The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre is calling for the Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, to resign as Speaker, and they are also condemning the unwarranted and racially charged comments made by Ratu Naiqama towards Opposition MP Aliki Bia.
FWCC says they support the statement by the NGO Coalition on Human Rights, and Ratu Naiqama’s way of leadership does not belong in an evolving democracy like Fiji.
They say Fiji is still grappling – in ways large and small – with the legacy of slavery and racism, and Ratu Naiqama has no right to minimise people’s experiences.
They add that at a time when the country is moving towards a Truth and Reconciliation process, Ratu Naiqama chose to be evil once again.
FWCC says he must resign because if our leaders want to help combat racism and inequity in the communities they serve, they need to lead by example.
They say that they also note that this is not the first time Ratu Naiqama has chosen the path of abusive politics because, in 2015, he was suspended for two years from parliament for derogatory and misogynistic comments made towards the late Speaker of Parliament Doctor Jiko Luveni.
They further say Ratu Naiqama and all our leaders must do better and Fijians must all do better.
FWCC says change will require each of us – in our workplaces, our community spaces, our politics, our places of worship, and in our daily interactions – to understand each other’s realities, as well as our own unspoken attitudes.
They say so many other Fijians in this country are targeted and have a system of bias against them because of their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity.
They also say leaders must take the lead role in calling this out every day, especially those who have access to social media.
They add that social media platforms amplify and spread hate speech at lightning speed, which is often aimed at vulnerable groups, reinforcing discrimination, stigma, marginalization and often violence.
FWCC says women and people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity are frequent targets and our leaders and the authorities must be vigilant and active to deal with this because hate speech leads to hate crimes.
They say we shouldn’t only be speaking out when tragedies occur but speaking out against hate speech and other toxic outpourings and actions must be continuous.
We have sent questions to the Speaker. He is yet to respond.
