The management of Khemendra Primary School in Savusavu has made it clear that the National Federation Party did not seek the approval from the school manager to hold a party meeting at the school premises and the Education Minister did not influence the management to cancel the meeting.
School Manager Vijay Nand has told Fijivillage that NFP is spreading misinformation.
Nand says the school management’s stand is not to give the school facilities for any political party meetings.
NFP is claiming that Police intimidation through repeated inquiries about the purpose and agenda of a NFP Talanoa session led to the Management of Khemendra Primary School withdrawing its permission and approval to the Party for the use of the school.
NFP’s Leader Professor Biman Prasad says this resulted in the cancellation of the Talanoa session on Tuesday night.
Prasad says Police have no right whatsoever to interfere in any meeting to be held by a political party.
The NFP Leader says the Public Order Amendment Act gives freedom to political parties and other organisations to hold meetings without the need to obtain a permit from police except when the venue is a public place like parks and roads.
He claims the Khemendra Primary School Manager had earlier given permission for the Talanoa session to be held at the school at a cost of $150 however the school manager now says that there was no such discussion.
Prasad says the meeting was to be hosted by the NFP Leader Biman Prasad, Parmod Chand, Pio Tikoduadua and other management board members of the party and notices of the session were distributed to the public.
Prasad is claiming that before midday on Tuesday, the School Manager informed the Party to find another venue because they felt intimidated by police who were making queries as to the purpose and objective of the meeting, as well as who would be in attendance.
Prasad adds the Manager stated that they feared the school would not get funding for a school project if the NFP held its meeting at the school.
Prasad further claims that the intimidation plus the presence of Education Minister Dr. Mahendra Reddy who was in Savusavu conducting a workshop led to the school management taking the decision to cancel the use of the venue.
Biman Prasad says it is worth noting that the School’s head teacher and manager were with Reddy when he questioned as to whether Reddy had influenced them to take such a decision.
We have contacted Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho in relation to the claims made by Prasad.
Qiliho says Prasad is most welcome to lodge a report with the Internal Affairs Department of the Fiji Police Force.
We are trying to get a comment from Reddy.
