I work for an NGO vested with human rights in New Zealand and generally, as a professional courtesy, we are not openly critical of each other.

However the situation in Fiji has gone beyond my tolerance limit. The hypocrisy and double standards coming from outcries of Shameema Ali, Virisila Buadromo, Laisa Digitaki, Angie Heffernan and company are sickening at best and a shame to all agencies that fund such NGO chameleons that change their colour to suit the situation...

There is a common saying that if you throw a lawyer in shark-infested waters, he or she will not be attacked by the sharks. The reason? Professional courtesy, one shark does not attack the other.

"Every time we shrug when we hear of another midnight raid, the cries of terrorized women and children, then somewhere in Fiji another potential [Klaus] Barbie [The Nazi Butcher of Lyon in France] is getting a start in life," said the former Methodist communications secretary in 1987, the Reverend Akuila Yabaki, now head of the Citizens Constitutional Forum. He was speaking out against the reign of terror and torture practised mostly against the Indo-Fijian community by Sitiveni Rabuka, his military henchmen, prominent chiefs, and the dreaded and racist Fijian Taukei foot soldiers following the 1987 coups.

Just after 9pm on November 27, 1999, a police constable stopped a car on a wet Wellington night in New Zealand's Capital City. This resulted in the sacking of the then Police Commissioner Peter Doone, who lost his job for merely condoning his partner driving a vehicle after a few glasses of wine, and questioning a constable on why he had been stopped.

In comparison look at how Fiji treats its failed, ineffective and criminally negligent Commissioner of Police who was caught with his pants down in the coup of 2000...

...New Zealand has been voted the third least corrupt country in the world. However, the New Zealand government stands to be accused of double standards. It applies one standard of governance in its own country and feels that the complete opposite is acceptable in neighbouring Fiji....

By their nature, crooked people claim that what is good is bad and what is bad is good. Whereas simple people know the truth and try to lead their lives by it. Seems like crooked people are running much of the world’s countries and their media. They are proclaiming that Fiji’s clean-up campaign is reprehensible

The Chiefs have a last chance to avoid a terrible bloodbath.

...The Commodore has warned that he could rule Fiji for the next half a century, which is an unrealistic expectation? His men however have the finger on the trigger to let off their guns, which have remained silent since 5 December. The choice is whether to save the nation or the Constitution or perhaps both...

The president of the Fiji Law Society, Devanesh Sharma, has suspended military lawyers and is demanding to know what help, if any, they gave to Commodore Frank Bainimarama when he took over the Laisenia Qarase government on December 5.

... Mr Sharma's actions against the military lawyers, however, raise some very fundamental and disturbing questions: what role should a lawyer play in society or to what extent must he or she provide legal advice to an institution to which he or she belongs; and why should there be two laws, one for fat pay lawyers in private practice and one for military lawyers?...

Shortly after the May 2000 coup a couple of Fijian friend of minds approached me to form an oil exploration company.

In the wake of the December 5, 2006, military coup, Australia and New Zealand are falling over one another to impose economic, military, and political sanctions against Fiji. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark is even considering imposing sporting sanctions against Fiji athletes. Australian Prime Miniser John Howard, who turned his back on Laisenia Qarase when his Fijian ally called for help, has cancelled all military cooperation with Fiji, although aid intended to help alleviate poverty in Fiji is being maintained.

Newspaper men often express the view that "freedom of the press" must be zealously safeguarded.  The means for preservation of democracy is said to depend upon this freedom.

The corollary is the that when  freedom of the press does not exist within a  country democracy does not and cannot survive.