Fiji Coup Supplement
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"The Truth"
Ministry of Information, Suva)
5 September, 2000

RAJESHWAR SINGH SHOWS TRUE COLOURS IN RACIALLY-INSPIRED COMMENTS.

A government spokesman today said that criticism by FPSA General Secretary, Rajeshwar Singh about the re-employment of certain senior civil servants who have passed the retirement age of 55 years only goes to show his own anti-Fijian racial bias.

"If he was genuinely concerned about these officers being re-employed after their their retirement age of 55 years, why did he name only Fijian officers like Kotobalavu and the two former military officers employed in the Ministry of Regional Development?," the spokesman said.

"Why for example did he not mention Mr Amraiya Naidu, the retired Permanent Secretary for Education who is being re-employed as Fiji¹s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York."

"Mr Kotobalavu was reassigned to the Prime Minister¹s Office by the PSC at the specific request of the Prime Minister in the Interim Administration, Mr Laisenia Qarase."

"This is because of Mr Kotobalavu¹s extensive experience in that office. And to correct Mr Singh¹s allegations, Mr Kotobalavu is being employed there not on a 3-year contract but on a short-term contract by the PSC."

"His current contract is only up to December this year."

"Furthermore, Kotobalavu is not being given extra pay by PSC for doing the job in the Prime Minister¹s Office."

"He has taken on that additional responsibility as a response to the national call to assist the Interim Administration in this transition period an he is doing it at no extra financial reward to himself."

"If  Rajeshwar Singh is so serious about maintaining correctness in the civil service and protecting its integrity, why has it that he and the FPSA did absolutely nothing to complain about nepotism when the former Prime Minister, Mr Chaudhry appointed his own son to be his Private Secretary, along with being Manager of the Fiji Labour Party Office in Parliament?"

"Was that not an example of blocking job opportunities for regular civil service officers?"

"Mr Singh should learn to be honest with himself and not to mete out criticism merely to vent his racially inspired frustrations."

Fiji Supplement