I Kneeew It…I Kneeew It….As Soon As I Saw Chaudhry Au Kila Saraga Na Blerry Tamata Qo…
Sure enough FIRCA has put the screws on Westech Gold, if the garnishee order placed on Westech International is not lifted the One Hundred and Fifty Miners who have been re employed by Westech will not receive their salaries this week. The Fiji Times had this breaking report FIRCA Order Affects Miners. For the full story click on the link.
Now I think it’s fairly obvious that Westech International is genuine in their efforts to stay in the country for the long term future of Vatukoula and all the people who depend on the mine.
Why is FIRCA hampering the efforts of a company that is trying to revive an economically depressed area. Sources say that the Expat tax adviser at FIRCA from New Zealand seems to have a bone of contention to pick with investors coming into Fiji. This man was responsible for the delay in the settlement of the MOMI Bay tax issue and now he’s set his sights on Vatukoula and Westech.
While I don’t believe he is working in conjunction with the UK and Canadian company, who were getting well acquainted with Chaudhry and Khaiyum, I do believe that he may not realise that he’s being used as a pawn in a much larger tangled web. Ask any legal or accounting firm in town and they’ll tell you in no uncertain terms this so called Tax Expert from NZ is responsible for causing a lot of delays in major investments trying to get off the ground.
Keep your ears to the ground because I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the teething problems Westech has faced in trying to get the Vatukoula Gold Mine operational. They’re probably more akin to birth pains rather than teething problems considering the amount of grief the Interim Regime is putting them through.
Surprisingly the Fiji Times could not obtain a comment from the P.M., Chaudhry, Parmesh Chand, Tevita Vuibau or Princess Fiona Khaiyum. What all of a sudden those unelected, egocentric Government poseurs have turned into shrinking violets? I think not and if my hunch proves to be correct I think there will be even more skullduggery afoot as the Interim Regime tries to discretely sabotage the deal.
Yet this is the same Interim Regime that claims they want to welcome investment, as far as I recall they hardly welcomed Westech International with any fanfare. They didn’t even break out the champagne when the deal was signed, the only thing they did of any notice was to censure and remonstrate Tevita Vuibau for doing exactly what they told him to do. That was nothing other than ensuring the deal with Westech was signed, in case you missed it I covered this story in a previous post Connect The Dots…..
These ignoramuses from the Interim Regime wouldn’t know their head from their @$$e$ even if it said hello to them.
As soon as I Saw Chaudhry I kneeeew it….I kneeew it… Na Blerry Tamata Conman Qo……….
please tell us who this expat blockage is so we can flush him down the same pipe voreqe belongs!
please tell us….
please tell us….
pretty please….
Comment by Raho — August 28, 2007 @ 10:42 pm
btw, any opinions sought from Westech by the non-investigative reporters of the almost defunct media?
Comment by Raho — August 28, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
There was a comment sought from Brian Wesson and he stated that it was very difficult to pay the salaries as they had to be brought in from Australia. What is glaringly obvious is that the reporters haven’t gone deeper to uncover what you and I know now. If I can pick this up, and I’m not even a paid professional, then why can’t the reporters pick this up?
Comment by fuggedaboutit — August 28, 2007 @ 10:51 pm
thanx fuggedabout….kepp updating while the other blogsite are dead! can someone explain wots wrong with the other blogsites??? are they taking a break or wot???
Comment by Philipstone — August 29, 2007 @ 8:10 am
Bula Philipstone,
I’m not really sure what’s up with the other websites but I know that HnC and Hearts and Minds are still pretty active. I’m sure that WFC will be back soon enough. The other bloggers most probably are facing the same problem that we all share, a lack of time with work and family commitments piling up. I think WFC has a few contributors to their site that is why they are able to regularly update their postings.
I’m sure they’ve all gone from the Methodist Soli to the Metodist Conference, that is why there’s a prolonged absence on their part. Either that or with the increasingly tough economic situation people are working two jobs, that could be another reason. The only other logical reason could be that they are regrouping and restrategising to be more effective in exposing the Interim Regime.
Anyways in the Interim, pun intended, we shall endeavour to keep the public posted on the latest shennanigans with the Interim Regime.
Keep the faith and don’t give up.
Comment by fuggedaboutit — August 29, 2007 @ 9:00 am
A political move from the IG, they already have someone from India to take over the mine…wait n see!
Comment by Kid — August 30, 2007 @ 2:44 am
Excellent super-sleuthing Fuggedaboutit!!
For the record folks, blogs like “Intelligentsiya” and “Jokes on the Junta” are alive & kicking…we jes chillin’ and taking some BRIEF down-time.
But you can bet our eyes and ears are open 24-7!
Comment by Keep The Faith — August 30, 2007 @ 5:21 am
Hey Fugged, You’ve turned out to be a real Undercover Brother mate. As Marley once sang, THE TRUTH IS AN OFFENCE-BUT NOT A SIN. The IG may find this blog offensive but GOD knows that the truth is being shared here. Rock on!
Comment by TAZ — August 31, 2007 @ 1:08 am
Cheers TAZ
But the honest truth is that most of this information has been picked up, as the AC/DC song so rightly put it, by being “A Fly On The Wall”
Comment by fuggedaboutit — August 31, 2007 @ 1:16 am
Deadset. But beware ga of the mortein.
Comment by TAZ — August 31, 2007 @ 1:22 am
[...] Unfortunately for the miners in Vatukoula, they were to wait 8 months before any progress on the mine because of the shady corrupt dealings by the tax- cheat Chaudhry and his asswipe IArse Kaiyum. Fuggedaboutit has this pretty well covered in articles on the blogs that highlight the shady dealing… [...]
