Note: He gave these views in interviews with Fiji journalists but not a single one of it was published or aired.
I thought hard before writing this.
I left Fiji almost a year and a half ago now.
Should I just keep my views to myself?
Keep my nose out of things even if I see what I think is wrong?
One of the many things Fiji helped me regain was being true to yourself - to be authentic.
I worked, lived and breathed Fiji and Fiji Rugby and feel I have some knowledge of the landscape Fijian Rugby operates in as well as global rugby to have an opinion. So I’m telling this story.....
On the day I arrived to the coral coast sevens, I was asked for some interviews by the media. No problem I said and the opening questions were on the tournament and quality of players etc. The journalists in Fiji know I won’t comment about Gareth or the fiji 7s team performances etc and they were very professional in not asking me anything in that area.
Then I was asked about fiji’s bid for hosting a leg of the series. I told them my views as I was asked the question and I have serious reservations about what is happening.
Not a single word was written about what I said. I imagine they were told not to print it.
I wasn’t prepared to back the bid for the following reasons.....
1. The overseas consultants asked for a budget of $1m FJD just to put together the bid. That’s hugely excessive and a massive waste of money. What are they spending it all on?? The bid should cost $0 fjd to put together as it’s a process that can be done using FRU staff and their internal resources. No other bidder for a leg is spending anywhere near that amount. Why are they wasting money with radio adverts etc? How has this been allowed? Wool being pulled over someone’s eyes that for sure. It’s wastefulness of the highest degree.
2. The tournament will cost a huge amount of money to run and will not make a profit. Tax payers money will have to support this. The consultants Involved were also part of the fiji golf tournament, which lost around $12m fjd a year. If it was a company it would have gone bust. Again tax payers money. HK and Dubai (Dubai due to the other tournaments run alongside the series leg) are the exceptions to this but all the other tournaments - a huge percentage of those in the stadiums are from that country hosting it. Tourism won’t get a huge spike from this and you can’t charge overseas ticket prices if you want to get a good crowd.
I am no longer a tax payer but if I was, I’d want to know if the plan to finance this was through government funding. I don’t want to get into the social morality side of this but in my three years living and working on the island, I saw how a small amount of resource can go a long way to improve a persons standard of life in the villages and towns of fiji. This sort of money would make a huge difference if spent correctly.
3. The players are still the lowest paid in the top 10 Sevens teams in the series by a long way and none are given the security of a contract longer than a season. The top players in the Fiji 7s squad get $15k fjd maximum as a salary. This is the equivalent of over three years salaries for the entire men’s and women’s sevens squad that this massively over inflated bid is costing.
4. . How about they sort all of that out first for men’s and women’s teams - far bigger priority for sustaining 7s success. So is coach development on the island. So is Player development programmes. So is referee development programmes. Better Talent ID programmes. The list goes on....It will be a huge drain on finances which will mean cuts elsewhere in programmes. It might do the opposite to the fiji 7s team and lead to less funding which could lead to less success on the field. For more success on the playing fields for all the Fijian teams - that’s where any additional finances should go - not to the bid consultants and tournaments that are not financially profitable.
5. Imagine if this money was to fund a Super Rugby Franchise on the Island instead? Regular visitors to matches not a fraction of this once a year.
Home grown players staying on the island and not going overseas because there is a professional team in fiji. Huge boost to local economy throughout the year. Super rugby franchise academies to develop players, local coaches, medical staff, managers, conditioners etc. More contact time possible for the National players which would lead to more success for the XVs team. Merchandise and sponsorship possibilities. I could keep going. NOW THAT IS EXCITING. That is a good use of this amount of money. I know what I’d rather see and what will make a bigger difference to Fijian Rugby.
Home grown players staying on the island and not going overseas because there is a professional team in fiji. Huge boost to local economy throughout the year. Super rugby franchise academies to develop players, local coaches, medical staff, managers, conditioners etc. More contact time possible for the National players which would lead to more success for the XVs team. Merchandise and sponsorship possibilities. I could keep going. NOW THAT IS EXCITING. That is a good use of this amount of money. I know what I’d rather see and what will make a bigger difference to Fijian Rugby.
