Daily Post (Fiji)
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The Fiji's Daily Post is a newspaper that was formed by Wame Waqanisanini JR in Oct 1987, who owned 50 percent of the shares. Waqanisanini was the original publisher. The majority shares were later owned by the Fijian government. The government now has 44.70 percent of the shares while Australian Alan Hickling owns 51.24 percent shares giving him the major ownership.Minor shareholders including CJ Patel,make up the rest.
Mesake Koroi, the General Manager of the Daily Post, is a cousin of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, who was deposed in a military coup on 5 December 2006. The newspaper has been criticised by opponents for its allegedly pro-government stance, including its support for the government's controversial legislation to establish a Commission empowered to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the Fiji coup of 2000.
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[edit] Disagreement with Military
The Daily Post's stance has brought it into conflict with the Fijian Military, which strongly opposed the legislation. On 30 July 2005, Military Commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama attacked the newspaper for saying that the Military was "cornered." At a press conference on 30 September, Bainimarama ordered Daily Post reporters to leave, saying that their support for the legislation meant that they were against the Military.
[edit] Chaudhry lawsuit
On 5 December 2005, lawyer Rajendra Chaudhry filed a writ against the Daily Post, on behalf of his father, Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry. The writ concerns what Chaudhry claims are "untrue and malicious" allegations, suggesting a leadership struggle within the FLP. The article in question also claimed that the FLP was no longer the party founded by Timoci Bavadra, Tupeni Baba, and Adi Kuini Speed, but had turned into a hard-line Indian nationalist party.
[edit] Cartoons controversy
Another controversy facing the Daily Post in early 2006 concerned its republication of twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. First published in Denmark, these cartoons - which sparked outrage in many parts of the world - were republished by the Daily Post on 5 February in its Sunday edition.
Senator and Fiji Muslim League President Hafiz Khan said that he was disappointed and angered that the Daily Post had been the first newspaper in Fiji to publish cartoons that were very offensive to his faith, while Tahir Munshi, Vice-President of the Ahmediyya Muslim Jamaat of Fiji, called the cartoons a direct insult to Fiji's Muslim community, and demanded the dismissal of the newspaper's editors. Malaysian High Commissioner Nafisah Mohamed also wrote to editor Mesake Koroi to protest the publication.
Prime Minister Qarase joined Fiji Media Council (FMC) Chairman Daryl Tarte on 7 February in criticizing the publishing of the cartoons as irresponsible, serving no useful purpose, and breaching FMC Code of Ethics. "It has, understandably, aggrieved our Muslim community. Their religion and its founder have been insulted and ridiculed," he said. While free speech was a constitutional right, all freedoms carried obligations and responsibilities, he considered.
Military spokesman Captain Neumi Leweni also criticized the cartoons' publication, saying on 8 February that it could undermine the security of Fijian soldiers serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions in the Middle East.
Koroi defended the decision to publish the cartoons, saying that reporting the news was the newspaper's business. No offence to Islam or its followers was intended, he said.
Fiji Live reported on 10 February that the Ahmadia Anjuman Ishaat-I-Islam Jamaat had announced a lawsuit against the daily post. Dr. Samsud Dean Sahu Khan said that the cwariceatures were insulting, and that freedom of the press should not be abused by the media. A complaint had been lodged with the police, Khan said.
Meanwhile, police were investigating a bomb threat against the Daily Post.
Parliamentary Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau added his voice to the criticism of the publication on 20 February. Fiji Live quoted him as telling Parliament that the Prime Minister had been right to rebuke the newspaper, saying that it had not only offended Fiji's Muslim community but had also compromised the security of Fijian soldiers and civilian security guards working in Middle Eastern countries.
The same day, Director Janet Boston of the Thompson Foundation (which wrote Fiji's Media Code of Ethics and Practice), told the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) conference in New Delhi, India, that the Daily Post had totally breached the code of ethics.
[edit] Financial Plans
Fiji Village reported on 14 March 2006 that the premises of the Daily Post had been briefly locked by landlords (the Fiji National Provident Fund), over nonpayment of rent. Daily Post management blamed the financial crisis on previous management.Early in 2007 the shares of the company was 2,000,0000 at $2 a share.Fiji Government is now negotiating with a minor shareholder to buy its 895,220 shares.The newspaper had filed lawsuits againist its previous management and local financial institutions, for mismanagement, misappropriation etc.This court case is continuing in Fiji's courts.Fiji Daily Post is now located at a new premises in Vatuwaqa Industrial subdivision. The company will offer shares to the public later this year for expansion opportunities, which includes a new printing press, real estate, Digital Media and TV and Radio.
[edit] 2006 coup d'état
General Manager Koroi was detained and questioned by soldiers at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks on 8 December 2006(source). The Daily Post had been refusing to accept Military interference in its publications in the wake of the military coup which deposed the government on 5 December 2006.
