Lynda Tabuya on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan

I have been lobbying for the Online Safety Commission to come under the Ministry of Information to streamline the services we provide to the public.

Minister for Information, Lynda Tabuya highlighted this during fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan while discussing the Commission and it’s challenges.

Tabuya says the Commission has the ability to investigate and prosecute, and if it comes under them, they can also protect the rights and information of the people — including their constitutional right to privacy.

When asked about the amount of work expected in the next few months in relation to this, Tabuya says the Commission needs more resources and more investigators within the department.

The Minister says there are concerns that the Commission lacks the authority to address issues effectively, and people have been asking the government what will be done about cyberbullying and unregulated content on social media.

She says the laws will need to be reviewed so that people have the confidence to file complaints with the police.

Tabuya says they need to give the Online Safety Commission the authority that when someone shares a video or photo without consent it has the power to immediately issue a notice to facebook and other platforms to take it down, or they will be fined or there will be a penalty.

The Minister says they can’t do that right now.

Tabuya says they must work together to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.

She also stressed that as a government, they need to listen to the media and allow media freedom because it is in the best interest of the people.

The Minister further says the entire digital space needs to be examined, as building trust with the public means ensuring they feel safe both offline and online.

Tabuya says this is something the government must address, and that its information or Public Relations machinery needs to respond to online bullying just as quickly as the perpetrators act.

She says police have said that women and girls often go to the station only wanting the harmful content to be taken down, but do not wish to file a report due to the shame and embarrassment associated with reporting.

The Minister says that is the gap they need to close, and police must act on it quickly.

Minister for Information, Lynda Tabuya has apologised for the embarrassment caused by the leak of her private video in December last year, stressing that it was never meant to be public.

Speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, Tabuya explained how she coped with the fallout after her video was leaked in December last year without her consent.

She says she wants to tackle it head-on because she knows it has been on people’s minds, and reflected on the nature of the digital space, saying that many people treat private online moments as intimate as in-person interactions — a trend she believes will continue.

The Minister admitted that the incident may have been a lapse of judgement and understands that private content can be exploited, phones can be hacked, and property can be taken without consent.

She explained that during the time of the video, the father of her children, Rob, and she were getting to know each other again after a divorce, considering whether they would date or be together again.

Tabuya says it was a truly private moment, and they were not together.

The Minister says she can’t live in fear of a crime committed against her and acknowledged that there may be more videos in the future, including AI-generated deepfakes, aimed at discrediting her. She says the incident has already taken a toll, including the loss of her ministerial position, and expressed determination to move forward.

Tabuya says she must continue her advocacy for every woman and girl, and every person dealing with blackmail, extortion or threats meant to silence them.

When asked what she learned from this experience, as many see her as a role model, she says the younger generation told her, “What’s wrong with that? It’s your right,” while the older generation said she should not have done it in the first place.

She says police complaints have been filed and are currently being investigated, but the difficulty in her case is that the perpetrators are overseas.

Tabuya says it is a transnational crime, so it is taking longer to close the investigation, but she will press on until results are seen.

The Minister says the attacks were organised and targeted, involving perpetrators from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and some in Fiji.

She says it has come up through investigations that there are several people involved targeting the Prime Minister, herself and some others, and that it is both mobilised and targeted.

Tabuya says the downside of what happened was the shaming she faced online and offline, which has discouraged women even more from reporting such crimes and from becoming women leaders.

The Minister says we have done a disservice to women, and that’s the gap we need to bridge while police have to act on it quite quickly. She further says the last eight months have been tough but though her children have been very supportive.

She recalls losing a friend last year who took his own life as a result of cyberbullying, driving people to become suicidal.

She says more respect is needed on social media, along with stronger laws.

Tabuya adds that despite all this, she remains committed to serving the public.

Minister for Information, Lynda Tabuya is urging political parties to judge her by her service, stressing that she is committed to her role and focused on delivering results.

Speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, Tabuya responded to criticism from some political parties over her appointment, saying she is determined to rebuild trust and ensure the government communicates more effectively with the people.

Tabuya says “I take responsibility, I stepped down, I apologised, and I think it's just about doing the work to rebuild trust but this isn't about me—it’s about what is needed so the government communicates better with our people in order to build trust”.

She says that politicians will always find opportunities to attack the government but emphasised the importance of prioritising accurate information.

The Minister says they hope that they continue to build on news getting out to people, rather than rumours, so that they are able to manage crisis communications and inform people more honestly and efficiently.

Tabuya highlighted the need for regular press briefings, stressing equal media access though some media outlets are not so friendly, but they need to have equal access.

When asked about how she plans to involve everyday citizens in shaping information policy, Tabuya says that the Ministry has a media monitoring unit tracking public concerns and trends.

She acknowledged the success of the Fijian Media Association Town Hall sessions, hoping to take the next one to the West to hear directly from people while holding ministries accountable in terms of what they are doing, where they are delivering and how they as the Ministry of Information are communicating that to the people.

The Minister stressed the importance of access to ministers and senior civil servants.

She says it’s going to be her job, that if media requests to meet with a minister or a civil servant, then they will work with the Ministry to ensure they attend press conferences and interviews.

Tabuya further says it’s also important that they appear on popular talkback shows in different languages so people can ask them questions directly.

She adds that if they are not present, then fake news and misinformation will fill the space and it’s their responsibility to talk to people as often as possible.