Ex-PM Chaudhry hits back at Rabuka

Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry yesterday fired back at Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka over accusations of making racist remarks, calling the allegations baseless and unwarranted.

Mr Chaudhry defended his earlier statement on scholarship allocations, saying his comments were based on official data presented in Parliament by the Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro.

“The scholarship figures quoted in my statement were based on data provided in Parliament and cannot, therefore, be termed unverified,” Mr Chaudhry said.

Exchange

The exchange started after the PM warned Mr Chaudhry to refrain from making “unverified, racist or hateful remarks” following the Labour leader’s comments about racial imbalance in scholarship awards.

Mr Chaudhry insisted that ensuring fair access to education for all communities was vital in a multi-racial society like Fiji.

“Should affirmative action be necessary, then let that be a separate programme based on need, not on ethnicity,” he said.

In a scathing counterattack, the Labour leader accused Mr Rabuka of hypocrisy, referencing the Prime Minister’s political history.

“Labour does not play racial politics and the same cannot be said for Sitiveni Rabuka who oversaw the wholesale purge of Indo-Fijians from the civil service post-1987 coup and instituted State-sponsored discrimination against Indians,” Mr Chaudhry stated.

‘Communal agenda’

He further claimed the current Rabuka Coalition was “widely perceived to pursue a communal agenda” in key appointments to government positions and diplomatic posts.

Mr Chaudhry also suggested that examining historical discrimination should be part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work.

“It should give special attention to all forms of racial discrimination and prejudices, past and present,” he said.

The exchange comes during what Mr Rabuka has described as a “sensitive period of healing” for the nation.

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