FLP says Raj is wrong yet again while Raj says he is not going to entertain Chaudhry’s antics

The Fiji Labour Party says Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Director Ashwin Raj is wrong yet again when he accuses Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry of being one of those who pop up like frogs on a rainy day just to grandstand however Raj says he is not going to entertain Chaudhry’s antics.

The FLP says Chaudhry has been in the public arena for the past five decades, popping up regularly and consistently in tackling the authorities on human rights and a host of other issues pertaining to the welfare of workers and the ordinary people of Fiji, at a time when Raj was likely still in his diapers.

They are urging Raj to show proper restraint in his statements and to stop making baseless accusations just to please his masters.

The party says as the holder of a very important constitutional office which is paid for by taxpayers, Raj is required to act responsibly and to make measured, informative statements to the public.

The FLP is advising Raj to be more circumspect when he addresses national leaders of the stature of Mahendra Chaudhry who is a former Prime Minister.

They say Raj is the last person to be pointing fingers at others, because his own credibility as Director has been quite questionable both in Fiji and internationally.

It also says the point remains that Raj’s criticism of the US State Department’s Human Rights 2020 Report is unwarranted because the report is credible, well researched, backed up by facts, fair and balanced.

The FLP says Raj is wrong again when he accuses Chaudhry of making a statement premised on shoddy social media posts which he later retracted.

They say Chaudhry does not make wild statements based on shoddy social media posts and had that been the case, Chaudhry would not enjoy the widespread credibility and respect he does today.

The party says the entire nation knows what happened in that particular case and they withdrew the statement in compliance with the law. They say that matter is not over yet and their advice to Raj is to wait and see.

Raj had earlier said that he suggests that Chaudhry reads his response to the report closely which does deal with issues of accuracy, broad range of human rights issues investigated by the Human Rights Commission.

The Director says he is surprised that Chaudhry decides to suddenly wake up and react to his response to the report that was published widely in April 2021 on the occasion of an official visit by the US State Secretary.

Raj says Chaudhry clearly smacks of opportunism and political expediency and questions where the FLP Leader was all this while.

He says Chaudhry should be the last person talking about the accuracy of reports given the fact that only a few weeks ago he had to very publicly retract a statement about the Supervisor of Elections and the Fijian Elections Office that was premised on shoddy social media posts.

Raj says that was incredibly embarrassing.

He adds if Chaudhry needs to know about the work of the Commission, he is most welcome to contact them directly about the nature of complaints received and investigated.

Raj says he neither has the time nor any interest in engaging in some banal conversation with Chaudhry to teach him what deconstruction means.