Gender will not change ministerial standard: PM
The Prime Minister says he will speak to the minister, who is reportedly overseas, before deciding what action to take over an explicit video.
Tuesday 13 October 2026 | 06:00
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the standard applied when Lynda Tabuya was removed from Cabinet in 2024 will also apply to the male minister at the centre of an explicit video, “regardless of gender”.
“Yes, yes, same thing. It will be the same,” Mr Rabuka said yesterday.
He said he had not spoken to the minister, who was “probably overseas”.
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“I will talk to him personally. And then I will decide what to do,” he said.
Asked whether the minister would be suspended, Mr Rabuka said: “He must have the opportunity to defend himself.”
Mr Rabuka said he did not know whether the minister appeared in the video.
“I haven’t seen any pictures or any videos or anything like that,” he said.
Mr Rabuka dismissed Ms Tabuya as Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection on December 26, 2024, after an explicit video of her surfaced on Christmas Eve.
He cited her oath and the “standards expected of any Minister”. She remained a Member of Parliament.
Mr Rabuka earlier told this masthead that he wanted someone prepared to testify and urged accusers to report to him and the Online Safety Commissioner.
The video allegedly appeared on the minister’s Facebook Story last Friday and was removed 28 minutes later. The minister has yet to respond.