6. Now I know having high profile events in fiji will increase the profile of the country but so does the team, so would a good RWC 2019 campaign, a super rugby franchise and many other things that do not cost this amount of money. The team’s success at Rio led to fiji being the top search on google for a while and I know hotel bookings etc all went up as a result. You don’t need a tournament costing millions to do that.
7. I, alongside I’m sure every Rugby fan in the globe would love to one day see a leg of the World Series in Fiji. A leg that is profitable. That’s not now and there are many other priorities before that in my opinion. Some more transparency in all of this is needed.
24 comments:
Editor,
Inconvenient Truth
Many cant handle the truth, whether that be in rugby/sports or politics or climate change etc. because the truth is too inconvenient.
Let me give an example from a subject that is a matter of public debate in Australia current .
In his letter ' Face up to darkness ' ( Canberra Times 31/1 ) Simon Tatz says " Recognising the genocidal practices committed against Aboriginal people seems beyond H. Ronald ( letters, Jan 30 )... "
Ronald of course is not alone in having that problem of historical amnesia. Many reactionary Australians are similarly afflicted.
Bill Deane is one of them ( Letters, Jan 25 ). See my letter of reply ' No altering reality ' in the Canberra Times 28/1.
Another is Rosemary O'Brien . Here's my letter of response to hers sent to the Sydney Morning Herald
" Rosemary O'Brien ( letter, 27/1 ) says if the Indigenous people feel aggrieved by what colonial contact has done to them as a people " perhaps Indigenous people might consider handing back all the financial aid they've received over many decades".
What if the Indigenous people were to merely ask that the land that was stolen from them [ under the pretext of terra nullius] ( see Professor David Day's Claiming A Continent ) was handed back to them?
How many billions is that worth? Rosemary might want to think about THAT!
Rosemary speaks from ignorance of history.
Without a proper understanding of history it's not uncommon for people to speak stupid".
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Editor,
Honest Lawyer
Flamboyant ( read, narcissistic ) former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer's high profile solicitor Brett Galloway has withdrawn from his case telling the magistrate Vivien Swain " I've been asked to take a position which is untenable " ( AAP 31/1 ).
Galloway said his ethical dilemma had " nothing to do with money at all".
For some lawyers it's all about the money. Ethical dilemmas and conflict of interest is no barrier.
It's not hard to guess Galloway's " ethical dilemma" given Mehajer's wayward history.
Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Amin Assaad tells us something about that when he warned the magistrate to take Mehajer's words with a " very, very large grain of salt".
Mehajer, the man who had come to believe he was untouchable and beyond the reach of the law, is now in custody in prison after bail was refused at his last court appearance.
When power gets to one's head, as apparently been the case with Mehajer, a person begins to think he is no longer a mere mortal but a demigod.
Sitting in prison might give Mehajer time to reflect on his thinking and personal conduct.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Editor,
Ministerial Rot.
When I heard Scott Morrison as Immigration Minister had deliberately delayed asylum seeker's permanent protection visas I wrote a letter to editor titled ' Minister's Machiavellian behaviour ' in which I asked what Australian values does the minister uphold?
Dr Philip H Nicholls,LLB provides a succinct answer.
In his letter ' Kicks them when down ' ( Canberra Times 1/02 ) he writes :
" The rule of law, concepts of democracy and our shared sense of fairness have been challenged by recent revelations that Scott Morrison, in his role as Immigration Minister, blocked the legitimate entitlements afforded under both Australian and international law, to refugees already adjudged eligible to be granted permanent residence in Australia.
His " ends justify the means " approach reflects the well-worn path history ascribes to dictators. [ for an elaboration read Liberty in the Modern State ]
Let's not bother to name them, yet a clear pattern, which may be characterised mildly as thuggish, callous and unprincipled, is blindingly obvious. The then minister's surreptitious actions, clearly sanctioned at the time, and recently lauded by the PM, now bring even greater discredit to Australia's image internationally".
