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Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa (left) and Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala (right) Opposition parliamentarian Praveen Bala has criticized the coalition government for “its poorly conceived plans to hold Local Government elections.” He said despite the fast-approaching timeline, there was “no visible preparation in place.” Bala said “the lack of action undermines the credibility of the proposed elections and signals yet another instance of the coalition government’s inability to deliver on its poorly thought-out promises effectively.” Concerned citizens on social media platforms, however, have raised the issue of the FijiFirst Government’s inability to hold Local Government elections in the eight years they were in power from 2014 to 2022. In the wake of the general election in 2014, Bala, the then newly appointed Local Government Minister, had said his immediate task was to see that municipal council elections would take place around the country. In January 2017, when probed by the media he said the legislation was being reviewed and the FijiFirst Government was progressing towards holding local government elections. In February2018, during the Local Government Forum in Suva, when asked once again, Bala said processes had to be followed and cited a review of the Local Government Act as the reason why municipal council elections had not been held. Speaking in Parliament in September this year, current Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa said conducting Local Government elections in Fiji was challenging because of its complex socio-political landscape, diverse ethnic makeup and historical contexts. He said the elections required substantial efforts to educate and mobilise voters while ensuring compliance with electoral laws and fostering political stability in a fragile democratic environment. Nalumisa said municipal elections would be held in the 2025-2026 financial year. He said the date would be confirmed upon consultation with the Fijian Elections Office and the Electoral Commission.CM Gandapur orders de-weaponising Kurram tribes as death toll soars to 124www 7xm asia 。

Bala slams delays in local elections

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On Friday the defense rested in the Daniel Penny trial, leaving many observers to ask what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was thinking in pursuing this case. Over the course of the second-degree manslaughter trial, Bragg’s prosecutors tried to sell the narrative that the Marine vet overreacted and behaved “recklessly” when he restrained Jordan Neely on that F train back in May 2023. But a host of prosecution witnesses, Penny’s fellow passengers, knocked massive holes in that tale, as one after another veteran subway rider described how terror-stricken they were trapped on the train car with the angry, unstable, threatening Neely. One woman said she “was scared s–tless” by Neely’s behavior and recalled him yelling: “I don’t give a damn. I will kill a motherf—–r. I’m ready to die.” She stuck around after the ordeal to thank Penny for defending her and everyone else in the car that day. Another, a high-school student, said she was “so nervous ” she feared she “was going to pass out,” and said she didn’t hear other passengers’ warning to Penny to let go of Neely during the struggle. A third said that Penny restrained Neely “so he wouldn’t attack anybody” — more proof that Penny was selflessly acting on behalf of others and a direct blow to lefty claims that his actions were racially motivated. In short, the prosecution case offered up plenty of evidence that Penny acted rationally and bravely in a harrowing situation . And the defense started off with a bang. On Thursday, forensic pathologist Dr. Satish Chundru testified that Penny’s chokehold wasn’t what killed Neely , but instead “the combined effects of sickle-cell crisis, the schizophrenia, the struggle and restraint, and the synthetic marijuana.” Trial evidence has shown that Neely had K2, a debilitating street drug that can trigger psychosis, in his system at the time of his death. Chundru’s testimony is bolstered by the fact that Neely was still alive when cops responded to the scene . With so much evidence that Penny was indeed protecting himself and others, and that other factors likely contributed to Neely’s death, Bragg’s decision to prosecute looks like pure politics. Closing arguments begin Dec. 2; it’s hard to think the jury will need to deliberate long. It’s Bragg and his team who’ll have to put in time figuring out why they took such a weak case to trial.