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Issue No: 910; 4 July 2001
The Transparency International Fiji (TIF) has come under focus for defending regime's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase for spending public funds for his political party launching and campaign. In a statement last week, the TIF's head Iqbal Jannif had stated that there was nothing wrong with Qarase using public funds to campaign for his political party. The comment had drawn wide criticism in Fiji. Yesterday Jannif held a press conference to state that political parties must state their policies on corruption, good governance and accountability. Jannif's damage control mode is understood to have been a result of pressure from the Transparency International headquarters. Jannif has a close relationship with Qarase and was asked by him to be on the regime's cabinet. Present at the press conference with Jannif was businessman Joe Singh. Singh was nominated by Qarase to be on the regime's Constitutional Review Commission. The Commission was declared illegal by the High Court. It was disbanded and reappointed. Singh again accepted the illegal appointment. The High Court once again barred the Commission from meeting. Singh had earlier stated that the work of the CRC must continue despite the court rulings. The fact that two people who have displayed total lack of
transparency are associated with Transparency International in Fiji has made the
TI a joke within political and business circles. One reporter retorted after
Jannif's statement that the "sweet talk and the accent" couldn't
"wash the dirt" which Jannif and Singh were trying to cover. |
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People's Coalition Government - Fiji Islands |
