Subject: [fem-women2000 503] corruption
From: "Dr. Yusuf Roshan" <yusuf.roshan@which.net>
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 05:00:16 +1200
Seq: 503
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_009A_01C00F1A.8A33F0C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Are we going to accept this??? Surely, we are not that helpless??? =20 They are at it already. =20 Yusuf =20 Movement for Democracy in Fiji =20 331 City Road London EC1V 1LJ Office Tel: +44 (0) 20 7713 7377 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7713 7378 Home Tel: +44 (0) 1474 872 908 Email: yusuf.roshan@which.net =20 President: Raymond Croxon QC Secretary/Treasurer: K Bhagwandeen = Chairman: Dr Y Roshan Administrative Board Member of the European Institute for Asian Study = (Think Tank of European Members of Parliament): Mr Surur Hoda Human = Rights Co-ordinator: Mrs A Bhagwandeen Spearheading Legal Issues on = Fiji: Mr Victor Lal (Oxford University) & Mr Norman Patterson Barrister = Information: Mr Vimal Madhavan =20 =20 =20 =20 FINANCIAL ABUSES THE ORDER OF THE DAY The people of Fiji have begun to see financial abuses by the so called = Interim Administration so early within its illegal term. First, the people saw the recommendation for appointment by Qarase of = the largest Cabinet in Fiji's history. The recommendation of 20 Cabinet = rank ministers and 12 assistant ministers will cost the people of Fiji = about $750,000, inclusive of benefits, more than what the cabinet cost = under the Peoples Coalition. Within a week we see the unelected Prime Minister purchasing a new = landcruiser costing the taxpayers $131,000. Then Prime Minister Sitiveni = Rabuka used the Malaysian donated limo PM001. Prime Minister Chaudhry = also used this vehicle. Now the unelected Qarase tells the nation that PM001 is not suitable for = him. Nor are the other vehicles assigned to the PM's Office. And more = vehicles are to be purchased because the vehicles used by the Peoples = Coalition ministers are not "available" for the Qarase team. In total, = the Peoples Coalition Government is reliably informed, the taxpayers = expect to foot another $500,000 for new vehicle purchases. Within a week, then, we see the Qarase team deciding to squander over = $1.3m. And Qarase has the temerity to ask the civil servants to accept a = 12.5% paycut because times are hard. The Peoples Coalition Government warns the taxpayers that this trend in = squandering public funds by the unelected regime will continue. We are = just seeing a small example of what is to come in the days ahead. During 2000, the Peoples Coalition Government had, after thoroughly = taking stock of the government vehicle fleet, decided that there would = be no more purchases of new vehicles. There were, and continue to be, = numerous vehicles which are either misallocated, or underutilized. This = state of affairs was inherited by the Coalition Government from the SVT = reign. The Peoples Coalition Government had decided to rationalize the = use of government vehicle fleet. Substantial savings resulted from this = move to improve financial efficiency. The funds saved were re-directed = to delivering the social package of the Coalition which benefited the = ordinary citizen.=20 The Qarase team has, within a week, reversed this move. And it is not only the financial indiscipline and abuse which should = worry the taxpayers. The rapidly emerging rise in graft and nepotism = should also be a major cause of concern. Only today (Sunday) are the = taxpayers and citizens informed that Qarase's salary and house rent is being paid for by a private company, and that = this will continue to be so at least until the end of August. We are = further told that Qarase is negotiating with the same company the use of = the company house in Domain for the future. This is a very serious matter. It means that the Prime Minister of the = illegal regime is accepting gifts from a private bank. Without any = doubt, this is the highest form of abuse of office and corruption. Even = the editorial of the Fiji Times of 29 July had warned: "Along the way = his [Qarase's] team will encounter the inevitable temptations and = pitfalls. It's why he should set rules and clear strict guidelines early = to avoid embarrassing situations. "For example, his Ministers should = not: "* Go into transactions where their private monetary interest = could conflict with their public duty; "* Accept favours from = organizations which have contractual relations with the Government" This was very sound advice. But instead of heeding the advice and setting rules for his team, Qarase = himself flagrantly violates all ethics of holding a public office by not = only accepting favours from a private bank, but also avoiding the 12.5% = salary cut, for at least a month, which his other ministers and the = civil servants are to suffer from 1 August. If the leader of the team = can engage in such gross violation of public office ethics, what can we = expect from his subordinates? If a democratically elected Prime Minister was found receiving favours = from private companies, he/she would have been swiftly relieved of his = duties and even prosecuted. If the people of Fiji allow an unelected group of people to continue to = make decisions in Fiji, then only they would be liable for blame for the = financial abuse, the corruption and the general deterioration in their = welfare. 6 August 2000 ------=_NextPart_000_009A_01C00F1A.8A33F0C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <DIV>Are we going to accept this??? Surely, we are not that=20 helpless???<BR> <BR>They are at it=20 already.