Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed there will be no symposium, gathering or meeting between him and SODELPA President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
Bainimarama confirmed this late last night after a call made by Ratu Naiqama in a public statement.
Ratu Naiqama sought a direct symposium with Bainimarama to discuss issues challenging the Indigenous Fijians.
Ratu Naiqama says it would be ideal for a symposium to be held where representatives of Indigenous Fijian interests could meet directly with the Prime Minister to air concerns and grievances they have on various government policies and development issues.
He says whilst he does not support any illegal act, and any grievance must not be used as an excuse to break the law, he however emphasized that it is important to understand that there is a deep anxiety amongst the indigenous Fijian people and some of their concerns stem from issues like Native land, the Great Council of Chiefs and other resources such as mining and qoliqoli.
Ratu Naiqama has also appealed directly to the Prime Minister to release the accused persons currently in remand in various prisons around the country emanating from the sedition claims in Ra and Nadroga.
He also calls on all fellow Fijians in the meantime to maintain law and order and to continue to pray for Fiji and her people.
Bainiamarama says he is astonished that with SODELPA tearing itself apart, its President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, a suspended member of Parliament would get so desperate to create a diversion by wanting to hold a symposium with him.
The Prime Minister says Ratu Naiqama is desperate to make himself relevant to the Fijian political landscape.
Bainimarama says even SODELPA’s supporters are perplexed by the internal conflict within the party, which is robbing Fiji of an effective opposition as SODELPA members scrap among themselves.
The Prime Minister says there is an old political saying – that a party that cannot govern itself cannot govern the country.
He says every Fijian must now be offering thanks for the fact that SODELPA lost the last election because it clearly cannot govern itself. Bainimarama says the hunger for power by desperate individuals within that party is making SODELPA, its policies, its leadership and the party itself irrelevant for a modern and vibrant Fiji.
The Prime Minister says the majority of the Fijian people, in particular our youth, want to live in a stable and economically prosperous country. He says people like Ratu Naiqama, with their old politics of fear and fear mongering, cannot provide this.
Bainimarama further says that SODELPA’s claim that the iTaukei and their land, religion, culture and identity are under threat is not true. He says on the contrary, the position of the iTaukei has never been stronger.
The Prime Minister says for anyone to claim otherwise is a lie and the Fijian people should take no notice of liars.
Bainimarama stresses that the security of the state and the stability of the nation is his responsibility as the country’s elected leader, not Ratu Naiqama’s. He says the Fijian people gave him that mandate almost a year ago and they expect him to uphold their trust. He gives the nation his solemn undertaking that he will.
Bainimarama also says that the fact that Ratu Naiqama is asking him to release people who have been charged and are before the courts shows that he does not even have the basic understanding that the Judiciary is independent of the Executive.
He says the current security operation led by the Police with the assistance of the RFMF is to protect Fiji’s new democracy from certain forces who do not accept the will of the Fijian people as expressed at the election.
Bainimarama says they must not be allowed to succeed in their attempts to challenge our democracy and enforce their own will on the nation. He also wants it known that if the government finds any politician, businessman or any other person aiding and abetting anyone that wants to create instability, they will also face the full brunt of the law.
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