Tikoduadua says he did not interfere in any Police operations

Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua says he did not interfere with any police operations while Opposition Member Viliame Naupoto says Tikoduadua is again overreaching his ministerial mandate.

Tikoduadua says Naupoto has accused him of damaging the morale and reputation of the Police Force and interfering in its operations during the “Reclaim the Night” march on Wednesday.

The Minister says Naupoto should check his facts.

Tikoduadua adds the Police issued a permit for the march to take place and the conditions of the permit did not ban the wearing of T-shirts in support of West Papua.

He says there would be no reason for such a ban adding that Fiji is a free country now and people may express themselves (lawfully) as they wish, including on West Papua.

Tikoduadua further says on Wednesday, 8th March, the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Lynda Tabuya, called him to say that the Police were refusing to allow t-shirts in support of West Papua to be worn by marchers.

He says he is accountable to the people for the actions of the Government and the actions of the Police are within his remit.

Tikoduadua adds he contacted both the Acting Commissioner of Police Juki Fong Chew and the event organiser Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator Shamima Ali on her phone.

The Minister adds Ali gave her phone to the officer supervising the march and he told the officer that he could not see any reason for the ban on t-shirts supporting West Papua.

Tikoduadua also says the officer said he would have to take directions from his Divisional Commander and he agreed.

He says as far as he knows, the officer in charge of the march received those directions and the march proceeded.

The Minister further says he expressed his views to the Acting Commissioner and the officer supervising the march and he left it to the Police to decide.

Tikoduadua also says Fiji is a different country now, the Minister does not tell people what to do, where there are differences they try to resolve them through discussion and dialogue and that was how they resolved the issue on the West Papua March.

Meanwhile, Naupoto says it is reported that Tikoduadua spoke on the phone with Ali and directed her to give the phone to the police officer and talked directly to the officer to reverse his decision and allow what he had initially directed the marchers not to do.

Naupoto says the Minister responsible for the Police has no power to do what he did.

He also says Tikoduadua is only allowed to issue general policy directions to the Commissioner of Police according to section 129(6) of the Constitution.

Naupoto also says in addition, Section 129 (5)(b) of the Constitution states that the Commissioner of Police is responsible for the deployment and control of its operations and subject to subsection (6), is not subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority in relation to those matters.

Naupoto further says when Tikoduadua broke the chain of command as he did to the Police that day, he broke and lowered the morale of police personnel, he embarrassed those police officers on the ground and discredited the integrity of the Police Commissioner and all those Police Commanders down the chain of command right to the policeman he spoke to directly on the ground.

He adds Tikoduadua must ask himself if, as a Lieutenant Colonel, he finds out that a politician had talked directly to a Sergeant he had deployed for a specific mission and changed his orders.

Naupoto says Tikoduadua is the one who harped about dictatorial and authoritarian leadership, but during his time as Commander RFMF, his line minister and even the Prime Minister will call him first if they are alerted to an issue regarding the operations of RFMF at any level.

He says Tikoduadua’s actions that day were not only illegal but dictatorial and authoritarian to the core, Tikoduadua has no legal right to do what he did, and he needs to apologize to the Commissioner of Police for his mistake, and Naupoto hopes that he quickly learns the functions and the mandate of a Minister so that the damage he has done and continues to do to the Police Force is minimised and repaired.