Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says the University of the South Pacific Council needs to do a good clean up at USP and he is raising the question on why the position of Director for the Centre of Flexible Learning was not advertised externally.
Bainimarama is also raising the question where does National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad bring the issue of the Prime Minister making misogynistic comments when he is raising the issue about the appointment process.
The Prime Minister has called on Professor Biman Prasad to help in combatting corruption at USP and to ask his wife, Doctor Rajni Chand to resign from the post of Director for the Centre of Flexible Learning.
Speaking to fijivillage from Seaqaqa today, Bainimarama says the issue is about the appointment of Doctor Chand and he is raising the question on why the USP position was not advertised internationally based on the university’s practice.
The Prime Minister also calls on Professor Prasad not to bring the USP students into this issue. He says he now wants to know where is the GDP in this debate.
When contacted by fijivillage, the NFP Leader says this is cheap politics and he does not determine who gets appointed and how they get appointed at USP.
Prasad says it is childish of Bainimarama to attack him for something he is not responsible for when the Prime Minister should know that the university policy is not determined by Prasad.
Prasad stresses that it is not his place to ask Doctor Chand to resign and it is childish for the Prime Minister to be saying that he is walking out of parliament with his PHD and to see where is his GDP now. Doctor Chand’s office has referred all questions to the USP Communications Department.
Professor Pal Ahluwalia says he will not comment.
Fijivillage is still waiting for USP Pro Chancellor Winston Thompson’s comments regarding these claims.
Fijivillage had questioned Thompson last week whether he had received reports and complaints of political interference, whether any investigations were conducted and whether questions were raised about certain appointment processes. He is yet to respond.
The Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Jito Vanualailai has today stressed in a statement that all recruitments at University of the South Pacific are on merit in compliance with policies and procedures.
Professor Vanualailai says he also wants to correct the misreporting of his statement by Fijian Broadcasting Corporation on the appointment of Doctor Rajni Chand as the Director of USP’s Centre of Flexible Learning.
He says at no point during the interview with the FBC journalist did Professor Vanualailai mention that Doctor Chand was appointed because the Fiji Immigration would not allow a foreigner.
His recorded statement said “Because it is just an Academic position and we normally just look at the internal expertise that we have. If we can get our own people why should we have to go and get overseas people? In any case, the Fiji Immigration will not allow it. If we don’t have people inside then, of course, we have to go outside, but in this case, we have more than enough expertise.”
To clarify further, Professor Vanualailai says his statement means if there are experts within USP who meet the job requirements in terms of skills and qualification, there is no need to look outside USP and recruitment can proceed internally. The position was advertised internally.
He says when there is a need to recruit from outside USP, including advertising regionally or internationally, like any other employer in Fiji, USP has to justify its intention to recruit from abroad to the Fiji Immigration and state the reasons why the position cannot be filled by a Fijian citizen.
Fiji Immigration are the approving authority for work permits.
FBC News Manager Indra Singh says they are confused about what Vanualailai is denying because his direct quote is on their website.
Singh says they only referred to immigration based on what Vanualailai said in his grab or voice clip.
The Association of the USP Staff Women’s Wing Chair, Rosalia Fatiaki says the Women’s Wing congratulates Dr. Rajni Chand for smashing the glass ceiling as she has worked hard and has been recognized for her achievements including the Teaching Excellence Award at USP by Professor Rajesh Chandra and being a recipient of the Fiji 50th Anniversary medal awarded by President Jioji Konrote.
Fatiaki says they demand that the Prime Minister withdraws his comments and issues a public apology to USP Director for the Centre of Flexible Learning, Doctor Rajni Chand.
She says the Women’s Wing is dismayed by the Prime Minister’s attack on Doctor Chand on her appointment in his efforts to justify the link between NFP Leader, Professor Biman Prasad and the deportation of Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia.
Fatiaki says an initial thought passed through the minds of women and supportive males on how the Prime Minister’s comments of a woman who has smashed the glass ceiling contribute to advancing the Gender Equality Agenda.
She says Doctor Rajni Chand is a qualified academic who has earned the respect of her colleagues, staff and students in Fiji and the region. Fatiaki further says that applying due process, Doctor Chand was found suitable by a Committee of individuals well-versed with the needs of the university in the area of flexible learning.
The Women’s Wing says to make unfounded allegations against a woman staff member who got the job on merit is appalling of a national leader.
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre says it is appalled at the Prime Minister’s uncalled for and misogynistic attack on one of University of the South Pacific’s renowned and award-winning academic Dr Rajni Chand.
Centre Coordinator Shamima Ali says in a statement that the actions of the Prime Minister at home is different from what he passionately talks about in his high level engagements on the world stage.
Ali asks whether the Prime Minister is targeting Doctor Chand just because she happens to be the wife of the Leader of an opposition political party.
She says the Prime Minister himself launched the National Action Plan for Prevention of Violence Against Women, a Constitutional process decrying discrimination against women and amplifying Fiji’s commitment to international standards and conventions on gender equality and human rights of women and girls. Ali says our Constitution and the Bill of Rights attest to this.
The Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator says to preserve the respect, authority and wisdom of the Office of the Prime Minister, as well as safeguard and genuinely promote human rights and empowerment of women, Voreqe Bainimarama should fully retract his statement and offer an apology to Doctor Chand and the women of Fiji.
Ali also says USP is a regionally acclaimed institution whose students have become men and women of international repute through their service to the nation as well as in their respective field of expertise, nurtured by the very finest of academics over the decades.
She says Doctor Rajni Chand and her husband, Professor Biman Prasad happen to be two of the many who have helped shape the future of our students.
Ali says Doctor Chand is a recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s prize for Excellence in Teaching, awarded by former VCP Professor Rajesh Chandra in September 2011. She also received the Fiji 50th commemorative medal from President Jioji Konrote in October, last year.
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