Selective Listener Voreqe at it again-Voreqe read this!

The FBCL reported on Oct. 18th that self-appointed military leader Voreqe said he quoted part of President Obama's speech in his own UN address because

'Obama stressed in his speech the importance of how a government must try to solve its own problem – rather than being pressured from the outside.

Bainimarama says that exactly what they are doing at the moment and Fiji will not fall to any outside pressure.

He says Fiji will only go to elections in 2014 – after all planned reforms have been accomplished.'

This is the context Bainimarama used this speech in...

Mr. President,

History is replete with the struggles of people the world over for self determination, to be free from subjugation and foreign domination. Our own experience should have provided some indication if one is needed, how difficult it has been for us to achieve true, genuine and sustainable democracy.

Many of the nations represented in this Hall today have experienced the traumas of nation building. It would not be out of place to reflect on what President Obama said during his address to the General Assembly on Wednesday, 23rd of September of 2009, and I quote:

Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path, and no path is perfect. Each country will pursue a path rooted in the culture of its people and its past traditions….’

We thoroughly endorse such sentiments.

Having read through President Obama's entire speech, I am left apalled (again!) by the selective process by which Voreqe and his speech writers have again taken President Obama's speech out of context and twisted it to suit their own agenda. If they have been listening to the previous parts of President Obama's speech, they would have deduced that President Obama has a thing for "shared responsibility". It is a phrase he explained in his book 'The Audacity of Hope' as well. But would Voreqe know that? I doubt it.

President Obama also talked a lot about how we as world citizens should solve problems together. He quoted Franklin Roosevelt, who died before he could see his vision for the UN become a reality, quoting: "The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one nation…. It cannot be a peace of large nations -- or of small nations. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world."

He went on to say how some world leaders have used the UN forum to "sow discord instead of forging common ground; a venue for playing politics and exploiting grievances rather than solving problems. After all, it is easy to walk up to this podium and point figures -- point fingers and stoke divisions. Nothing is easier than blaming others for our troubles, and absolving ourselves of responsibility for our choices and our actions. Anybody can do that. Responsibility and leadership in the 21st century demand more."

You see Bainimarama, although you may think you have the right to steal our government because you have the guns or the so-called right reforms, you most definitely don't have any iota of responsible leadership to carry your self-righteous mission through because YOU DON'T HAVE THE MANDATE OF THE PEOPLE OF FIJI! And what you did at the UN assembly was exactly what President Obama mentioned. You used your 15mins of fame to COMPLAIN, WHINGE, EXPLOIT ETC WITHOUT COMING IN WITH ANY REAL SOLUTIONs TO THE PROBLEM YOU CREATED! And if you Bainimarama have listened or read the President's speech, you would understand that yes, the President said,

"No one nation can or should try to dominate another nation" but he also said "No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed."

You see, there it is Bainimarama, just as much as we want peace and prosperity, "future America also wants a future of peace and prosperity." But they know (just as we law abiding Fijians know) we can only reach it if we recognize that all nations have rights, but all nations have responsibilities as well.

"The responsibilty that the people of the world want this future for their children. And that is why we must champion those principles which ensure that governments reflect the will of the people. Democracy and human rights are essential to achieving each of the goals because governments of the people and by the people are more likely to act in the broader interests of their own people, rather than narrow interests of those in power. True leadership will not be measured by the ability to muzzle dissent, or to intimidate and harass political opponents at home or just as no nation should be forced to accept the tyranny of another nation, no individual should be forced to accept the tyranny of their own people."

So, yes, Voreqe, President Obama said those words you quoted but unfortunately you didn't see it in the whole picture of what President Obama was mentioning. What he meant was this, an elected government has been leading its people and the people are doing their bit for their own peace and prosperity. Then an outside nation or persons come in and try an impose their form of democracy (which is a dictatorship really) on this people, this is not acceptable. But the truth of the matter is for you, you were the tyrannt within who USED HIS GUNS TO IMPOSE YOUR OWN FORM OF DEMOCRACY on Fiji and its people. Therefore, President Obama was directing that part of his speech AT YOU AND YOUR CRONIES TOO.

That is why he said, and this is the challenge for us citizens of Fiji..

And I pledge that America will always stand with those who stand up for their dignity and their rights -- for the student who seeks to learn; the voter who demands to be heard; the innocent who longs to be free; the oppressed who yearns to be equal. There are basic principles that are universal; there are certain truths which are self-evident -- and the United States of America will never waver in our efforts to stand up for the right of people everywhere to determine their own destiny.

STAND-UP FOR OUR RIGHTS! We have been sitting too long peoples and letting Voreqe misuse and abuse us.