Dr Nicholls couldn't have been more succinct in his comments .
It's a crying shame that Australia should have this kind of political leadership making undemocratic, arbitrary, heartless decisions in the name of the Australian people.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Dear Editor,
When will it end?
This BORING to no end,
By this psuedo-intellectual pretend,
This jumped up arsehole called Rajend.
Dear Editor,
Water Pistol Warfare?
Chastising " all critics of Australia entering the business of manufacturing arms as an export earner ", Ingrid Hawke asked " what do Australian defence forces use - water pistol?" ( smh 31/1).
No, if they did how would Halliburton and all those other western capitalist predatory corporations make the kind of obscene profits they make from " reconstruction " contracts in war destroyed countries?
War and weapons manufacture are very lucrative business. That's why there was the fictitious weapons of mass destruction war of invasion.
I wonder whether this other question - on war for profit - has ever crossed Ingrid Hawke's mind?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Ps : this post is dedicated to arsehole 9.05 AM!
Rajen, please don't call arsehole 9.05 AM an arsehole because like the warmonger Trump he worships he too is a " stable genius " . He hehehe!!! - premila
Editor,
Kadamn, Another Regime Top Dog Gone.
We learn from the Fiji Times report ' Health Ministry permanent secretary quits ' ( 01/02 ) that Philip Davies " is the latest expatriate to tender his resignation letter after 16 months in office...
Mr Davies is the sixth expat to leave our shores ". Prematurely, one might add.
Apart from suddenly " leaving the ministry to spend time with his family in the UK ", according to PSC chairman Vishnu Mohan, what other reason does Mr Davies have for saying sayonara so suddenly?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Anon @ 1.12
I agree with 9.05. Mr. Naidu is a bit of a bore. One could easily come to the conclusion that he does not like Mr. Trump or for that matter anyone or anything else! But that is no reason to request CIA for his rendition. A more valid excuse for such a request would be the fact that he is a cut and paste artist without an original thought!
I was wondering where all the Rajend Naidu Watch CUNTS have gone. Now one @ anon 1.11PM has resurfaced like a vonu!
Clearly part of the BOOR brigade that make up the RNWC group.
Rajend Naidu is not " a bit of a bore ". I find him very exciting. He excites me in that penetrating way ! - premila, his imaginary niece. hehehe!!!
You need help Rajend ....... Hijacker of blog sites.
Dr Doolittle you need a big lollipop . hehehe!!! - premila. Rajend's been helping me with that!! hehehe.
Editor,
Citizen Says Minister Talking Rubbish.
Hans Pieterse ( The Age 2/2 ) says :
" Once again our most famous ' dog whistler ', Peter Dutton, throws a bone to the throngs, suggesting that the public should help select judges and magistrates in state courts. This ridiculous suggestion, like previous ones, was delivered on 2GB Radio where the programs are hosted by fellow travellers... Mr Dutton might like to advance these views on the ABC where they will be scrutinised objectively and dismissed for the rubbish they are. Our legal system has stood the test of time and will continue long after you are a footnote of history ".
Power in the hands of some politicians pose a serious threat to established norms of democracy.
Dutton is that kind of politician .
The Law Council of Australia president , Morry Bailes, elaborates.
He said Dutton's suggestion was " a perilous path to travel down... Judges are not appointed to make decisions based on political popularity, they are appointed to make judgements based on the facts I front of them and the law as it is written".
Bailes said that to ensure a " healthy functioning democracy ", there should NEVER ( my emphasis ) be " any blurring [ of the lines] between the political and judicial spheres".
" If we create an environment were judges are forced to act like politicians, we all lose ".
( source : ' Peter Dutton criticised for ' subjecting judges to quasi-elections '", The Guardian 2/2).
There was further condemnation of Dutton's perverse suggestion by Professor Clive Williams of Stuart University in ABC Drum 2/2 ).
