By Staff Writer
Samoa is caught up in the new controversial flare-up of the deported Vice Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific as a location for the region’s university.
The Minister of Education attended an online meeting of the USP Council last Friday where he was reported to have said moving the university to Samoa was in the agenda.
No mention, however, of any future relocation of the main campus from Fiji to Samoa was disclosed in an official statement from yesterday’s Council meeting.
The statement reads:
“The Council of the University of the South Pacific at its Special Meeting held today, Friday 5 February 2021 decided as follows:
“The Council was not consulted over Professor Pal Ahluwalia’s deportation, that it has not made a decision to dismiss him and expressed disappointment that it was not advised, as Professor Ahluwalia’s employer, of the decision to deport him.
“The Council has established a Sub-committee, chaired by the President of Nauru including the Council Representatives of Australia, Tonga, Niue, Solomon Islands, Samoa and two Senate Representatives to look into this matter.
“The Sub-committee will bring recommendations on these matters to Council.
“In the interim, Dr Giulio Masasso Tu’ikolongahau Paunga, will be Acting Vice-Chancellor and President.”
Fiji has come under a barrage of criticisms for the forced removal of Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia and his wife out of the country.
The couple were deported “ with immediate effect following continuous breaches by both individuals of Sector 13 of the Immigration Act,” a statement from the Fiji Immigration Department explained.
The statement added that under the Act “ …no foreigner is permitted to conduct themselves in a manner prejudicial to the peace, defence, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, security, or good government of Fiji. “
The statement did not make any specific mention of any prejudicial or other illegal act the Vice Chancellor and his wife were guilty of.”
The Fiji Government decision met with “grave concern and disgust “ from the USP staff ..”alarmed by the way ..” they broke into the Vice Chancellors residence in the middle of the night and orchestrated the removal…”
“The manner in which the VCP and his wife were removed is a violation of Human Rights and due process,” stated the university staff written protest.
“Given the seriousness of the decision, we demand the Fiji government to provide justification for this Gestapo tactic.”
The Secretary General of the Forum Island States, Dame Meg Taylor, tried to tone down the angry reaction to the Fiji deportation by being ‘disheartened by the ongoing and recent events at the University …”
“USP embodies our collective aspirations to pool resources for the common good of our Blue Pacific Continent,” the Secretary General stated.
“The region takes pride in its regional university, owned by 12 Pacific Member countries and one of only two regional universities that exists globally.
“The University plays a critical role in building a strong future for our Blue Pacific Continent by nurturing young Pacific minds to be critical thinkers and preparing future leaders of our region.
“It must be supported to strengthen its good reputation and the provision of quality higher education and training that is responsive to the well-being and needs of Pacific communities.”
A USP student representative on the Council, Viliame Naulivo, was quoted in a Fiji media report that ….“students and alumni across the region have been supportive of the student association’s backing of Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia,”
“The notion of natural justice has clearly been disregarded and such treatment of the Chief Academic and Executive Officer of the Pacific’s Premier institution is a disgrace for the entire region,” an official statement from the students association USPSA declared.
“On behalf of all the USP students from across the region, we put our trust and support behind the Special USP Council that will sit tomorrow [last Friday] and we are confident that natural justice will be duly accorded to our VCP.”
VC Professor Pal Ahluwalia and his wife Sandy were escort by Fiji authorites to Nadi Airport and flown out of the country to Brisbane, Australia.
Sandy Ahluwalia leaked news of their arrest and forced removal by phone to Island Business news when the authorities came for them.
“At around 11-1130pm while sleeping, I heard a women calling out Pals name inside our locked backyard,” her phone call was reported.
“The back gate had been broken. She kept saying to go to the front door as security needed to see him urgently.
“ We both got out of bed and looked out of the window. The woman had 3-4 plain clothed men with her.
“Pal and I together went to the front door, hearing the doorbell being rung constantly and banging on the door.
“We could see through the glass, another 2-3 men standing at the back door and at least 8-10 at the front door.
“I quickly rang the deputy vice chancellor as he lives nearby. I then gave the phone to Pal. Upon seeing me on the phone, the immigration official ask someone to break down the door. 4 men barged into the room and grab Pal heavy handedly taking the phone from his possession.
“We were ushered into a three car procession, driving over 120km/hr to Nadi. Initially they wanted us to travel in separate vehicles. Divide and conquer maybe?
“Upon arriving in Nadi before 3am, Pal was informed that we were being deported to Brisbane at 1030.”
VC Professor Pal Ahluwalia flew on to Nauru from Brisbane for the USP Council meeting.
‘It was a surreal experience,’ was all Professor Ahluwalia could say as reported by the Island Business news.
