Highly acclaimed Poet and Academic Professor Konai Helu Thaman says it is time, in her view, for the USP Council to move on from Pal Ahluwalia, and start looking for someone from our Pacific spaces, someone who understands and has our region and people at heart.
In a four-page letter to members of the USP Council, Professor Thaman wrote that USP had a chance when the job was first advertised.
She said there was a very capable man of faith – a USP graduate, a university academic, long time member of Council and advocate of Pacific leadership but he was overlooked and the second time the job was advertised, the requirement for applicants to have full professorial (status) was inserted.
Professor Thaman wrote some members of the Council thought that the change was done in order to rule him out.
She says she is of the opinion that we would not be in this sad position if he was on deck but it’s not too late.
Professor Thaman says together we can find someone – a son or daughter of the Pacific, who will be able to bring back together the dismembered pieces of USP to form a renewed, reinvigorated and interconnected USP.
She is asking that this be done without the vote of our main development partners, who, whether they like it or not, tend to influence the way we look at ourselves as well as the world.
Professor Thaman wrote that she believes Ahluwalia, because of his divisive influence, vindictive tendencies and proven lack of leadership qualities, needs to go.
She says some of Ahluwalia's supporters see him as a martyr but I see him as an exploitative pretender and manipulator.
Professor Thaman says during the three years Alhluwalia’s been here, all that he’s done is try and bring down people in the name of good governance as if he has a monopoly on the concept.
She says she still believes that the number of breaches identified by the Executive Committee (the original one) need to be independently and properly investigated.
She further says from where she sits, she sees the silent majority among both staff and students, being sad and overwhelmed and just wanting to get on with their work or look to the sunnier side of the street.
Professor Thaman says unfortunately the whole issue has been so politicized that anything anyone says would be taken as a sign of taking sides, or conspiracy theory, whether within USP politics or Fiji politics or both, and depending on what side you are looking from, may prefer not to listen to any arguments from another side.
She says this is clearly demonstrated on social media, where at times, one wonders where all the love and goodness among Pacific people have gone.
Fijivillage reached out to Professor Ahluwalia for a response.
He says he does not reply to such nonsense.
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