NFP says SODELPA will not abolish Diwali holiday

The National Federation Party has today come out saying fake news is being spread on social media that SODELPA will, in government, abolish Diwali as a national holiday.

NFP’s Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says they have asked SODELPA to tell the people if this is true and SODELPA has assured them that this is a lie.

Prasad says Diwali and the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday became holidays in 1974 and they were agreed between Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and NFP’s former Leader Siddiq Koya in 1974.

He says these holidays have never been abolished by any government and not even the military government after the 1987 coup.

NFP’s leader says desperate people are using race and religion to try to drive Indo-Fijian voters into the arms of the Fiji First Party.

Meanwhile, SODELPA Leader Sitiveni Rabuka had earlier stated that SODELPA has no plans to scrap the Diwali public holiday as claimed by a fake news site.

Rabuka had clarified on his official facebook page earlier this week after a fake news article was circulated on social media that a SODELPA Government is looking to remove the Diwali public holiday.

Rabuka says that Fiji can only move forward if we focus on the issues that we have in common, which unite us, and put aside our small differences.

Rabuka says that the people of Fiji must refuse to give in to the politics of division and desperation that we are being bombarded with especially now that we only have days until the majority of Fijians go to vote next Wednesday.