And so it’s been for the military dictatorship which is now installed as a ‘legally elected government’.
The lies that citizens are being dished up are not new: the only thing that’s new is that the lies are being told in broad daylight, as part of every day business and in Parliament and being swallowed by some quarters, including the media, without challenge.
Frank Bainimarama has done it but Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, who wields authority as Attorney General and Minister for Finance, is the worst and is truly a compulsive liar.
In fact, Khaiyum has lied about so much that it’s nothing to him to lie through the skin of his teeth in Parliament.
Take the Rugby Sevens broadcasting scam. While delivering a ministerial statement on Tuesday December 9, regarding World Rugby’s decision to pull the plug on live feed for the Dubai leg of the tournament because of his TV (Cross-Carriage of Designated Events) Decree, which forced Fiji TV to share feed with FBC TV (managed by his brother Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum), Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum defended the reasons for the Decree.
He claimed a survey conducted by an American Company proved FBC TV had 50% market coverage while Fiji TV had only 43% and Mai TV 7%.
When Oposition MP Prem Singh interjected to the effect that the survey was carried out by Qorvis, Sayed-Khaiyum twice denied it was Qorvis.
He didn’t name the company. And yet it was established in December the survey was carried out by Clarus or Clarus Communications – the polling arm of Qorivs and wholly owned by Qorvis, which in the last few years has been paid millions of dollars to churn out pro Bainimarama and Sayed Khaiyum propaganda.
FACT: another one million dollars has been budgeted this year as payment for Qorvis.
This lie alone necessitates the need for Sayed-Khaiyum to be held for contempt of Parliament.
We will soon expose another lie of his that is going to hurt the people of Fiji who were misled during the Budget.
Meanwhile peruse the Parliamentary Hansard of Tuesday 9th December 2014 (at end of story) as well as other documents to judge for yourself the lies that Sayed Khaiyum is churning out, including in Parliament.
The two sacked Fiji TV executives have done an excellent job paper trailing the lies and the manipulation in one document which has been sent to Bainimarama but again as with many things, let it not be forgotten that Sayed-Khaiyum and Bainimarama are joined at the hip and act in their own self-interest.
One tells the lies and the other offers him safe harbour. Look at the pay salary dispute and rugby sevens drama where Bainimarama has neatly stepped in to downplay them both by claiming the Opposition party is just being ‘petty’, is making a ‘fuss’ and is ‘obsessed with Fiji TV management’.
Add to it the belated and shallow apology about the broken sewer pipes in Nabua and you have a well-oiled doubled act where Sayed-Khaiyum trots out the porkies and Bainimarama uses his position as ‘beloved’ PM to make citizens to swallow the shit.
Solivakasama Worldwide Movement for democracy in Fiji 