Reputation – Asia Pacific Report https://asiapacificreport.nz Independent Asia Pacific news and analysis Sun, 19 Mar 2023 08:17:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Fiji’s Bainimarama granted bail, ordered to remain in country https://asiapacificreport.nz/2023/03/10/fijis-bainimarama-granted-bail-ordered-to-remain-in-country/ Fri, 10 Mar 2023 09:28:57 +0000 https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=86031

RNZ Pacific

Fiji’s former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho have been granted bail.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to one count each of abuse of office.

Magistrate Seini Puamau has set bail at FJ$10,000 (NZ$7,000), according to local news media reports.

Bainimarama and Qiliho have also been ordered not to leave the country and to reside at a permanent address.

Magistrate Puamau also ordered them not to interfere with witnesses.

They are next expected in court on May 11.

On Thursday, the country’s top prosecutor sanctioned charges against the two men for obstructing a police investigation in 2019.

Questioned by pollce
Bainimarama and Qiliho were questioned by the Fiji police investigations unit before being held in remand overnight at the Totogo Police Station in in the capital Suva.

Today's Fiji Times front page 100323
Today’s Fiji Times front page. Image: FT screenshot APR

It was the first time for a former PM and a police chief to be kept in a police cell facing such allegations.

The two men were greeted by their family members and friends who gathered outside the courthouse.

The pair were photographed by local reporters smiling as they walked into the Magistrates Court Room 3.

‘I served as PM with integrity’
After being granted bail, Bainimarama told local journalists outside the court that he would defend the charges laid against him.

“Look, I want to tell you that I have served as Fiji’s PM with integrity and with the best interest of all Fijians at heart,” he said.

“I have been served this charge against my legacy so I am going to fight this charge. Not only for my reputation but for democracy, for all Fijians, and of course for the Constitution,” he added.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

]]> PNG’s student unrest hitting finances, reputation, says education chief https://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/06/26/pngs-student-unrest-hitting-finances-reputation-says-education-chief/ Sun, 26 Jun 2016 00:40:32 +0000 http://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=14869 By Serah Aupong in Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea’s long standing university student unrest is costing the country’s higher education sector financially, and is also damaging its international reputation.

Higher Education Secretary Prof David Kavanamur gave this verdict at the second departmental heads meeting today after students have been locked in an up to six-week protest over national politics, demanding that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill resign.

However, Kavanamur said the situation was not all bad.

He said the University of Natural Resource and Environment at Vudal “has been running academic programmes for two months now,” while both the Divine Word University and Pacific Adventist University “are intact”.

At the University of Goroka, Secretary Kavanamur said the students had been home for two weeks and the administration aimed to sort our their issues within that time.

Speaking about the situation at the University of Technology — before the latest attack last night killing a student and setting fire to several buildings in an unrelated issue —  Kavanamur said “full credit” to the vice-chancellor, Professor Albert Schram, for “holding the place together” despite tensions being high.

The government’s main concern now was the University of Papua New Guinea’s main campus of Waigani.

‘Running full swing’
However, Dr Schram said, the School of Medicine at the UPNG’s Taurama campus was “running full swing” along with the postgraduate programmes.

Kavanamur told the meeting that, for medical students, the unrest had meant those scheduled to graduate in 2017, would now be graduating in 2019 instead.

Another unfortunate consequence of the unrest is damage done on plans to attract more international students to the country, which Kavanamur described as a “major reputational risk” that needed to be addressed.

Apart from international reputation, the unrest had also put a financial drain on the higher education sector.

“Possibly K15 [NZ$6.6 million] to K20 million [NZ$8.9 million) already, that’s money that we could be spending on prioritised areas.”

He indicated that academically, drastic decisions might be made soon.

“We are coming to the end of that period whereby the academic senate will meet to decide on the tenability of the academic programme.”

Serah Aupong is an EMTV News reporter.

]]>