Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lenora Qereqeretabua has publicly questioned the whereabouts of Fijian national, Charlie Charters following his detention by FICAC last night.
In a social media post, Qereqeretabua asked “Where is Charlie Charters?”, placing her concern within the broader principles of democracy, accountability and freedom of expression.
Qereqeretabua also states that in a democracy, it is not only acceptable to criticise the government, it is healthy.
She says constructive criticism is not disloyalty, it is participation.
She adds that elected representatives are not immune from scrutiny and remain answerable to the public at all times.
The Deputy Speaker also states that those privileged to serve in the Parliament of Fiji are not beyond scrutiny; they are accountable to the people every single day, not just at election time.
The Assistant Minister also highlighted that respect for institutions does not require silence or unquestioning support.
Qereqeretabua adds you can respect the office and still question the decisions, you can support the country and still challenge the government because that is how democracies mature.
