Wednesday, November 05, 2008 Fiji Times
Update: 4:22PM Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black President to lead the United States of America.
Mr Obama was elected President on projected electoral college votes and winning key battleground states, according to BBC News.
The Democrats have secured a total of 47 seats in the Senate with Republican sealing 33 and the Independents taking two seats.
The Democrats again led in the House of Representatives with 42 seats, Republicans securing 21.
The final result is yet to be announced as counting for few states continues.
SV congratulates President-elect, Barack Obama. Well done, it’s been a long journey.
McCain conceding defeat says…
“I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much, and tonight, I remain her servant”
The American people have spoken… and they have spoken clearly.
We don’t hide from history, we make history”
Obama : Yes We Can and Yes We Did!
McCain : So Gracious in Defeat
Can Fiji find her strength in these turbulent times, from these inspirational world leaders?
Soli Vakasama 
November 5, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Inspiring. A wonderful lady and a true daughter of this country who had been belittled by many because she had the courage of her convictions, recently told me that your character is judged not by the way you treat your friends, but by the way you treat your ‘enemies’. Profound…
Hey, the late, great Martin Luther King must be smiling from heavens above 🙂
I can only remain so ever hopeful for OUR FIJI.
November 5, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Koila ? Hmmm 🙂
November 5, 2008 at 7:42 pm
lol @ soro…. sorry but I don’t move in those circles or even close to it 🙂
She’s just a very strong lady whom I have a great deal of respect for despite what others have said….. and yet to be proven I guess.
November 5, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Amazon : read this from : The Republic by Plato – and devour:
… “And so, you and Homer and Simonides are agreed that justice is an art of theft; to be practised however `for the good of friends and for the harm of enemies,’–that was what you were saying?
No, certainly not that, though I do not now know what I did say; but I still stand by the latter words.
Well, there is another question: By friends and enemies do we mean those who are so really, or only in seeming?
Surely, he said, a man may be expected to love those whom he thinks good, and to hate those whom he thinks evil.
Yes, but do not persons often err about good and evil: many who are not good seem to be so, and conversely?
That is true.
Then to them the good will be enemies and the evil will be their friends? True.
And in that case they will be right in doing good to the evil and evil to the good?
Clearly.
But the good are just and would not do an injustice?
True.
Then according to your argument it is just to injure those who do no wrong?
Nay, Socrates; the doctrine is immoral.
Then I suppose that we ought to do good to the just and harm to the unjust?
I like that better.
But see the consequence:–Many a man who is ignorant of human nature has friends who are bad friends, and in that case he ought to do harm to them; and he has good enemies whom he ought to benefit; but, if so, we shall be saying the very opposite of that which we affirmed to be the meaning of Simonides.
Very true, he said: and I think that we had better correct an error into which we seem to have fallen in the use of the words `friend’ and `enemy.’
What was the error, Polemarchus? I asked.
We assumed that he is a friend who seems to be or who is thought good.
And how is the error to be corrected?
We should rather say that he is a friend who is, as well as seems, good; and that he who seems only, and is not good, only seems to be and is not a friend; and of an enemy the same may be said.
You would argue that the good are our friends and the bad our enemies?
Yes.
And instead of saying simply as we did at first, that it is just to do good to our friends and harm to our enemies, we should further say: It is just to do good to our friends when they are good and harm to our enemies when they are evil?
Yes, that appears to me to be the truth.
But ought the just to injure any one at all?
Undoubtedly he ought to injure those who are both wicked and his enemies.
When horses are injured, are they improved or deteriorated?
The latter.
Deteriorated, that is to say, in the good qualities of horses, not of dogs?
Yes, of horses.
And dogs are deteriorated in the good qualities of dogs, and not of horses?
Of course.
And will not men who are injured be deteriorated in that which is the proper virtue of man?
Certainly.
And that human virtue is justice?
To be sure.
Then men who are injured are of necessity made unjust?
That is the result.
But can the musician by his art make men unmusical?
Certainly not.
Or the horseman by his art make them bad horsemen?
Impossible.
And can the just by justice make men unjust, or speaking general can the good by virtue make them bad?
Assuredly not.
