The High Court has spoken. Justice Dane Tuiquereqre didn’t merely quash a report; he reaffirmed a fundamental pillar of our fragile democracy: natural justice. Yet, from down south, commentator Alexandra Forwood brands this ruling “a whole lot of bullshit” and demands that President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka rush to the Court of Appeal.
With all due respect, Ms. Forwood—who exactly is going to pay for this next installment of political theatre?
Let’s be brutally honest. The previous government muddied the separation of powers so thoroughly that we forgot what a clean judiciary looked like. Now, for the first time in years, we have a judicial branch speaking with clarity and independence—striking down an inquiry precisely because it breached the very rules of fairness it was supposed to uphold. To appeal this ruling is to tell our judges: “We don’t like your conclusion, so we’ll keep burning taxpayers’ money until we get the verdict we want.” That isn’t justice; that is authoritarian stubbornness wearing a legal gown.
We have already torched over $6 million; according to some estimates, on this Commission of Inquiry—and it went absolutely nowhere. The genesis of this saga produced zero convictions, zero policy wins, and zero closure. It produced only a High Court ruling that slapped down the entire process for procedural illegality.
And now Ms. Forwood wants an encore?
Taxpayers are in no mood to entertain more wastage. While Suva’s legal elite obsess over who colluded with whom, our maritime provinces are crying out for basics. Imagine what $6 million—let alone the additional millions an appeal would cost—could buy for Kadavu, Lau, Lomaiviti, and Vanua Levu: desalination plants for drought-stricken villages, proper transport vessels for medical staff, upgraded nursing stations, government facilities, or solar grids to cut diesel dependency. Every dollar poured into this political witch hunt is a dollar that isn’t helping ordinary Fijians.
So here is my challenge to Ms. Forwood and the Government: Set up a GoFundMe.
If you genuinely believe this appeal is so critical to your cause—because it certainly isn’t critical to Fiji’s—then put your money where your mouth is. Rally your international backers, business partners, and supporters. Let private donors—not struggling fishermen or sugarcane farmers—bankroll your selfish legal crusade. Taxpayers are in no mood to hand over one more cent to chase a phantom.
Let the Government accept the High Court’s wisdom. Let the rule of law breathe. And let those who still thirst for this fight reach into their own pockets—it is the only morally and ethically defensible path forward.
End the saga. Respect the bench. And Ms. Forwood—show us the receipt for your donation before you ask for ours.
Pasifika Talanoa by a traveled ITaukei Fijian 