Fiji's opposition says the speaker of parliament's decision to overrule a demand for an apology from the finance minister last week was wrong.
Fiji's finance minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum makes the gesture towards opposition MPs in parliament. Photo: Fiji Parliament Youtube channel
On Wednesday, Ratu Isoa Tikoca accused Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum of corruption, claiming he had proof of it in documents he tabled on Friday.
Ratu Isoa says Mr Sayed-Khaiyum then imitated his voice, made grunting noises, and raised his arms in an ape-like gesture towards him, which he labelled a racist gesture to iTaukei.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says he was mimicking the voice and pose of the Star Wars character Darth Vader, accusing the opposition of twisting his comments to imply he made a racial slur.
On Friday, Ratu Isoa raised a point of order demanding that Mr Sayed-Khaiyum apologise for the remarks, but that was overruled by the speaker, Jiko Luveni, who said he should have raised it at the time.
But Ratu Isoa says Friday was the earliest possible time, and he believes the finance minister should still apologise.
"It was quite [insulting] the way he does it, and like he's actually referring that we indigenous Fijians -- iTaukei people -- that we are actually gorillas or monkeys or whatever he's trying to implicate."
Ratu Isoa Tikoca.