The Fiji Labour Party says it deplores the Rabuka government’s foreign policy stand supporting gross human rights violations in Israel and China.
FLP Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry says they are referring to Fiji’s vote against a UN resolution in the weekend calling for a “sustainable truce” in the Israeli-Gaza war to allow emergency humanitarian aid to be channelled through to the victims of the war.
Chaudhry says apart from its ‘no’ vote on the UN resolution, Fiji has also withdrawn its name from a list of 51 nations calling on China to end its human rights violations against the Uyghur and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
The former Prime Minister says it makes them wary of how such policies would translate into a Fiji context.
Chaudhry asks should we worry that our own human rights situation here could well be endangered or compromised now that we have a government supporting human rights violations elsewhere in the world.
He says Labour issued a statement on 13th October condemning the human rights atrocities committed on innocent people in Gaza.
The FLP Leader says the continuing indiscriminate bombarding of North and South Gaza including hospitals, settlements and entire townships is now tantamount to genocide and must be soundly denounced, not condoned and supported.
He says the world’s horror at the intensity of the Israeli offensive is evident from the fact that 120 countries voted in favour of the resolution.
Only 12 other countries joined the US and Israel in voting against the resolution – six of these votes were from the South Pacific States including Fiji.
Chaudhry says Fiji’s stand on both the issues must send alarm signals to us here in Fiji on how the Rabuka government may react to human rights issues here.
He also questioned the stand taken by Rabuka’s coalition partner, the National Federation Party which strongly criticised Fiji’s vote against the UN Resolution but made it clear that did not in any way affect their support for the coalition government or the Prime Minister.
Chaudhry says the NFP must take a principled stand on the issue.
The FLP Leader says the NFP cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds simply because it suits their interest to do so.
Chaudhry also notes that NFP has said nothing on the China issue.
We have sought a response from the Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka and Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad.
By: Vijay Narayan
30/10/2023
A person cloaked in political deviousness and living in a glass house should be the last person to throw stones at others.
That is the response of National Federation Party General Secretary, Kamal Iyer's response to Fiji Labour Party Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry raising concerns about the Rabuka government recent votes in the United Nations.
Iyer says Chaudhry has no political and moral credibility to lecture the National Federation Party about principles.
He says the FLP's senseless and baseless attack on the NFP’s stand in the two most recent foreign policy issues of the way Fiji voted at the United Nations and also withdrew its name from a resolution calling on China to end its human rights violation against the Uyghur and minority Muslims shows his desperation to become relevant.
Iyer says the NFP is not 60 years old for nothing, and they have prevailed because they have never shirked their principles.
The NFP General Secretary says a political clown known for his treachery should be the last person to talk about running with the hare and hunting with the hounds to preserve one’s interest.
Iyer says there are mechanisms within both the Coalition Agreement endorsed by the three governing parties at the end of last year, as well as the Memorandum of Understanding between the People’s Alliance and NFP signed last April, which provide mechanisms for the parties to point out their concerns on issues that are inconsistent with their own party’s values.
He says all three leaders are cognizant of this and meet as a Coalition Committee to amicably iron out concerns.
Iyer says unlike the FLP Leader who in May 1992 entered into a worthless agreement with the SVT, as well as collude with Nationalist leader Sakeasi Butadroka in an attempt to become Leader of the Opposition, and lest the people forget the FLP’s leader’s role in the illegal military regime after the December 2006 coup.
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