Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama said he strongly supports Parliament’s decision to suspend NFP Parliamentarian, Tupou Draunidalo for the remainder of the term of parliament.
Bainimarama said Draunidalo incorrectly attributed the quote "dumb natives" to Minister for Education, Mahendra Reddy during an exchange in Parliament.
He said upon review of the audio recording, it was revealed that Reddy never made any such statement and that Draunidalo alone mentioned the quote “dumb natives”.
Bainimarama said instead of engaging in rational debate, Draunidalo sought to add an element of ethnic prejudice into the exchange and mischaracterise the Minister’s statement.
The Prime Minister said to levy such a heavy charge against Reddy without any factual proof is inexcusable.
He said it discredits the Minister unfairly and brings ethnic tension and discord into a conversation where none existed.
The Prime Minister further said that this was a blatant attempt by Draunidalo to set back the clock and destroy the vision of ethnic harmony that the FijiFirst Government has worked tirelessly to make a reality.
He said they cannot tolerate this regressive mind‑set that threatens Fiji’s democracy and the Constitution by seeking to divide us along ethnic lines.
Bainimarama stressed that Fiji’s Parliamentarians must discuss the real issues of national development, climate finance and adaptation, the status of women in our society, economic and youth empowerment and our children’s education objectively without reference to ethnicity, religion or the other forms of commonality.
Meanwhile, Bainimarama is urging every Fijian to be wary of those who fan the flames of ethnic tension on social media, and to distance themselves from any who seek to use ethnic division as a tool to destroy.
