Whenever there is a visit to the country, politicians prop like frogs on a rainy day – Raj

Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Director Ashwin Raj says whenever there is a visit to the country, politicians prop like frogs on a rainy day and indulge in self aggrandizement after Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry had said that criticism of US Human Rights 2020 Report by Raj is baseless and unwarranted.

This is following Raj’s comments that the report was perfunctory, scant in its interpretation and deconstruction of the law, saturated with generalizations and selective in its treatment of facts.

In a statement, Chaudhry says a close scrutiny of the report will show none of his criticisms is justified notwithstanding whatever Raj means by deconstruction of the law.

He says the report is well researched, backed up by facts, fair and balanced.

Chaudhry says it is Raj who is seen as being highly selective in his choice of human rights abuses that he investigates and needs to critically look at his own record.

When questioned, Raj says he suggests that Chaudhry reads his response to the report closely which does deal with issues of accuracy, broad range of human rights issues investigated by the Human Rights Commission.

The Director says he is surprised that Chaudhry decides to suddenly wake up and react to his response to the report that was published widely in April 2021 on the occasion of an official visit by the US State Secretary.

Raj says Chaudhry clearly smacks of opportunism and political expediency and questions where the FLP Leader was all this while.

He says Chaudhry should be the last person talking about the accuracy of reports given the fact that only a few weeks ago he had to very publicly retract a statement about the Supervisor of Elections and the Fijian Elections Office that was premised on shoddy social media posts.

Raj says that was incredibly embarrassing.

He adds if Chaudhry needs to know about the work of the Commission, he is most welcome to contact them directly about the nature of complaints received and investigated.

Raj says he neither has the time nor any interest in engaging in some banal conversation with Chaudhry to teach him what deconstruction means.