Just what the Chinese ordered

Bainimarama is rejoicing about bringing electricity to Navosa and no doubt he’s sure that all the people there will be voting for him to give him thanks for bringing power to their doorstep. What’s more all the Chinese investors he’s promised land to will be pleased to see that there’s a lot of land up there which now has access to electricity for their comfort. No doubt, once he’s got his elections out of the way. he won’t hesitate to push people off their land.

Fiji Times August 01, 2013 Electricity for 3000
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=241359

The finer points of the heavy-hand

Inoke Kubuabola is trying so hard to find a reason for his trip to Shanghai that he’s proposing a new Chinese training institution to help train senior civil servants in Fiji. So what would they teach our top civil servants? The finer points of bullying? Keeping corruption at the very top levels? Clearing people off land to allow big state developments to go ahead? And, of course, running sham elections.

Fiji Live July 17, 2013 Fiji proposes new Chinese institution
http://www.fijilive.com/news/2013/07/fiji-proposes-new-chinese-institution/54488.Fijilive

Regime throws down the gauntlet to EU

Bainimarama has one standard tactic when dealing with democratic government – make threats. He’s refusing to sign on to the EU’s interim Economic Partnership Agreement because it doesn’t give him everything he wants. PNG has signed on, but not Mr Tough Guy. He’s already defied the EU over elections and threw away the aid he needed to make our sugar industry more efficient. Now, if he doesn’t sign on to the agreement, we’ll lose duty free access to EU markets, which will affect all products, not just sugar. He thinks democracies have to be treated with contempt but undemocratic regimes are treated to the sight of him on his knees with begging bowl.

Radio Fiji 13 June 2013 EU: Fiji sugar could be affected

The man who can never look you in the eye

FDN now has a whole gallery of pictures where Bainimarama can’t look at the person he’s shaking hands with. He looks over their shoulder or he looks at the ground. But here’s a new tactic – he shuts his eyes.

The new RFMF drill: “Present begging bowl!”

It looks like the RFMF have a new drill. By the numbers – one – praise the Chinese Government to the sky – two – pull begging bowl from pocket – three – beg the big Chinese leader to forgive the debt for building the sub-standard PRB flats. “The Prime Minister has urged the Chinese Premier for his kind consideration to settle the balance or convert the total amount into a grant to Fiji.” He always pokes our old friends like Australia, NZ and the Brits in the eye but brushes around the Chinese like a little puppy dog that can’t stop wagging its tail.

Fiji Village: 30/05/2013 PM asks Chinese Premier to assist in PRB project

Bainimarama’s embarassing grovel in Beijing

Bainimarama’s performance in Beijing has been nothing short of grovelling. It’s embarrassing to see him praising the Chinese as ‘understanding’ him and giving him help for all his wonderful ‘reforms’. We all know that he’s hocked the country to the hilt with the Chinese. He’s like a rural villager in the pawnbroker’s shop lavishing praise on the pawnbroker in the hope of pawning more of the family’s property to pocket a few more dollars to waste on himself.

Radio Fiji 29 May 2013 Bainimarama pay tribute to China’s assistance

The background to the PRB flats disaster

A blogger on Coup 4.5 has made some comments which throw light on how a $9 million contract became a $20 million contract to build a sub-standard building.

“During the SDL Days, Chinese Aid was used to construct the Vodafone Dome and the Aquatic Centre. Because the Min of Works and the Project Engineers were on top of things, they never gave way to threats by the Chinese contractors to take short cuts. For example, they wanted to follow Chinese Electrical standards but our people stood their ground until the Chinese buckled and agreed to abide by Fiji standards. All previous governments would never had entered into such stupid arrangements. This is the result of sacking all the qualified people and fast tracking junior and inexperienced people into senior posts. They don’t know what they’re doing so that when someone takes a short cut they don’t know the difference. LOL. Now a $9 million project will cost the taxpayers of Fiji and extra $11 million. Who’s head will roll? Frank’s, Khaiyums? No way … some poor minion is probably being eyed to be the fall guy. Welcome to Khaiyum’s Fiji.”

Get real Jack

Veteran blogger Real Jack has called for a Commission of Inquiry into the “whole procurement process” for the PRB flats built by China Railway No. 1. He wants “a retired Judge – eg Justice Shameem together with an Engineer and an Architect and Quantity Surveyor to do a FULL AND COMPREHENSIVE INQUIRY into this thing and leave no stone unturned”. FDN couldn’t agree more but Jack is dreaming if he thinks Bainimarama would seriously consider an independent inquiry. If PRB had got this wrong by not reading the contract they signed someone would take the fall for it. Bainimarama knows that people are fed up with the way the Chinese friends get favoured treatment from Bainimarama. The most likely explanation is Bainimarama’s office approved a change after the contract was signed. One of the monkies like Ben Naliva probably OKed the contract changes by text message.

Real Jack on Fiji Board Exiles http://fijiboardexiles.yuku.com/topic/6730/Truth-starts-coming-out

Chinese call the shots

Did anyone doubt for a moment that the Chinese construction firm would win their dispute with the Public Rental Board? They’ve been allowed to double their cost and lower their standards because the Chinese Government has bought Bainimarama lock, stock and barrel. How can it be that the Public Rental Board didn’t know that they were agreeing to use Chinese standards, not local standards? Was the contract written in Chinese? Or was it negotiated or renegotiated behind the closed doors of Bainimarama’s office? The Fiji Village report says it all: “Meanwhile, PRB has referred all queries to the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Fiji Village: 10/05/2013 PRB agreed to Chinese National Standards – China Railway

Raiwai – just tell us how much

The report on the results of discussions on the stalled Raiwai flats project has left a lot of us scratching our heads. There’s going to be an “extra $3 million” but we’re not told what the total cost is. Will it be $22 million, so it’s $19 million plus $3 million, or it is a total cost of $12 million, so it’s $3 million on top of the original budget of $9 million? The only thing that’s clear is that the money is all borrowed and so will all have to paid back.

Fiji Village: 06/05/2013 Extra $3M to complete Raiwai flats to be sourced from China loan