Mosese Bulitavu, a SODELPA MP, faced backlash for his comments attributing violence to Indo-Fijian cultural influences and alleging high rates of extra-marital affairs among Indo-Fijian women. His statements were condemned as racist and harmful by various
National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says comments by SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu are despicable and he is calling for a public apology from Bulitavu.
Prasad says Bulitavu is racially slurring and demeaning Indo‑Fijian women with his insulting comment that accuses rural Indo‑Fijian women of committing adultery and therefore being murdered by their husbands.
He says as a lawyer Bulitavu is trying to blame Indo‑Fijian women for the crime of murder, which he claims has spread to the i‑Taukei community.
Prasad says Bulitavu also goes onto to blame i‑Taukei women for getting beaten up by their husbands who escape punishment because of the culture of bulubulu.
He strongly says that this is shameful.
Prasad adds that Bulitavu has insulted our hardworking women – our mothers, daughters and sisters.
The NFP leader says Bulitavu should hang his head in shame and publicly apologise to all women whose morality, character and credibility he has attacked.
Prasad says racial slurs and malicious attacks have no place in our society.
He stresses that at a time when every effort is being made for the social, economic and political advancement of women, Bulitavu’s comment raises serious questions about his intention to racially denigrate women.
Prasad also says they do not need a lecture from the likes of Ashwin Raj who he attacked of being an absolute mouthpiece of the FijiFirst government.
Ashwin Raj
Prasad says Raj should stick to the issue and not attack the NFP.
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The Coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Shamima Ali is calling on SODELPA to condemn Mosese Bulitavu’s comments.
Ali says she does not believe this is the view of the party and the onus is on SODELPA and other leaders in the society to come out strongly against what Bulitavu has said.
Ali says Bulitavu’s comments are not based on any fact, research or data adding that when people open their mouth, they have to ensure whatever they say is fair to everyone and does not violate people’s rights.
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SODELPA President Ro Filipe Tuisawau says that he will need to have a word with Mosese Bulitavu and have a look at his statement with regards to his vulagi comments.
Ro Filipe highlighted this when FijiVillage questioned him on what is his stand on Bulitavu’s comments which have been branded racist and insulting and the Prime Minister’s comments saying that it's disheartening, yet unsurprising, that SODELPA's leadership has failed to condemn Bulitavu's reliance on racist stereotypes to cover for abusers in Fiji.
When we asked Ro Filipe why he did not release a public statement and only spoke about it when questioned by FijiVillage, Ro Filipe says that he has not seen Bulitavu’s statement and he will not make a comment on it but the party does not condone any form of discrimination or racist comments.
He says that he will be looking at putting out a public apology to the descendants of indentured labourers that have spoken out on social media about how they are so disheartened about Bulitavu’s comments.
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SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu has issued a public apology in regards to his comments that he made that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra-marital affairs is rife.
Bulitavu says that he apologises unreservedly to those who have been offended by his comments in particular to the women of Fiji and the Indo-Fijian community.
His apology comes after the Party President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau ordered Bulitavu to put his post down and apologise to the nation especially to those that were offended by his post.
SODELPA President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau[Photo:SODELPA/Facebook]
Ro Filipe also reiterated that SODELPA stood with the people in upholding the rights of women in the country, irrespective of ethnicity and is against gender-based violence.
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Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu is not only showing his ignorance by putting forward harmful and dishonest ethnic stereotypes, which are racist, but Bainimarama says behind Bulitavu’s statements lurks a deeply seeded and deadly patriarchal mentality.
Bainimarama says he has been made aware of statements by Bulitavu, where he stereotyped Indo Fijian women as being promiscuous and made the ridiculous claim that Indo Fijian men are the only ones who use knives to commit acts of horrific violence against women.
The Prime Minister says Bulitavu went on to claim that iTaukei men only beat iTaukei women because they are bigger than them.
Bainimarama says worse, Bulitavu insinuated that iTaukei women should be thankful these beatings aren't carried out with weapons.
Bainimarama says Bulitavu has proven once again that he and his party are entirely incapable of seeing the complexity behind serious issues, like domestic violence in Fiji, and delivering solutions that address the real reasons for these societal ills.
The Prime Minister says domestic violence is not some new phenomena, nor was it brought to Fiji by any group.
