Tarakinikini’s Appointment is Temporary: Acting PM
The appointment is also irregular and in breach of the establishment rules in the civil service in that a person cannot be recruited to an acting position from outside the service: Chaudhry
Acting Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica says the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Filipo Tarakinikini is temporary. Mr Kamikamica made the announcement during a press conference on Friday.
Mr Tarakinikini was appointed as the acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, replacing Dr Satyendra Prasad.
The former Republic of the Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) spokesperson worked for the United Nations for 22 years with his last post as Chief of Middle East North Africa at the UN in New York.
Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry has condemned the appointment of Mr Tarakinikini and has called on the Prime Minister to reconsider the appointment. “Mr Tarakinikini’s name has been closely linked with senior RFMF officers who supported the 2000 coup and army intelligence reports showed him attending destabilisation meetings with former Police Commissioner Savua and ethnonationalist Apisai Tora prior to the 2000 coup,” Mr Chaudhry claimed in his statement.
“Mr Tarakinikini escaped being brought to justice when former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase facilitated his appointment as Senior Planning Officer with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York in March 2001. He stayed in this position for 20 plus years unable to return to Fiji under the FijiFirst Government. “Mr Tarakinikini’s appointment should be rescinded and he should be brought back to Fiji to face charges on all the coup and mutinyrelated allegations against him. “The appointment is also irregular and in breach of the establishment rules in the civil service in that a person cannot be recruited to an acting position from outside the service,” Mr Chaudhry claimed. Acting Prime Minister Kamikamica said he did not wish to enter in a debate publicly with Mr Chaudhry as he had great respect for him, but Mr Chaudhry’s concerns were respectfully noted.
“Mr Tarakinikini’s appointment is temporary and he will return to Suva after the delegation in Panama in order to follow the Public Service Commission processes,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“As the Prime Minister has stated all along, all posts will be advertised with the review and recall of relevant overseas heads of mission following the process.
“If Mr Tarakinikini’s application is successful, he will be duly appointed as the Permanent Representative,” he added.
The same sentiment was shared by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in a statement posted on the Fiji Government Facebook page. Questions were sent to Mr Tarakinikini via email in which he has referred all queries to the Office of the Prime Minister.