The Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti‑Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj says in his capacity as a private citizen of Fiji, he has filed a police complaint against comments made by SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu.
Raj told Fijivillage that he has filed a police report on the grounds that Bulitavu is trying to incite hatred towards the Indo‑Fijian community on the basis of race, gender and ethnicity.
He says the Fijian Constitution gives everyone the right to be protected against hate speeches.
Raj says Bulitavu is a member of Parliament and by virtue of the fact that he is a representative of the people he exerts preponderant influence over the public and how they view various communities and inter‑ethnic relations in Fiji.
He says our social media is saturated with hate speech and people get away with it.
Raj adds that he does not believe that Bulitavu's apology was sincere as it was made under immense political pressure.
He says that Prime Minister , Voreqe Bainimarama and members of the civil society has spoken against Bulitavu's comments.
Prime Minister , Voreqe Bainimarama
SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu had commented that stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu
He later apologised for making the comments.
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