Any more than heat can produce cold?
It cannot.
Or drought moisture?
Clearly not.
Nor can the good harm any one?
Impossible.
And the just is the good?
Certainly.
Then to injure a friend or any one else is not the act of a just man, but of the opposite, who is the unjust?
I think that what you say is quite true, Socrates.
Then if a man says that justice consists in the repayment of debts, and that good is the debt which a man owes to his friends, and evil the debt which he owes to his enemies,–to say this is not wise; for it is not true, if, as has been clearly shown, the injuring of another can be in no case just.
I agree with you, said Polemarchus.
Then you and I are prepared to take up arms against any one who attributes such a saying to Simonides or Bias or Pittacus, or any other wise man or seer?
I am quite ready to do battle at your side, he said.
Shall I tell you whose I believe the saying to be?
Whose?
I believe that Periander or Perdiccas or Xerxes or Ismenias the Theban, or some other rich and mighty man, who had a great opinion of his own power, was the first to say that justice is `doing good to your friends and harm to your enemies.’
Most true, he said.
Yes, I said; but if this definition of justice also breaks down, what other can be offered?
November 5, 2008 at 8:04 pm
And Amazon – in case you need help to THINK about these VERY IMPORTANT issues : look this up for reference : http://showsupport.typepad.com/odyssey/2008/08/outline-of-pole.html
Happy thinking !
November 5, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Hey thanks soro for all that – will certainly chew it over dinner.
November 5, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Draki qo Obama ga!
November 5, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Wailei….watching the live telecast on TV was so inspiring…McCain gracious in defeat and supportive of his new President Elect…
Qai lai vosa mai o OBAMA…wailei…sa da qai via ciba saraga…bau cava tu na tawa ni qavokavoka sa vaka tu ya!
Ia, on the other end…o nodatou pretender wannabe leader…qai dolava ga na gusuna sa da via veka, lua, ci….oti ya qai mai dusidusi toka yani na ligana ya…
O koya toka qo i Viti – wow! Me qai impromtu speech toka vaya…sa tekivu ga na ‘homebrew under the mango tree’…tini sara yani na ‘moimuri’….BA…ha…ha…ha…
talk about ULUPEPA VAVAKU…
November 6, 2008 at 1:20 am
I doubt Fiji is anywhere near the road to recovery yet as you can’t build a house on sand and expect to stand for too long !
When you have thieves, liars , bullies , murderers , despots , and greedy people trying to control everything from free speech to the price of eggs , there’s truly , little to no hope .
November 6, 2008 at 5:25 am
Congratulations @newsfiji. You have just discovered the best cure for Constipation in Fiji. All the sufferers have to do, is sit in front of the TV when your pretender comes on and everyone is cured. No more Coloxyl tablets. Lots of money for the toilet paper factory.
November 6, 2008 at 6:06 am
All this dancing at someone else’s wedding – come on guys, you should now be yelling “Sí, se puede”.
BTW – what will happen if Fiji elects a non-Fijian for a PM.
November 6, 2008 at 8:35 am
Ah, democracy in action.
Ain’t it sweet?
All we can do at this point is watch with poignant longing while other countries allow their people to exercise their right to vote for their leaders.
Meanwhile we wait for the military fat-and-getting-fatter-cats and their Chodo-snake-dog stick it to the rule of law, rape our Constitution and treat our President like swill.
Obama, Obama Mama, when will we be able to join with you Obama Mama? (With apologies to Boney M).
God bless Fiji
November 6, 2008 at 9:22 am
What a great moment for America as they rejoice in the process of democracy which resulted in the historical victory for Obama. The people have spoken and got what they wanted. Whereas here in Fiji we are shackled in this grip of dictatorship just because someone or some people want power, money and prestige they could get the proper way. These people are trampling all over us in their greed for these wordly possessions. Yet they claim its for the good of the people. How more hypocritical can that be. Some ig apologist blogger claimed the ig had a huge majority support which is only a pipe dream. If they think they do let them hold an election and prove it beyond any doubt that they really have the purported support. What are they afraid of? Put your money where your mouth is.
