Ministry under fire
Jioji: ‘Narrow-minded’ approach
A FORMER long-serving civil servant has criticised the Ministry of Multi Ethnic Affairs for what he refers to as its ‘narrow-minded’ approach in the team it selected to conduct a study and undertake consultations throughout Fiji on how best to promote social cohesion and national unity.
Jioji Kotobalavu, who is now a law professor at the University of Fiji, said while he commended the ministry for the initiative, the team members were confined to two New Zealand individuals — Dr Rajend Prasad and Mr Radhe Nand — who reportedly offered their services “free of charge” to carry out this study.
He said Fiji had qualified local residents such as Archbishop Peter Loy Chong (chairperson of the Fiji Council of Churches), Dr Jone Baledrokadroka (chairperson of the review committee on the Great Council of Chiefs), Professor Shaista Shamem (the Vice Chancellor of the University of Fiji) and Graham Leung, a lawyer who has been a strong advocate for multi-culturalism in Fiji.
He said he was concerned the consultants were hired to consider and recommend a framework for promoting social cohesion and national unity ‘where individuals from all backgrounds can co-exist harmoniously in an integrated and inclusive manner’.
“Our 2013 Constitution is already providing the legal framework for this,” he said.
“As individual persons, we are all Fijians, and we all enjoy equal rights and fundamental freedoms as fellow citizens of Fiji. What is currently lacking is our collective acknowledgement that we in Fiji are more than just a political community of individual persons.
“We cannot succeed in promoting social cohesion and national unity unless we also accept the sociological reality that we as a society are made up of ethnic, religious and cultural communities.”
Mr Kotobalavu added that for successful nation-building in Fiji, different communities must learn to live together on the basis of mutual recognition, respect and care.
“Today, we are seeing in the state of Israel the tragedy of two communities — the Jews and Palestinians, refusing to recognise an equal place for each other in a territory to which they all belong.”
In response, Minister for Multi Ethnic Affairs Charan Jeath Singh said the consultants worked for free and were qualified to do the job.
“Also the New Zealand government has funded the whole exercise,” he said.
Mr Singh added the exercise took the consultants throughout the entire country and they met several groups. “We can say that we should have locals but the consultants that were brought in did an equally good job of getting the views of everyone.”