It's a wonder someone like Dutton has been promoted as a super minister in Australia's democracy.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Wow, this is what I'm looking for. And it made me very interested.
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Actually, it's a wonder whenever such people get ELECTED in any democracy! I mean just look at the kind of people who got ELECTED in Fiji and have become super-ministers there!! It's mind boggling,no?
- chiku
How sad that the good opinion by Mr. Ben Ryan is spoiled by the diatribe of Rajen Naidu. Unfortunately for Rajen no one is impressed by his narcistic verbal diarrhoea except one or two. So sad!
A fool who keeps quiet appears more wise compared to a noisy gong.
Editor,
Positive Power of Social Media
A tweet from pop superstar Rihanna asking PM Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to contribute to girls education has led to a donation of $90 million through the Global Partnership for Education.
Junkie political analyst and editor Osman Faruqi said it showed the power of social media in influencing positive outcome ( abc news 3/2 ).
Sincerely,
Rajen Naidu
Editor,
The Part Big Money Plays In Politics.
Michael Brinkman ( The Age 3/2,) wants to know " Who on earth has $1.75 million to hand over to a political party?" And wonders " Imagine how it could help the needy ".
Well, if Malcolm Turnbull had handed over $1.75 million to " help the needy " he wouldn't be able to buy his election and become prime minister, would he?
Big money plays a big part in politics.
Even people in a coup country like Fiji know that all too well.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu.
Editor,
The Perverse Gun Culture in America.
US police have charged the gun dealer who sold ammunition to the Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock. The gun dealer said he did not see anything out of the ordinary in manufacturing 720 rounds of amour piercing ammunition for sale to the gunman ( abc news 3/2 ).
That tells you a great deal about how perverse the American gun culture has become in today's America.
A citizen can walk into a gun shop and arm himself to the teeth with military standard firearms and ammunition - no problem.
Well that's the problem - big time!
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu.
Where are the Rajend Naidu Watch CUNTS?
We will resume soon! Our surveillance and rendition of Rajend Naidu ! - the CUNTS.
Editor,
Journalist Michael Gordon Dies : A Great Bloke Is Gone.
As a journalist Michael Gordon gave " voice to the voiceless " by paying particular attention to refugees and aboriginal people and their plight which often tended to have a peripheral place in mainstream media ( abc insiders 4/2 ).
It's a sad day with such a good journalist, such a great bloke gone.
RIP
Rajend Naidu
Editor,
Political Persecution of Journalist.
The UN Human Rights council has called for the realease of Aljazeera journalist Mahmoud Hussein who has been detained in Eygpt for over one year without trial ( Aljazeera news 5/2 ). That's the kind of " democracy " Eygpt has under the military man Al Sisi who took power in a military coup and installed himself as president in a " democratic " election. Any the US has no problem with Eygpt's " democracy " and continues to provide huge amounts of military support for the regime. In the same way that the Australian State continues to provide military training for the Myanmar military notwithstanding the atrocities, described by the UN special rapporteur as having all the " hallmarks of genocide", committed by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhime state.
This is the hypocritical world of international politics we live in.
It's a disgrace.
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu
Editor,
Big " Donations " Prostituting Politics and Democracy.
E R Moffat ( ct 5/2 ) writes :
" Foreign " donations to political parties are, in the country, a very thorny question ...
Malcolm Turnbull bought himself the job of prime minister with the biggest donation to a political party, the Liberal Party, of $1.5 million in 2017.
Why has there been no public discussion of corruption on such so-called " national " donations as there has for " foreign " ones?
I agree totally with Moffat. Why indeed?
Another letter writer Thos Puckett ( ct 5/2 ) writes : Australian Electoral Commission data on political donations ( Feb 2 ) shows Mr Turnbull has two roles : Prime Minister and Prime Donor to the Liberal Party.
What part does big donations play in post coup Fiji?
Who are the prime donors in Fiji?
Which political party has been the chief beneficiary of big donations?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu.
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