He says it is an issue that is ‑ and has always been ‑ a direct result of patriarchal mindsets that see women as inferior and as objects to be abused at will.
Bainimarama says men don't commit abuse because they are a certain ethnicity and men don't commit abuse because they may be bigger or stronger.
He says men commit abuse because they are small‑minded and weak.
The Prime Minister says by hiding behind racist stereotypes rather than calling out the individuals who make the horrific choice to abuse their partners, Bulitavu has proven himself small‑minded as well.
SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu
Bainimarama says since the start of his time as Prime Minister, he has taken every opportunity to denounce violence, in all forms, against all women.
He says he has called for a whole of society approach that addresses the root cause of this problem and helped lead real action to keep women and young girls safe from abuse.
But Bainimarama says statements, such as those from Bulitavu, jeopardise that entire national effort by entrenching our society in a vicious cycle of violence that excuses abusers and refuses to acknowledge the mentalities that fuel their reprehensible behaviour.
The Prime Minister says he won't tolerate it, and neither will the Fijian people.
He also says it's disheartening, yet unsurprising, that SODELPA's leadership has failed to condemn Bulitavu's reliance on racist stereotypes to cover for abusers in Fiji.
Bainimarama says since putting forward the backwards notion that some Fijians can be considered "vulagi" in their own country, SODELPA has proved themselves to be a party that endorses outright racism.
He says they are not a compassionate party and they are not leadership that listens.
Bainimarama says SODELPA is a party that constantly seeks to divide people along ethnic lines, along provincial lines and now along gender lines as well.
He says it's not lost on anyone that not a single member, including any women members, from any Opposition party has hit back against Bulitavu's ignorance as well.
Bainimarama says on an issue of this importance, their silence is just as damaging as the statements themselves.
He says for the sake of our women, our young girls and victims of domestic violence, he calls on all Fijians to join him in condemning Bulitavu's bigotry and racism and in condemning any political party which seeks to divide our people, excuse domestic violence and drag our society back into the past.
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The Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj says SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu is an unabashed racist and misogynist who lacks historical consciousness.
While responding to Bulitavu’s comments, Raj says Indian men were not born murderers and Indian women were not born with the natural proclivity to have extra‑marital affairs.
Ashwin Raj says not so long ago, an entire community was likened to a ‘barking dog’ and incidentally it is not racist according to our Opposition political parties including the NFP.
Raj says the Leader of Opposition has publicly struggled to recognise everyone as Fijians and incidentally it is not racist either. He says when another traditional leader from SODELPA labelled the NFP and FLP as ‘vulagi’ political parties, the leaders of NFP and FLP jumped and cried racism while SODELPA is still immersed in a flurry of semantics justifying why the term ‘vulagi’ is not racist.
Raj says call it by any other name, racism is racism and we cannot be selective about which acts of racism we condemn and the ones we condone.
He says descendants of indentured labourers made Fiji their home 140 years ago and only in 2013 were they extended the constitutional right and dignity to be called Fijians.
Bulitavu stands by his comments on stabbing is a 'vulagi' way and that Indo Fijian women having extra marital affairs is rife
SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu says he does not see his comments that he made that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India or that Indo Fijian women having extra-marital affairs is rife, as racist and degrading comments.
In an interview with FijiVillage, Bulitavu says it is ‘vulagi’ for the iTaukei community as he believes no iTaukei goes to the point of killing someone just because of love.
Although he says that he does not mean that Indo Fijians brought in stabbing of their lovers into the country, he goes on to say that this is common in Fiji and now the iTaukei have adopted this behaviour.
Bulitavu says the culture of murdering or stabbing is ‘vulagi’ for the iTaukei.
He also maintains his stand that Indo Fijian women having extra-marital affairs is rife and says it is common knowledge in the rural community he comes from.
When asked whether this is a generalized comment and would be seen as racist and degrading, Bulitavu maintains that he is only saying it because it is rife in his area.
He says he knows people will attack him for his comments but he stresses that he does not see any of his comments as racist.
Bulitavu also says that he and his voters have the same view on these issues.
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We have a serious issue to deal with as a nation and racist comments such as those from SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu will not help in any shape or form in addressing the persistency and frequency of violence against Fijian women.
This was highlighted by the Minister for Women, Mereseini Vuniwaqa who says that intimate partner violence against women remains a widespread human rights violation, public health and social problem as it seriously undermines women’s physical, mental and social well‑being.
