Ro Filipe challenges the AG to prove that he had said that people must be appointed based on ethnicity

SODELPA MP, Ro Filipe Tuisawau has challenged the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum to prove that Ro Filipe had said that people must be appointed based on ethnicity.

Although Sayed-Khaiyum maintained in parliament that Ro Filipe had made the comments, Ro Filipe asked him to bring it to parliament and to prove it.

The Attorney General then said that it also showed in their delayed response in relation to Liliana Warid’s comments.

Ro Filipe Tuisawau maintains that he never said that appointments to the civil service should be based on ethnicity.

He says what he raised was the fact that 75 percent of the poor are iTaukei as confirmed by the 2019/2020 Household and Expenditure Survey.

Ro Filipe says he questioned Government as to what actions are being taken to address this anomaly. He says he reiterated that there was a need to collate ethnic data and not to suppress or view such data as racist as international statistics standards include gender and ethnicity and this will greatly assist in development planning.

Ro Filipe says he added that Fiji needs Diversity Policies as practiced in New Zealand to ensure that bias and racism does not creep into the system. He also said he had received complaints of racial bias in some Ministries so Diversity Policies can help ensuring fairness and non discrimination.

Ro Filipe said we have to discuss these issues openly and reach understanding and consensus rather than immediately jump up and down crying racism or making false allegations like the Attorney General.