University of the South Pacific staff members opposing vice-chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia have drawn flak from the FijiFirst party for doing “a 180-degree turnaround”.
Opposition MP Jone Usamate said the episode at USP “attests to our misgivings and sense of foreboding”.
He also defended the previous administration’s actions against USP, saying Prof Ahluwalia was not allowed to operate from Fiji because he breached the conditions of his work permit.
“The same people who were supporting Pal Ahluwalia have turned against him,” he said.
“The staff association president, Elizabeth Fong, was his biggest supporter. She is now calling for his removal.”
He said the decision to stop paying grants to USP was to allow an independent inquiry for effective and efficient governance.
Ms Fong hit back saying there has been no evidence or clarity provided by FijiFirst on which section of the Immigration Act Prof Pal had breached.
She condemned the “Gestapo-like deportation” and added that Prof Ahluwalia was a worker and needed to be given the right to perform his job and be assessed against his job description.
“The staff have been observing and watching VCP Pal’s actions over the current review period and in their view, he has not met the expectations,” she said.
Ms Fong said staff members believed in consistency across the board for everyone, ranging from cleaners, associate professors, clerical assistants etc.
Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad reiterated the Coalition Government will not interfere in the governance structure of USP.
“We are confident that the staff and students and the management will resolve the issues amongst themselves,” he said.