Vuniwaqa says that Bulitavu has broken new grounds by blaming a whole community and the sad thing is, he does not seem to know that he is in fact turning a blind eye to the problem.
She says what makes the statement even more deplorable is that they are not supported by any data and they are coming from a national leader – a sitting Member of Parliament who has taken an Oath to serve every Fijian without fear or favour.
Vuniwaqa says the alarming statistics and daily news on violence against women speaks volumes.
The Minister adds as a parliamentary member, Bulitavu knows too well he has a nation watching and listening to him.
The Minister says our youths and children are learning from him and questions is that what Bulitavu wants to teach those who look up to him for inspiration?
Vuniwaqa says it is extremely sad and disgraceful that a man of his standing to be so irresponsible in his comments towards the issue of violence against women adding we wonder why there is no end to this societal cancer.
She says she joins the Prime Minister in calling on every Fijian man and woman to stand up to and speak publicly against statements like those made by Bulitavu and to denounce violence against women for what it is, without shifting blame anywhere else but on the perpetrator.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama
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The Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti‑Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj says in his capacity as a private citizen of Fiji, he has filed a police complaint against comments made by SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu.
Raj told Fijivillage that he has filed a police report on the grounds that Bulitavu is trying to incite hatred towards the Indo‑Fijian community on the basis of race, gender and ethnicity.
He says the Fijian Constitution gives everyone the right to be protected against hate speeches.
Raj says Bulitavu is a member of Parliament and by virtue of the fact that he is a representative of the people he exerts preponderant influence over the public and how they view various communities and inter‑ethnic relations in Fiji.
He says our social media is saturated with hate speech and people get away with it.
Raj adds that he does not believe that Bulitavu's apology was sincere as it was made under immense political pressure.
He says that Prime Minister , Voreqe Bainimarama and members of the civil society has spoken against Bulitavu's comments.
Prime Minister , Voreqe Bainimarama
SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu had commented that stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu
He later apologised for making the comments.
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SODELPA has decided to not comment on the calls that have been made for the resignation of its MP Mosese Bulitavu because of the comments he made on the issue of violence against women.
Bulitavu had stated that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
SODELPA President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau says he will not be commenting on these calls that have been made.
SODELPA President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau
Bulitavu had earlier stated that he apologises unreservedly to those who have been offended by his comments in particular to the women of Fiji and the Indo‑Fijian community.
His apology comes after the Party President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau ordered Bulitavu to take his post down and apologise to the nation especially to those that were offended by his post.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Fiji Human’s Rights and Anti Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj had earlier highlighted that he does not believe that Bulitavu's apology was sincere as it was made under immense political pressure.
Director of the Fiji Human’s Rights and Anti Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj
We have made several phone calls to Bulitavu, but to no avail.
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The President of Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, Sarju Prasad has called on the entire nation to condemn the comments made by SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu.
Bulitavu said that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
He has since apologised for making the comments.
Prasad says it is an attack on the modesty of women in Fiji.
Prasad is asking the authorities to take whatever actions can be taken because this has deep seeded ramifications and people must always think before they make utterances like these.
When asked by Fijivillage that Bulitavu has since apologised after making the comments, Prasad says despite the apology, he wants action taken against Bulitavu by SODELPA and the government.
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Leader of Opposition and SODELPA Parliamentary Leader Sitiveni Rabuka stresses that the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights, Alvick Maharaj should communicate with him directly rather than making a public call for SODELPA MP, Mosese Bulitavu to step down from the committee.
Maharaj says it is very disturbing for him as Chairperson of the standing committee as Bulitavu is a member of the committee.
SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu
He says Bulitavu should do the honorable thing of stepping down from the committee as his post on social media was totally against the principles of human rights.
Maharaj says the committee is currently in the process of scrutinizing the Registration of Sex Offenders Bill, which is basically about safeguarding our mothers and sisters.
The Assistant Minister for Employment says while on one side the parliamentary committee is working on a domestic bill to protect the right of Fijian women regardless of ethnicity, a member publically pointing fingers on Fijian women of Indian descent to be having affairs and using the ‘bulubulu’ custom to reconcile a rape or extra marital affair cases in the iTaukei community is not acceptable nor it should be tolerated.
