Serious concerns are being raised after inciteful and discriminatory comments and swear words used in a recent facebook post by the General Secretary of the Fijian Teachers Association, Paula Manumanunitoga.While telling people not to discredit the chiefs of the country, Manumanunitoga asks didn't anyone tell you how and why you are here in this country instead of your original country.He says you and your kind are here because of the decision our chiefs made to cede Fiji to Queen Victoria of Great Britain in October 1874.
Manumanunitoga goes on to use swear words and tells people to just mind their own business before "we catch you and roast you in earth ovens."
People have reached out to us saying this is unbecoming of a General Secretary of a teachers organisation, and are calling on authorities to take action.
They say the inciteful and discriminatory comments, and the swear words are unacceptable.
Some say it is also worse coming from the same person calling for corporal punishment to be reintroduced to correct our children.
When contacted by fijivillage News, Manumanunitoga defended his comments saying his message was directed at a few who he accused of swearing at the chiefs.He says he is proud to be an iTaukei and that he did not like seeing people swear at or disrespect the chiefs of the country.We have sought comments from Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro, Great Council of Chiefs Chairman Ratu Viliame Seruvakula, the Fiji Human Rights and Anti Discrimination Commission, the Police, the Online Safety Commission, and Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo.
Vosarogo says he knows Manumanunitoga from common acquaintances and he knows him to be passionate about indigenous issues. Vosarogo stresses that there is however, no place for the kind of outbursts he has recently done. He is urging social media commentators to exercise extreme caution when approaching sensitive issues that are part of the Constitutional Amendment Bill so that those issues are not used to divide us and cause societal fracture. Vosarogo says there has to be a certain level of maturity exercised by people holding public office when involved in public discourse. The Lands Minister stresses that decorum is not optional.We are still waiting for others to respond.
Concerns raised after inciteful comments and swear words used by FTA General Secretary in a recent facebook post
Vosarogo says there is no place for this kind of outbursts
