Following calls by Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj for the Hindu community to boycott the use of Tuatua Gas Crematorium in Labasa and for an immediate structural re-engineering as it disregards the sacred religious rights and traditional rituals of the Hindu community, Minister for Multi-ethnic Affairs Charan Jeath Singh says the crematorium is a public facility and is not exclusively for the Hindu community.
While raising his concerns, Maharaj says according to deep-rooted Hindu Vedic rituals, during the final rites of cremation, the body must be positioned in a strict alignment where the head faces the North direction.
He stresses this is not a minor preference but a fundamental spiritual requirement for the peaceful transition of the soul.
Maharaj says shockingly, the layout and installation of this new taxpayer-funded furnace entirely violate this sacred practice, making it impossible for grieving families to perform their final religious obligations correctly.
The MP says the Government is playing fast and loose with the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
He highlights that Fiji is a multi-religious nation, and when the State funds a public facility meant for religious rites, it has a binding obligation to ensure strict adherence to traditional protocols.
Maharaj says to build a public crematorium furnace that completely violates Hindu rituals is a blatant insult to our community's faith and heritage.
He is also demanding an explanation from the Prime Minister, asking that it is under his directive that his Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs has deliberately ignored the sacred practice under Hinduism, or is it the Minister's own doing.
Maharaj says the head of government cannot remain silent when a ministry explicitly tasked with multi-ethnic harmony is instead actively alienating a major religious community.
He also says the behaviour displayed towards Hindu religious leaders when this concern was brought forward was completely unexpected, disrespectful, and uncalled for.
The MP says instead of listening to Pundits, religious leaders and community elders with humility and a willingness to correct a structural mistake, the Minister chose to exhibit absolute arrogance and hostility.
Maharaj says the concern was raised well before it was built with the line Minister.
He is accusing the Minister of suppressing the concern by informing religious leaders that they would not receive any multi-ethnic grant.
Maharaj says this is a direct violation of human rights embedded and enshrined in our Constitution.
He says this is nothing short of gutter-level politics and instead of uniting people and fixing a clear administrative error, the Minister is using deflections and hostility to divide our community over a deeply sensitive and emotional issue like the final rites of our loved ones.
Maharaj says the project was planned and executed without consulting local Hindu priests (Pundits) or religious bodies who could have easily corrected the alignment before construction began.
He stresses confronting and dismissing religious leaders who raise legitimate spiritual concerns undermines the very fabric of multi-ethnic coexistence in Fiji.
Maharaj highlights that taxpayer funds should never be used to build facilities that fundamentally restrict citizens from practising their faith during their most vulnerable moments of grief.
He says they must stand united in protecting religious integrity and will not allow sacred rituals to be diluted or treated as an afterthought by an insensitive administration.
Maharaj is also demanding that the Prime Minister intervene, hold his Minister accountable for this gutter politics, and ensure an immediate, fully funded redesign of the Tuatua crematorium furnace to respect the North-facing alignment.
While responding, Minister Charan Jeath Singh says the crematorium is open to and serves all members of the public, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or cultural background.
He says this is the only gas crematorium facility in the North, it provides an essential service to families across the Northern Division.
Singh says while the crematorium is located in the Tuatua community, its services extend far beyond the local area where families from as far as Savusavu have utilized the facility for the cremation of their loved ones.
The Minister adds that since its opening, the crematorium has facilitated 18 cremations involving individuals from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, including Hindus, Sikhs, Chinese, and members of other faiths and communities.