Alvick Maharaj says he has known Bulitavu since high school and he was not like this. Maharaj says he believes its SODELPA’s ethnic profiling and policies which has polluted Bulitavu’s mind.
He says he is seriously concerned about how many other young Fijian minds have been polluted by such policies of SODELPA, and have such cheap thinking with regards to Fijian women.
Maharaj says it is a very sad day for the for the Parliamentary Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights that one of the members has such a cheap thinking with regards to females in Fiji.
When questioned on whether Bulitavu will be asked to step down, Sitiveni Rabuka says Maharaj should contact him as SODELPA appointed Bulitavu to the committee.
We are currently trying to speak to SODELPA President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau.
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SODELPA’s Parliamentary Leader Sitiveni Rabuka says he will not make any public comments on SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu’s comments that Bulitavu made that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra-marital affairs is rife.
When questioned by FijiVillage, Rabuka says SODELPA President Ro Filipe Tuisawau is dealing with this.
Rabuka says his stand is that he will not say anything as SODELPA’s Parliamentary Leader.
When asked on Assistant Minister for Employment, Alvick Maharaj’s comments that Bulitavu was not like this in high school and he believes its SODELPA’s ethnic profiling and policies which has polluted Bulitavu’s mind, Rabuka says he will not say anything.
In a signed SODELPA statement, Bulitavu has said that he apologises unreservedly to those who have been offended by his comments in particular to the women of Fiji and the Indo-Fijian community.
His apology came after the Party President, Ro Filipe Tuisawau ordered Bulitavu to put his post down and apologise to the nation especially to those that were offended by his post.
Ro Filipe also reiterated that SODELPA stood with the people in upholding the rights of women in the country, irrespective of ethnicity and is against gender-based violence.
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Police have today confirmed that they are yet to take in SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu for questioning after an official complaint filed by Ashwin Raj as a private citizen.
Spokesperson Ana Naisoro says further steps are yet to be taken.
Raj confirms that he has lodged an official complaint against Bulitavu for inciting hatred against the Indo‑Fijian community on the grounds of ethnicity, race and gender.
He says everyone has the constitutional right to be protected against hate speeches.
Raj says Bulitavu is a Member of Parliament and by virtue of the fact that he is a representative of the people he exerts influence over the public and how they view various communities and inter‑ethnic relations in Fiji.
He says our social media is saturated with hate speech and people get away with it.
Raj says as much as Bulitavu has reportedly ‘unreservedly’ apologized, he does not believe for a second that his apology is sincere.
He says Bulitavu has merely succumbed to political pressure.
NFP and FLP leaders tell Ashwin Raj to stop accusing them of not standing against racism all the time
The leaders of the National Federation Party and the Fiji Labour Party have told the Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Ashwin Raj to stop accusing them of not standing against racism all the time.
Raj said in a statement that not so long ago, an entire community was likened to a ‘barking dog’ and incidentally it is not racist according to our Opposition political parties including the NFP.
Raj also hit out at FLP and NFP in a Hindi interview with our sister station.
Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Ashwin Raj
FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says Raj should learn how to speak in hindi correctly and then said that FLP opposes racism of any kind.
When asked on why FLP did not make a statement on the University of Fiji lecturer labelling a student like a barking Indian dog, Chaudhry says he thinks statements were made by him.
When we pointed out that it is not on the FLP website or Facebook page, Chaudhry says he cannot remember where he made it and then went on to say that they are not in parliament and have no comments to make on what goes on in parliament.
Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry
He also says that FLP does not put all statements on it’s website.
Chaudhry says Raj should change his approach.
He then said that the government, Police and the DPP should take action if people like the University of Fiji lecturer and SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu have broken any law rather than Raj pointing fingers at the party leaders.
National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad says Ashwin Raj should stop talking about political parties and do his job.
National Federation Party Leader Biman Prasad
Prasad says Raj should stop picking incidents here and there because the fact is NFP has a track record and it does not condone any kind of racist labelling and insinuation.
Prasad says he does not want to waste his time responding to someone like Ashwin Raj who does not understand the history of the National Federation Party.
Raj says call it by any other name, racism is racism and we cannot be selective about which acts of racism we condemn and the ones we condone.
He says the selective stance of racism of the party leaders has been exposed and they are now jumping and trying to vilify him.
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The leaders of the National Federation Party and the Fiji Labour Party have told the Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Ashwin Raj to stop accusing them of not standing against racism all the time.
