Mere Samisoni Tells It Like It Is!

Mere Samisoni wrote this Letter to the Editor (FT 13/05/07):-

Allen Lockington often makes keen observations and insightful comments on issues of interest in Fiji. His letter (FT 8/5) was not one of those times.

Specifically, his comment that there wouldn't have been a coup if the SDL party was performing as expected is fundamentally flawed.

First, this is the same kind of argument used by ignorant chauvinists to try and blame rape on the rape victim. Remember, Mr Lockington, it is the perpetrator who commits the crime, not the victim.

Second, whose expectations weren't we performing to? Can a government and nation be turned upside down just because we don't perform to the expectations of a small band of officers who don't know their constitutional, moral and professional roles and jurisdictions?

Finally, if we truly weren't performing to the expectations of the people of Fiji, all they have to do is vote us out.

They could have done that either on the floor of Parliament through a no-confidence motion, at the next polls or even in court if they had evidence.

As it is, the SDL was clamouring for the election to be held as soon as possible so the people can have the chance to have their say.

We do not fear the voice of the people, because we know they are not dumb as to fall for lies concocted without credible evidence against us at the moment.

By contrast, it is the interim Government and its political allies who are doing all they can to come up with lame excuses to avoid early elections.

What are they afraid of?

So the SDL Party does not need to apologise to anyone as we did not do anything wrong.

This is borne out of the fact that the military and the interim Government have only been able to come up with four types of evidence so far since the takeover:

No evidence,

Circumstantial evidence,

Concocted evidence, and

Evidence that was being processed through normal channels.

Since none of the first three are credible or admissible in court and the fourth would have been dealt with anyway, I put it to Mr Lockington that it is not the SDL Party but Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama and his co-conspirators who need to apologise to the nation for trampling on our rights and freedom with their expensive, waste-time coup.

HnC thanks Allen Lockington for drawing our attention to this letter. I guess Lockington is not afraid of a little bit of constructive critisim. Good on ya mate!

HnC can also confirm that the seemingly evasive answer given by Qarase on Close Up (when asked about Rajesh Singh's sacking) was in fact his repsonse to a completely different question which Fiji TV asked him over the phone earlier that day.

Want to talk about irresponsible reporting. There it is!

Fiji TV made it appear as though Qarase was responding live when in fact Fiji TV had recorded the conversation earlier that day, cooked the responses and replayed only the part they wanted the public to hear.

I do believe Fiji TV now owes Qarase an apology!