The reinstatement of the University of the South Pacific’s vice-chancellor (VC) Professor Pal Ahluwalia is a victory for good governance and regional solidarity, says Unity Fiji party leader Savenaca Narube.
Mr Narube extended a warm welcome to Prof Ahluwalia, congratulating the University of the South Pacific Council and its chairman for standing up to regional bullying.
Mr Narube claimed that after it could not get its way in the USP Council, the Fiji Government withdrew its funding to the university, and when that did not work, it decided to silence the VC.
“The Pacific and the entire world heard with disbelief the following morning that police raided the home of the VC in the middle of the night, bundled the VC and his wife into a vehicle, and deported them.
“In this very unPacific-like saga, the Fiji Government thumbed its nose at the other leaders of the Pacific Islands who are part owners of the university and at the international communities who help fund the development needs of Fiji.
“It disregarded the risks to the future of our young people,” added the leader of Unity Fiji.
Mr Narube has called on the region’s bilateral partners to strongly condemn what happened, calling on Fijians to collectively call for the Fiji Government to fully reinstate its grants to the USP.
Meanwhile, questions sent to the Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama regarding the above statement remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
