SODELPA Member of Parliament Niko Nawaikula yesterday launched a scathing personal attack on Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum while debating the Electoral (Registration of Voters)(Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2021, claiming that the A-G hated the iTaukei ethnic group.

Mr Nawaikula said ethnicity was personal to Mr Sayed-Khaiyum among other disparaging remarks. Most of his comments during the debate was targeting Mr Sayed-Khaiyum and not focussed on the Bill at hand.

In response, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the word shameful was overused when describing Opposition input to important debates.

“The Opposition has essentially run out of ideas and it always reminds me, when I was in Marist Brothers High School, Brother Eugene Flaherty, who used to be my coach for oratory contests, he always told me that if people attack you personally, instead of talking on the subject matter, when they talk about your ethnicity, when they talk about your religion, when they talk about your family, you know they have no good arguments to make. You know that they are intellectually deprived,” he said.

“That really what demonstrates the entire Opposition has been like. And I was surprised. When Honourable Nawaikula is known for his racial inclinations and made those comments, some of the people who I thought from the Opposition would not think like that were all saying, yes! yes! And actually, giving you accolades for that. Including you.

“You were former Minister of Education (Ro Teimumu Kepa). I was surprised that Honourable (Viliame) Gavoka did not stand up and say anything, I’m married to his daughter, who is iTaukei. I will leave it at that.”

Mr Nawaikula then attempted to withdraw his statement and said he had instead said the A-G hated ethnicity.

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