Media and blogs respond to Fiji military dictatorship

Chris Merrit and John Stapleton writing in The Australian this morning:

THE Australian judges who triggered Fiji's latest political crisis have branded the Pacific nation's president a dictator and warned that any expatriate judges who accept job offers from him could be seen as treasonous.
The attack on president Josefa Iloilo was unleashed yesterday after he had sacked the country's judiciary, torn up the constitution and reappointed a prime minister whose regime the judges had declared illegal.
"He is effectively a dictator - that is a strong word, but that is the situation," said Ian Lloyd, one of the three Australian judges on Fiji's Court of Appeal who last Thursday ruled that military leader Frank Bainimarama's seizure of power in a 2006 coup was illegal.

The Canberra Times reported today:

Life becomes difficult for the Fiji press during a constitutional crisis. And so it has proved once again for the Fiji Times. Yesterday's edition featured some unusual page layouts, courtesy of the "khaki subeditors" - military censors placed in the newspaper offices by the interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama.

It is also being reported that Fiji blogs are stepping into the breach and supplying information despite the Fiji Government's attempts to censor media.

From Raw Fiji News on Sunday:

As you are aware His Excellency our President yesterday morning abrogated the 1997 Constitution. His Excellency has informed me that the decision of the then Court of Appeal; the anomaly in the decision, the serious consequent vacuum created by that decision; the existing circumstances in Fiji and the way forward as mapped out by the Charter left His Excellency no choice but to abrogate the 1997 constitution.

RFN says - Frank, there was no anomaly in the appeals court decision. It was consistent with the rule of law and consistent with what many people thought of your illegal acts. Even if there was some degree of anomaly, you could have instructed those taxpayer money thieves QCs who represented you to take that same argument to the Supreme Court. You didn't take it any further Frank because you and your team knew all along that there ain't no chance for you at Supreme Court who without doubt would have upheld the Appeals Court ruling denouncing you as an illegal usurper.

[Our response to Frank's yah dah yah dah yah dah, April 12, 2009]

Short list of other blogs commenting on the military regime and its media censorship posted by Andrew Bartlett over at Crikey:

 Discombobulated Bubu;
 Fiji Girl's Weblog;
 Luvei Viti – Children of Fiji;
 Soli Vakasama;
 Fiji Democracy Now;
 Tears for Fiji;
 Coup Four and a Half.

Goose stepping in all this rain.....

The rain came, the water rises. Since February our little creek has been out of its bed more times than an insomniac with diarrhoea.

The ground is as soft as half-set jelly and I've taken to going barefoot around the farm since I bogged the gum boots too many times to count.

One good thing to come out of the latest flood is that since it shorted out and then washed away the neighbour’s electric fence, I no longer have the continual ticking on the phone line which left an impression that the phone was going to blow up at any moment.

The new fully-automatic weather station I installed couldn't cope with both rainfall and blackouts so we are back using the old rain gauge - a large tin can and a measuring beaker.

It is more reliable that the electric, battery and solar powered gee whiz bang new weather station.
The main problem with the old tin is assessing the frog variable.
How much fluid do the frogs extract or add to the rainwater caught in a tin?

I must admit it has been very peaceful the last few months sitting listening to the rain on the tin roof.
Not much can be done outside until there is a break in the weather.

We've not had any visitors. Even the religious fraternity that use to turn up on our doorstep has taken to leaving pamphlets in our letter box on the main road - they may trust the Lord but not our rain raddled driveway.

The only animals that have completely enjoyed the past few months have been the geese.
They clearly believe they're meant to rule this new watery kingdom and are currently out harassing swans in their new found domain.

When not involved in that pursuit they march in squadrons over sodden pasture without sinking, as they go telling everything to stand clear for the new overlords.

They have definitely turned fascist. So as I sit here, with rain drumming on the roof, I am planning a counter-insurgence.
When the weather breaks the geese had better be on guard for I have found the receipe for pate de foie gras.

To all those Australian politicians out there - especially the Rees Government

Click on image to enlarge

I know its hard if you don't live right on a coast or river to visualise the type of residential land vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.
So here's an aerial view of the small northern NSW coastal town of Yamba, at the mouth of the Clarence River.

You will notice that its northern border is the Clarence River, its eastern border is the Pacific Ocean, its western border is Oyster Channel and its southern border is mostly Lake Wooloweyah with a narrow strip of land on the ocean side.
All of these bodies of water are influenced by the tide.

If the Rees Government consents to furthering urban development of West Yamba by consenting to the recent Clarence Valley Council Draft West Yamba Local Environment Plan then an extra 2,500 people will probably be added to the town's present population of around 6,000 residents (a population which basically doubles during peak holiday periods).

The proposed West Yamba development (involving significant landfill) would be on an identified flood storage area and therefore its bulk would divert some of any future flood water to elsewhere in Yamba and the smaller Wooloweyah village.

That would mean an estimated 4,000 households at the very least would be lining up to be included in any litigation against Clarence Valley Council and the NSW Government for a failure to exercise duty of care.

Remember when you could get money back by returning soft drink and beer bottles? Well here's another chance

The Total Environment Centre is alerting people to the fact that an initial decision on whether or not to pursue a national container deposits scheme will be made by Federal and State Environment Ministers on 22 May 2009.

A container deposit scheme has operated successfully for years in South Australia.
Here is what is said about it:

Container deposits are effective - Tonnage rates achieved in South
Australia for beer bottles, softdrink glass and plastic soft drink containers are far in excess of those achieved in other states ofAustralia. South Australia recovers 85% of non refillable glass soft drink bottles, compared with36% nationally. The return rate for plastic soft drink containers, (PET), is 74% whilst the national returnrate is 36%. Liquid paperboard, a recent inclusion, has a return rate of 40% increasing. [Recyclers of South Australia Inc.]

Introducing CD has many benefits to the environment, local government and community groups because it:

• Increases recycling rates in the state providing clean recyclate to manufacturers
• Significantly reduces litter in our parks and streets
• Provides 'recycling hub' infrastructure with the opportunity for more than just container recycling
• Is compatible with local council kerbside services and makes them more economic (via unredeemed deposits and reduced collection trips)
• Addresses 'away from home' container waste
• Creates local jobs
• Generates revenue for charitable and community service groups. [Total Environment Centre]

If you would like to see a dollar return on part of your recycling efforts and cleaner streets and parks in local areas, it's time to write or email your state and federal MPs asking for a national container deposit scheme to be put in place across Australia.

If you belong to a NSW community group you might like to discuss the issue and contact the Total Environment Centre at sarahve@tec.org.au about signing a group letter before 1 May 2009.

"Moggy Musings" [Archived material from Boy the Wonder Cat]

A serpentine musing:

The hot weather is starting to give snakes the idea that garages, garden sheds and the crawl space under a house are good places to find a little cool shade.

Keep an eye out for these visitors and call your local W.I.R.E.S to help with relocation.

A solidarity 4ever musing:

With January 2009 being so hot further south in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, I thought I'd send a greeting to all those companion animals trying to cope with the heat wave and celsius temps rising into the 40s.

Hangs in there my fellow moggies, mutts, cavies, birds, horses etc!

Even I had to do an emergency moult last week, so I know how you are suffering.

Is it a record? musing:

Peeking at The Clarence Valley Review this morning, I see that Yamba boasts a tiny 8 week-old healthy kitten which weighed just 360 grams (12.7 ounces) on Monday, 5th January. Now that is really a small kitty!

Happy Easter to one and all

North Coast Voices

Image: Wikimedia