<BR> <BR>Yusuf<BR> <BR>Movement for Democracy in=20 Fiji<BR> <BR>331 City Road London EC1V 1LJ<BR> Office Tel: +44 = (0) 20=20 7713 7377 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7713 7378<BR> Home Tel: +44 (0) 1474 872=20 908<BR> Email: <A=20 href=3D"mailto:yusuf.roshan@which.net">yusuf.roshan@which.net</A><BR>&nbs= p;<BR>President:=20 Raymond Croxon QC Secretary/Treasurer: K=20 Bhagwandeen Chairman: Dr = Y Roshan<BR>Administrative Board=20 Member of the European Institute for Asian Study (Think Tank = of European=20 Members of Parliament): Mr Surur Hoda Human Rights=20 Co-ordinator: Mrs A Bhagwandeen Spearheading = Legal Issues=20 on Fiji: Mr Victor Lal (Oxford University) & Mr Norman = Patterson=20 Barrister Information: Mr Vimal=20 Madhavan<BR><BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>FINANCIAL ABUSES = THE=20 ORDER OF THE DAY<BR><BR>The people of Fiji have begun to see financial = abuses by=20 the so called Interim Administration so early within its illegal=20 term.<BR>First, the people saw the recommendation for appointment by = Qarase of=20 the largest Cabinet in Fiji's history. The recommendation of 20 = Cabinet=20 rank ministers and 12 assistant ministers will cost the people of = Fiji=20 about $750,000, inclusive of benefits, more than what the cabinet = cost=20 under the Peoples Coalition.<BR><BR>Within a week we see the = unelected=20 Prime Minister purchasing a new landcruiser costing the taxpayers = $131,000.=20 Then Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka used the Malaysian donated limo = PM001.=20 Prime Minister Chaudhry also used this vehicle.<BR>Now the unelected = Qarase=20 tells the nation that PM001 is not suitable for him. Nor are the = other=20 vehicles assigned to the PM's Office. And more vehicles are to be = purchased=20 because the vehicles used by the Peoples Coalition ministers are = not=20 "available" for the Qarase team. In total, the Peoples Coalition = Government=20 is reliably informed, the taxpayers expect to foot<BR>another $500,000 = for new=20 vehicle purchases.<BR><BR>Within a week, then, we see the Qarase team = deciding=20 to squander over $1.3m. And Qarase has the temerity to ask the = civil=20 servants to accept a 12.5% paycut because times are = hard.<BR><BR>The=20 Peoples Coalition Government warns the taxpayers that this trend=20 in squandering public funds by the unelected regime will continue. = We are=20 just seeing a small example of what is to come in the days=20 ahead.<BR><BR>During 2000, the Peoples Coalition Government had, after=20 thoroughly taking stock of the government vehicle fleet, decided = that there=20 would be no more purchases of new vehicles. There were, and = continue to be,=20 numerous vehicles which are either misallocated, or underutilized. = This=20 state of affairs was inherited by the Coalition Government from the = SVT=20 reign. The Peoples Coalition Government had decided to rationalize = the use=20 of government vehicle fleet. Substantial savings resulted from this = move to=20 improve financial efficiency. The funds saved were re-directed to=20 delivering the social package of the Coalition which benefited the = ordinary=20 citizen. <BR><BR>The Qarase team has, within a week, reversed this=20 move.<BR><BR>And it is not only the financial indiscipline and abuse = which=20 should worry the taxpayers. The rapidly emerging rise in graft and = nepotism=20 should also be a major cause of concern. Only today (Sunday) = are the=20 taxpayers and citizens informed that Qarase's<BR>salary and house rent = is being=20 paid for by a private company, and that this will continue to be so = at=20 least until the end of August. We are further told that Qarase is=20 negotiating with the same company the use of the company house in = Domain=20 for the future.<BR><BR>This is a very serious matter. It means that the = Prime=20 Minister of the illegal regime is accepting gifts from a private = bank.=20 Without any doubt, this is the highest form of abuse of office and=20 corruption. Even the editorial of the Fiji Times of 29 July had=20 warned: "Along the way his [Qarase's] team will encounter the = inevitable=20 temptations and pitfalls. It's why he should set rules and clear = strict=20 guidelines early to avoid embarrassing situations. "For = example, his=20 Ministers should not: "* Go into transactions where their private = monetary=20 interest could conflict with their public duty; "* Accept = favours from=20 organizations which have contractual relations with=20 the Government"<BR><BR> This was very sound advice.<BR><BR>But = instead=20 of heeding the advice and setting rules for his team, = Qarase himself=20 flagrantly violates all ethics of holding a public office by not=20 only accepting favours from a private bank, but also avoiding the = 12.5%=20 salary cut, for at least a month, which his other ministers and the = civil=20 servants are to suffer from 1 August. If the leader of the team can = engage in=20 such gross violation of public office ethics, what can we expect from = his=20 subordinates?<BR><BR>If a democratically elected Prime Minister was = found=20 receiving favours from private companies, he/she would have been swiftly = relieved of his duties and even prosecuted.<BR><BR>If the people of Fiji = allow=20 an unelected group of people to continue to make decisions in Fiji, then = only=20 they would be liable for blame for the financial abuse, the corruption = and the=20 general deterioration in their welfare.<BR><BR>6 August=20 2000<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_009A_01C00F1A.8A33F0C0-- _________________________________________________________________________ fem-Women2000@jca.apc.org for Women 2000, UN Special Session on Beijing+5 Searcheable Archive http://www.jca.apc.org/fem/news/women2000/index.shtml visit fem-net HomePage for other mailing lists http://www.jca.apc.org/fem