November 6, 2008 at 9:57 am
@newsfiji, my turn to roar and belt out with laughter. Dina sara ga, sa veisau na initials nei JVB me LVC- lua, veka, ci! Sa dolava ga na gusuna ya sa kauta sara ga mai na LVC. Oilelei ko Viti. Damai leqa!
Uhh, na vosa nei Obama, awe-inspirating, if MLK Jnr could rise from the grave, he would have! Totoka na soqo, va tu mada ga nodatou PM. LVC.
Pek pek po!
Sorry to be using Obama’s victory speech to compare with our pathetic little show. Now about to jet-set to Brussels to talk finance..oielei sa kua la na vuli. No need for degrees from USP. Just get a certificate from dranibota on the bavelo, and you go to Brussels to join the qavokavokas talk business. Isa ko Viti!
November 6, 2008 at 10:17 am
Buda, a non-Fijian for PM? Race don’t matter, so long as it is someone who recognises, understands and respects the rights of indigenous people in this land, and not serve himself/herself first but improve on all basic services that previous governments have failed to do- roads, hospitals, provide opportunities for hard work, hard work, hard work!!! I am wlling to vote for Leung, Seeto, Beddoes, Datt, Reddy, Jalal, – it is about someone who deserves to earn the respect of the people because he/she displays respect. Not the kind of canebelt politics that chodo exploits. Certainly not the kind of demands placed by ariarze, shamimi, buda, etc. Got it?
November 6, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Chaudry to be the next Obama of Fiji!!!!
November 6, 2008 at 11:31 pm
FF, which do you tink is better, brother, get rid of RFMF or get rid of GCC?
November 6, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Gosh here we have Fiji Forward making a statement instead of trashing any of our good people.
Chaudhry could easily be the next Obama of Fiji if we could get our Democracy back and he was elected by the people for the people.
If you don’t know Fiji Forward but that is what “Democracy” is all about.
I have my doubt about Chaudhry though – he may have to serve his sentence first for supporting the Regime.
November 6, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Wuf Wuf I’m a die hard Fijian, right down to the bone so both those institutions represent Fijian control in this land. Sorry about that you’d have to be a native fijian like me to understand, grasp and fathom!!! for you a kai tani or foreigner you’d never understand!!!
November 6, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Areh! You one Ratu too brother? Acha, so one set of Ratu/Adi + RFMF = new Fiji order. Phew, powerade brother!
November 7, 2008 at 12:19 pm
You will need Powerade to last this one though Wuf Wuf becuase if you dont, you will become yep yep. Fiji for Fijians, Fiji for ever Fiji. Go back to your village, yavusa if you have one and ge your basics right!! sorry didnt mean to be harsh on you small doggie.
November 7, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Areh yaar forward me, backward u.
U mush be one small dickie Ratu Modri Boc!, no father, no land, only one smol atol or sandbank, no gare, rite?
Acha, now u choos, u want military only or GCC, one only brother.
Sa, you want both? Nai, nai brother, can’t hve both reh, only make coup coup land al ta time hia in Rotfi land, tut, tut.
November 7, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Areh yaar Forward is me, backward is you, ka gao yaaarr??
Me waitin reh! You 2 mush lasulasu, too mush kanakau, i mean cow.
Acha, listen yaaarr, tis Sunday Viti Nikua program, me waitin plize, u talk native lingo wit Profesor Paul Gerathy. Daushoot will pi judge, set he?
November 7, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Wuf Wuf u talking in real dog lingo now!! talk sense or you lost your sense of direction, go forward not backward is what I’ve been stressing to you all the time.
November 7, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Areh waah! You jush stress al time : forward me, backward you. Tum unerstan jullum baiya 😉 Me can’t tok sense brother, coz me lukin al time at yorr gun, son of tumar gun! You no tok sens too brother, areh waah i see one hand unda table reh!
November 9, 2008 at 12:40 am
Wuf Wuf you taken care of your stray cousins and families running amok around Suva, please have a mataqali meeting and call them in before SPCA start their job!!! Forward it is my friend, see what happened to She Male Clark??? kiwi’s listened to FB and booted her out so repent lost soul and join the journey before the SPCA get you!!!