Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia and Professor Som Naidu.

A former leading figure at the University of the South Pacific has spoken out against former Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia.

Professor Som Naidu who was the Pro-Vice Chancellor Flexible Learning at USP says Ahluwalia wasn’t always on the straight and narrow when it came to decision making.

He claims that Ahluwalia has projected himself as the savior and champion of good governance, but is guilty of numerous violations.

Naidu alleges that Ahluwalia is responsible for harassing and sacking several people, as well as the arbitrary appointment of his supporters to key positions.

“He projects himself as the savior and the guy who invested good governance. Of course everyone wants good governance. Who doesn’t want good governance? We all want good governance but it’s how its provided, you say one thing and you do another is another question.”

Professor Naidu is the latest in a string of leading Pacific scholars who have spoken out against Ahluwalia and his tenure at USP.

These academics have weighed in on governance issues at USP forwarding their concerns to the Council that Professor Ahluwalia is part of the problem.

Professor Naidu says allowing the ousted VC to run the affairs of the regional institution based outside of Fiji is unthinkable.

“For him to work from another country in the Pacific is wishful thinking, it’s not going to happen because of logistical issues and because of the difficulty of trying to make that work.”

Current Marine Studies Professor, Ciro Rico adds that if this is considered it would be the undoing of years of hard work.

“Whether or not the former Vice Chancellor should be appointed into another nation and run the university from another nation because he was deported from Fiji will trigger of 53 years of common effort and extremely hard work.”

When contacted by FBC News, Professor Pal Ahluwalia reserved his comments until after the Council Meeting tomorrow.