Venkat Raman
Auckland, January 14, 2022
Happy News Year! We hope that you have had a pleasant holiday season and we welcome you back as you return to work. We believe that all of us will have a busy year ahead of us.
The Indian Newslink Lecture 2022 will be held on Monday, February 27, 2023 at Pullman Hotel.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood will speak on ‘Rebalancing Immigration to optimise Human Capital’ at this formal, Black-Tie Dinner event.
We hope that you will be able to join us to help the government reshape its immigration policy, for anything that involves people should be a joint effort.
People in governance, the public sector, commercial undertakings and various professions are the essence of many reports and features in the Digital Edition of Indian Newslink in the New Year. Our January 15, 2023 issue, which you can read here, seeks your opinion on various issues.
A sound Population Policy that determines the demographic profile of New Zealand, a fool-proof system of immigration and a mechanism that is responsive to the changing needs of the economy are among the factors that will help in sustainable growth.
Achievement of these elements will enable New Zealand to address the current shortage of skilled and unskilled labour and assist in the growth of businesses.
Our Speakers at the Lecture
These are the issues which will hopefully be addressed by Mr Michael Wood and other speakers at our Lecture next month.
India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan will provide her Reflections on the Lecture-ideally assessing the growing importance of India as the Human Resource capital of the world with millions of highly skilled people capable of filling the gap currently experienced by New Zealand and other developed countries that depend on migrant workers.
Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan will be the Master of Ceremonies at the Lecture, while Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown will deliver the Welcome Address.
Praveena Karunaharan, Company Secretary and Group Head-Governance, Risk and Regulator Affairs, Snowy Hydro Limited, Sydney, Australia, will provide the Concluding Remarks and Raj Pardeep Singh, Principal and Partner at Legal Associates Barristers and Solicitors will provide the Curtain Raiser on the Lecture.
Democracy under test in Fiji
When Sitiveni Rabuka was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Fiji on December 24, 2022, the ceremony reflected the new spirit of democracy in the coup-ridden South Pacific nation and even after the outgoing Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama somewhat accepted the reality, the fear of the future looms large for Fijians.
Given the current set of circumstances, the election of Naiqama Tawake Lalabalavu as the Speaker of the House – the first business transacted by the Third Parliament since 2014 – was perhaps appropriate. He comes to the post rich with experience as the Leader of the Opposition and as a Fijian Paramount Chief.
Mr Rabuka returned to the post of Prime Minister after 23 years, promising to follow the Western type of democracy, by which he perhaps means the Westminster system of governance.
A bundle of ironies
The current political scenario is a bundle of ironies.
Mr Rabuka was the architect of two coups- both were staged in 1987 which were allegedly ‘in response to the emerging Indo-Fijian administration and to reassert the supremacy of ethnic Fijian supremacy,’ has now Professor Biman Prasad, Leader of the National Federation Party (NFP), Indo-Fijian as one of his Deputy Prime Ministers.
In 2006, months before Mr Bainimarama staged a coup to depose then Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, Mr Rabuka, while visiting India for medical treatment told the media that the ‘1987 coups were democratically wrong.’
Welcome to our latest Edition. Please read and share with your friends, family and associates.
Greetings from the Indian Newslink Team.
