STAFF members of the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala Campus in Suva have called for an independent and thorough investigation into allegations of mismanagement of funds and university resources by some former and current staff members of the university.
More than 60 staff members of the university met during their lunch break on Thursday to express their concerns about what had happened.
USP senior lecturer in Economics Dr Sunil Kumar said they wanted to engage their staff to make them aware about the seriousness of the issue.
“This university does not belong to a few people, it belongs to a few regions in the Pacific and therefore it is time that we stand up and voice our opinions on this,” Dr Sunil said.
He also expressed disappointment at the university’s pro-chancellor Winston Thompson’s statement released this week, calling for an investigation into the leaking of the confidential report which contained the allegations against some of the university’s staff members including himself.
“If there are allegations of mismanagement of finances, that should be investigated, not the leakage of the papers.”
The matter is currently being investigated by the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption (FICAC).
USP’s academic in Governance and Developmental Studies Professor Vijay Naidu said staff members allegedly involved in the matter should be suspended, pending investigations.
While addressing the staff members yesterday, Associate Professor Morgan Tuimalealiifano called on his colleagues to show their support for USP’s Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia.
Prof Tuimalealiifano said they were concerned that Mr Thompson had apologised in his statement on behalf of the university to people allegedly involved in the mismanagement of funds because the university, he added, does not belong to Mr Thompson, but the people of the region.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Thompson had described the leaking of the confidential document containing unsubstantiated allegations against the university’s staff members including himself as a “a gross injustice”. He said he was disappointment at the leaking of the documents before “any of the others have even seen the allegations and before any of us have had a chance to refute them”.
Mr Thompson has requested an investigation into how the document was leaked before the necessary investigation would be carried out.
“Quite clearly, a gross injustice has been done to the named individuals who have worked assiduously and who do not deserve to be treated in this way. I apologise to them in the name of the University,” he said.
“I issue this statement to give context to the unfair and harmful disclosure of unverified information, which has resulted in several individuals being judged without having had the opportunity to respond to the allegations.”
