June 22,2022
“Despicable, totally unethical conduct, and an example of gutter-level politics practiced by Fiji First in its extremely desperate attempt to cling onto power even by uttering falsehoods during temple prayers”.
This is how the National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad labelled Employment, Youth and Sports Minister Parveen Kumar Bala’s remarks that he made while speaking to devotees at the Field Forty temple’s annual puja ceremonies at Lautoka last weekend.
Bala said it was important to maintain political stability in order for devotees to sit together in the temple in peace and harmony in the coming days and hold prayer celebrations.
Professor Prasad said for Bala to tell devotees to maintain the current “level of political stability by taking the step to ensure they can continue sitting in peace and harmony” was a direct threat clearly aimed at vote-buying.
The NFP Leader said Bala basically used threat to get devotees to support Fiji First by saying “a continuity of political stability was important if devotees wanted to hold grand prayer celebrations in the coming days (future)”
“This is similar to the Attorney-General’s statement in October 2018 when he said people putting a dagger to their necks if they didn’t vote for Voreqe Bainimarama”.
“Nobody in his or her right frame of mind would threaten people, of all places at a temple about making the right political choice, which is supporting Fiji First, if they wanted to continue such celebrations in future”.
“And we are sure that Bala is repeating his comments at every forum including temples and other public gatherings. This is nothing short of thuggery”.
“Not surprisingly, the PM and the AG are keeping quiet. Frank Bainimarama and Aiyaz-Sayed-Khaiyum are clutching at straws for their political survival and will turn a blind eye to the use of race, religion and threats by their puppets”.
“That is why till now they have not condemned Agriculture Minister Mahendra Reddy for his remarks at Wairuku temple recently when he falsely claimed that Indo-Fijians were only provided equal rights after 2013 by Bainimarama”.
“In Bala’s case, given his political tutelage and background, he perfectly understands why it is reprehensible to make political threats at a place of religious worship”.
“But he has, for all intents and purposes shamelessly abandoned his principles in favour of political expediency and by his own admission, has preached the same message at every temple prayer ceremony that he has been invited to”.
“One wonders whether Bala is now resigned to the fact that he is inseparably glued to his political masters and must perform the role pf a puppet for his own political survival!”.
“Whatever it is, this most certainly, is a preview of Fiji First’s gutter-level racial campaign, with no focus whatsoever on good governance to genuinely uplift peoples’ lives”.
“They can use every dirty tactic but won’t be able to prevent the bootlickers, together with their puppet masters, from being banished into political wilderness by the voters”.