The first prosecution witness in the sedition trial of The Fiji Times Limited and others has told Fiji Times contributor, Josaia Waqabaca’s lawyer, Aman Ravindra Singh that he does not agree with Singh’s comment that there is nowhere in the Nai Lalakai article that states that one must hate Muslims.
The trial of Fiji Times Limited, Publisher Hank Arts, Fiji Times Editor Fred Wesley, Nai Lalakai Editor Anare Ravula and contributor Josaia Waqabaca has started before High Court Judge, Justice Thushara Rajasinghe.
Permanent Secretary for iTaukei Affairs, Naipote Katonitabua who is the first to take the witness stand also disagreed with Aman Ravindra Singh when Singh put to Katonitabua that nowhere in the Nai Lalakai article does it conflict with one religion with the other.
Singh also asked Katonitabua if his line Minister directed him to take action and report the Nai Lalakai issue to Police.
Katonitabua said that he took it upon himself as the Permanent Secretary for iTaukei Affairs since there was no clarification by The Fiji Times.
While giving his evidence earlier today, Naipote Katonitabua told the Assistant DPP that it was a continuing concern during the ministry’s public relations activities as the iTaukei were asking a lot of questions about iTaukei land and equal citizenry.
Katonitabua says there was a lot of misinformation.
He then went on to say in court that when the ministry team asked the iTaukei people where they heard the misleading information, they said that it was in the Nai Lalakai newspaper.
Katonitabua says when people asked about these issues and they said that it is from Nai Lalakai, it was hard for the ministry team to explain to them that it was only an opinion by the newspaper, and that it is not a fact.
He says the Nai Lalakai newspaper was being handed from one village to another.
Katonitabua was then given a copy of the newspaper. He identified the article and said that there were a few articles before the one in question.
He says he then knew that they needed to intervene.
Katonitabua also says that before he went to Police to file an official report, he called the Fiji Times Editor asking if they need clarification on iTaukei related issues.
While opening the prosecution’s case earlier today, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Lee Burney said that words are supposed to be used for the good but in the wrong hands can be a force of evil, not for love or unity - but for hatred.
Burney told the three assessors that their judgement will be about whether words in the Nai Lalakai newspaper caused ill will to the Muslim community in Fiji
He said the words in the article were poisonous.
He says the Nai Lalakai article referred to Muslims as land grabbing people and rapists. Burney further says that the article did not only label Muslims as rapists but it also told readers that they must take action.
The Assistant DPP says the article was published in the Letters to the Editor but it was not an ordinary letter complaining about potholes.
Burney also says that it was a well crafted journalistic piece and even the writer, Josaia Waqabaca had submitted the original article to Police which was titled ‘Notice to the Attorney General.’
Fiji Times Limited, Hank Arts and Josaia Waqabaca have pleaded not guilty to sedition while Fred Wesley and Anare Ravula have pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting sedition.
It is alleged that Fiji Times, on the 27th of April last year printed the Nai Lalakai newspaper which contained an article which had content with a seditious intention to promote feelings of ill will and hostility between classes of the population.
Arts and Wesley’s lawyer, Wylie Clarke will cross-examine Katonitabua tomorrow.
