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.
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