Pingback by Nine months later - Vatukoula Continues to suffer!!!! « Hearts and Minds — September 3, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
The cognitive dissonance of the Taukei.
It is not an accident that Fiji has only one cement factory, one aggregate producer all off which have been using the god-given resources of the i Taukei; with the blessings of NLTB and VDC.
Cement is made from lime, the only source of lime in Fiji is from coral reefs. I’m not the only person who has witnessed barges cart coral to Lami. Some poor landowner’s reefs was being destoryed without compensation.
Concrete is made from Cement powder, sand, gravel and water. Look at all the large buildings in Suva and contemplate what volume of gravel, cement was used. Gravel in Fiji comes from rivers and quarries from native land.
There are quarries in Vuda, Laqere all excavating a huge amount of aggregate, a transaction which the landowners have been shortchanged on.
NLTB lease money for landowners (whose land which these quarries sit) have been paid peanuts (10,000 a year). One truck load of gravel (4 cubic metres) cost an excess of $F3,000. One truck load of sand about $F 500-1000 per load. In one year, the total amount of truck loads exceed 10,000 trips.
You do the maths!
The same model of ripping people off, was seen in the Mahogan plantations until the Naimasimasi landowners finally won their case in court; allowing them to harvest, market and sell their own timber.
This begs the question, why can’t landowners collect, market and sell their own sand, gravel aggregates?
Find out for yourself, who was getting all that cash?
Comment by Anon — September 4, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
To anon
FYI A load of river gravel costs $120.00 but you bring your own truck. This $120.00 is paid directly to the landowner.
Similiarly, a load of sand from the Sigatoka dune cost $150.00 and bring your own truck. Again $150.00 goes to the landowner at Sigatoka. The expensive part is the truck.
Anyway, the cement company factory is 100% Fijian owned.
Comment by navosavakadua — September 5, 2007 @ 8:17 pm
Blerry hell.
Dua na vesu mona vinaka e biuta mai o Anon (9:09pm).
I was half believing that bastard saraga.
Imagine all the soldiers who did not have this information that Navosavakadua just gave us.
No wonder they were brainwashed into thinking SDL was corrupt.
I gotta find a way to post this.
Comment by hydenceek — September 11, 2007 @ 2:16 am
Well HnC looks like you’ve got a namesake writing under your pseudonym on your own site, albeit with a different spelling and avatar. As for Anon (9:09pm) I don’t understand why these pro Military IR guys seem to post things that are off the topic at hand. But yes I agree with you thanks to people like Navosavakadua for setting the record straight, funnily enough he hasn’t commented in reply to Navosavakadua.
Comment by fuggedaboutit — September 11, 2007 @ 2:30 am
why fuggedaboutit you are good!
Raho, the “so called” Expat tax advisor is Micheal Scott .
Comment by Endurance — September 11, 2007 @ 4:34 am
Although, some buildings were built before SDL’s time;
the Cement factory has been in Fiji before the 1970 independence. NLTB has been in existence since 1940. Alot of time for these resources to be plundered, at the expense of the grassroots.
But, NLTB claims it is working for the landowners but the facts prove otherwise. Some naysayers believe that, since FHL owns the Cement Factory and the Quarry at Laqere; this automatically benefits the landowners. This is a fallacy and the bank accounts of landowners prove that they are not receiving any royalties using the formula of volume used.
NLTB’s lease payment of $10000 per annum is peanuts considering the volume of material absconded over the years.
For your information, a load of river gravel costs $120.00 but you bring your own truck.
River gravel cannot be excavated by any Tom, Dick or Harry because the NLTB has control over native land. Remember the case of one landowner from Vuda exporting soil to Kiribati and NLTB was quick to protest this.
Even if $120 was the cost, that price does not even consider the volume of gravel that a truck can haul. That price (however erroneous) means that a pick up truck is charged the same amount as an 18 wheeler.
This $120.00 is paid directly to the landowner.
X dollars Paid directly to the landowner is actually the 30 pieces of silver to avoid any contractual obligations with the landowner.
Similiarly, a load of sand from the Sigatoka dune cost $150.00 and bring your own truck.
Sigtoka Sand Dunes is a protected area. Nobody has bulldozed sand or carted sand away.
Again $150.00 goes to the landowner at Sigatoka.
$150 does not clarify the size of the truck and this amount seems to be random figure plucked out of thin air.
The expensive part is the truck.
When a leading construction company takes 300+ loads of sand/gravel. The project concerned is large and the capital used (or revenue gained) will exceed the peanuts paid. This can be considered a “Sand Trade” that only those in the know understand.
Anyway, the cement company factory is 100% Fijian owned.
Another outrageous claim that cannot be verified and used by SDL and other political instruments who use race politics. If FHL is owned by the elite segments who own more Class A shares than the provinces they hail from, the question of ownership is clear cut.
To say, all Fijians will get a slice of the cake from FHL investments is farcical. Follow the money trail and one will conclude that, all of FHL investments is based on ethnic trickle down economics.
i.e Those on the top of pyramid get the lion’s share and those at the bottom of the pyramid are left holding the bag.
It is no wonder that, Naimasimasi landowners have cut out the middle men and similarly those landowners who own the Quarry can apply the same model.
Comment by Anon — September 12, 2007 @ 1:31 am
NLTB former G.M (K. Bakani)said “Landowners are not educated enough”. It is a fact that, those landowners have been dumbed down to keep them ignorant of these major deals.
Comment by Anon — September 12, 2007 @ 1:40 am