Raj said in a statement that not so long ago, an entire community was likened to a ‘barking dog’ and incidentally it is not racist according to our Opposition political parties including the NFP.
Raj also hit out at FLP and NFP in a Hindi interview with our sister station.
Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Ashwin Raj
FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says Raj should learn how to speak in hindi correctly and then said that FLP opposes racism of any kind.
When asked on why FLP did not make a statement on the University of Fiji lecturer labelling a student like a barking Indian dog, Chaudhry says he thinks statements were made by him.
When we pointed out that it is not on the FLP website or Facebook page, Chaudhry says he cannot remember where he made it and then went on to say that they are not in parliament and have no comments to make on what goes on in parliament.
Fiji Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry
He also says that FLP does not put all statements on it’s website.
Chaudhry says Raj should change his approach.
He then said that the government, Police and the DPP should take action if people like the University of Fiji lecturer and SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu have broken any law rather than Raj pointing fingers at the party leaders.
National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad says Ashwin Raj should stop talking about political parties and do his job.
National Federation Party Leader Biman Prasad
Prasad says Raj should stop picking incidents here and there because the fact is NFP has a track record and it does not condone any kind of racist labelling and insinuation.
Prasad says he does not want to waste his time responding to someone like Ashwin Raj who does not understand the history of the National Federation Party.
Raj says call it by any other name, racism is racism and we cannot be selective about which acts of racism we condemn and the ones we condone.
He says the selective stance of racism of the party leaders has been exposed and they are now jumping and trying to vilify him.
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SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu says he will not make any public comments after the call by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights Alick Maharaj for Bulitavu to step down from the committee.
Bulitavu is referring all questions to his lawyer, Filimoni Vosarogo as the case is before the Police now.
Leader of Opposition and SODELPA Parliamentary Leader Sitiveni Rabuka stresses that Alvick Maharaj should communicate with him directly rather than making a public call for Mosese Bulitavu to step down from the committee.
Rabuka says Bulitavu was their choice on the committee and Maharaj should contact him about any issues.
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The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji has called on SODELPA MP Mosese Bulitavu to apologise via paid advertisement in the local print media and show a greater sense of responsibility and sincerity of purpose.
This comes after Bulitavu had claimed on social media that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India.
Bulitavu also claimed Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji says the apology tendered by Bulitavu was at the behest of the SODELPA President Ro Filipe Tuisawau and not at his own volition, hence there is an absence of sincerity on the part of Bulitavu.
The Sabha nonetheless thanked Ro Filipe Tuisawau for pulling up his wayward politician and bringing him to acceptable public standard.
The Sabha says they strongly condemn Bulitavu’s racially discriminatory and divisive outburst that Fijian women of Indian ethnicity are promiscuous.
The Sabha adds they believe Bulitavu had lost his sense of direction when he uttered the discriminatory and derogatory remarks on social media against the Fijian women.
The Sabha adds the statement by Bulitavu is baseless and without any substantiated statistics or relevant data to give credence.
The Sabha says Bulitavu’s social media posting had a hint of machismo with total disregard to female modesty and defencelessness.
Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji further stated like all other women in Fiji, Indo-Fijian women have contributed immensely to Fiji’s development and progress from the very period of indenture to date and as a nation we must appreciate that fact.
The Sabha says they are equally saddened by Bulitavu’s remarks that iTaukei women needed to be thankful that they were not subjected to physical violence with weapons.
They say any form of violence is abhorrent and the Sabha strongly believes that the utterances are devoid of respect and love towards all women.
The Sabha adds as a public figure Bulitavu should be advocating messages of peace, unity and respect.
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Police have questioned and released SODELPA Parliamentarian, Mosese Bulitavu.
Police Spokesperson, Ana Naisoro told us earlier today that Bulitavu was being questioned in relation to his recent comments.
Bulitavu had said that the stabbing of a partner is a ‘vulagi’ or foreign way of doing things for the iTaukei and have been brought in by the descendants of indentured labourers from British India and that Indo Fijian women having extra‑marital affairs is rife.
Ashwin Raj had filed an official complaint as a private citizen last Saturday.
Raj had confirmed that he has lodged an official complaint against Bulitavu for inciting hatred against the Indo Fijian community on the grounds of ethnicity, race and gender.
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