resulting in locals in senior positions being sidelined and subjected to humiliation because they had to take ‘executive orders’ from these expatriates.

They are also believed to be behind FSC’s withdrawal from the insolvent South Pacific Fertilisers Ltd (SPF) – the offloading of FSC shares in SPF thus escaping shareholder liabilities and leaving the growers to carry the whole burden.

They are also advised that the Sugar Cane Growers Fund loan of $16 million to SPF be converted to worthless equity, thus seriously endangering the viability of the Fund. This has been forced on the SCGF and the growers via a Cabinet directive.

The Growers Council objected strongly to these measures but to no avail.