‘No personal grudges’

LONG time permanent secretary to the prime minister’s office Jioji Kotobalavu says he bears no personal ill-will towards those who were serving in the military during the 2006 coup.

Mr Kotobalavu was serving as an adviser to the late prime minister Laisenia Qarase when the Voreqe Bainimarama-led military upheaval took place.

Weighing in on the national reconciliation efforts by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces led by commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai, Mr Kotobalavu said he held “no personal grudges” against those who forcibly removed him from his position.

“First of all, let me say that I make these observations about the qualities of effective national leadership as someone who, during 38 years of serving in Fiji’s civil service and mostly in the prime minister’s office, worked under several outstanding elected political leaders drawn from different personal and professional backgrounds,” Mr Kotobalavu said.

“So from this experience, I have some knowledge of the attributes that make a politician a great national leader.

“And secondly, I was among several permanent secretaries who were unceremoniously removed from their positions, for no justifiable reason, by the perpetrators of the military coup on December 6, 2006.

“And to add insult to injury, we were then prevented under the State immunity provisions of the military-regime imposed 2013 Constitution from continuing with our judicial review application which had been accepted by the High Court.

“Today, I say with no equivocation that I bear no personal grudge against those responsible in the military at the time.”

The law professor at the University of Fiji was responding to comments made by Maj-Gen Kalouniwai, about the reconciliation efforts within the military that the RFMF is embarking on.