Raw Fiji News

By VICTOR LAL

One of the most revolting sights still etched on my mind was when a BBC cameraman re-played a tape to me following the 1987 coup of a overtly racist public prosecutor from the Director of Public Prosecutions Office, in full military gear, supporting the racist coup of Sitiveni Rabuka against the Indo-Fijians – he was none other than Isikeli Mataitoga.

The tape was re-played to me as I was preparing to appear on the BBC’s prime time news channel to firmly and squarely condemn the 1987 coup and the racists behind it.

Last night, I replayed the tape, and it made me cringe, as it did in 1987 – the sight of his Lordship Mataitoga.

A double beneficiary of the 1987 and 2006 coups, he is now touted as one of two judges, the other being Nazhat Shameem, who will return to his old job next week.

We should not be surprised – the man has built his career out of the debris of the coup culture in Fiji – in 1987 he became the military spokesman of racism in Fiji, and after the 2006 went up to the Bench, making out as if he supported the bogus claim that the coup had been executed to weed out racism against the Indo-Fijians.

Falsus in unus, falsus in omnibus is an ancient and commonly applied principle of law. If a witness is found to have testified falsely about one matter, it may be inferred that his testimony as to other matters, is false as well.

So, bloggers, do not believe whatever explanation the man comes up with – he thrives on coups, illegality and now the absence of constitutionalism.

But, now, that the 1997 Constitution is gone, Mataitoga’s own immunity for his role in the 1987 coups no longer stands – you see at the International Criminal Court one of these days – “Your Coupist Lordship”.

As to Nazhat Shameem, I will come back to her.