Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission’s Director Ashwin Raj says he will continue to speak against racism and other forms of discrimination and he will do this without fear.
Raj says it is fully within the constitutional mandate of the Commission to stand up against all prohibited grounds of discrimination including hate speech.
Raj made this comment after SODELPA Leader, Sitiveni Rabuka said that to truly serve the people of Fiji and not just serve the FijiFirst government that appointed him, Raj must be removed as Commission’s director and Chairman of MIDA.
Rabuka says Raj should be ashamed of himself for taking part in intimidation of people and he should resign.
He says SODELPA maintains that the Media Decree and the Public Order Decree 2012 should be repealed.
Rabuka urged the Commissioners of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission to revise Raj’s contract given he was appointed before they were appointed.
Meanwhile, Raj says to stand up against racism is not to serve the FijiFirst agenda as the leader of SODELPA has intimated.
He says there is no shame in speaking out against racism and other forms of discrimination.
Raj says Rabuka has incorrectly stated that the Director was appointed by the government before the appointment of the human rights commissioners.
Raj says the matter of fact is that the government has not appointed him as director.
He says the Chairperson and Commissioners were appointed by the Constitutional Offices Commission in May 2015.
Raj says the Director was appointed in February 2016.
He says the Commission is in good standing not only with ordinary Fijians but also with the international community as evidenced by the continued support that the Commission has enjoyed from the Fijian public as well as the Asia Pacific Forum of the National Human Rights Institution and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions.
