Fiji's first coup leader and former prime minister, Sitveni Rabuka (R), and the deputy leader of his People's Alliance Party, Lyndah Tabuya (L), at Radio New Zealand in Auckland. June 2022 Photo: RNZ Pacific/Susana Leiataua
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has reportedly revealed he stopped an official travel for his Women's Minister Lynda Tabuya due to undisclosed "pending issues", just days after she told Parliament she was not attending a high-level UN meeting in New York because she was prioritising the parliamentary session.
Tabuya, who is in the middle of an alleged sex and drug scandal, was removed as the deputy leader of Rabuka's People's Alliance last two weeks ago after an inquiry by the ruling party found the allegations against her caused irreparable damage to the party.
On Tuesday, The Fiji Times reported that Rabuka "confirmed that his decision [to stop the overseas travel] was based on pending issues surrounding Tabuya].
"[Rabuka] didn't elaborate on the pending issues but he confirmed disapproving the trip for Tabuya," according to the newspaper's report.
In Parliament last week, the women's minister had put rest to claims that she was not attending the 68th session on the Commission on the Status of Women in New York because she was "prioritising" the parliamentary session.
"I am not attending [Commission on the Status of Women] because I am prioritising Parliament. Thank you Honourable Speaker for making that plea as well as the Honourable Prime Minster for deciding accordingly," she said in the House last Tuesday.
Women's crisis centre coordinator Shamima Ali had welcomed the prime minister's decision to retain Tabuya as a Cabinet minister, saying "there was no evidence against her" of any wrongdoing.