Fiji's prime minister should reveal any evidence the National Federation Party (NFP) is sowing division in the country, the party's leader says.
Frank Bainimarama Photo: Alex Perrottet / RNZ
Frank Bainimarama attacked the opposition parties in a speech yesterday, saying he had evidence certain figures had been sowing division within the Indo-Fijian community by claiming that Muslims through the attorney-general are taking over Fiji.
Speaking ahead of tonight's budget announcement and an election due this year, Mr Bainimarama accused the opposition of infighting, peddling lies and promoting hatred between different religious and ethnic communities.
NFP leader Biman Prasad said Mr Bainimarama was the one sowing the seeds of ethnic and racial division.
He said it was a blatant lie that the NFP was campaigning along these lines and a desperate attempt to discredit his party.
"We've asked for evidence before and the attorney-general went to a community where allegedly one of our members said something. Obviously that has not come to pass so obviously this is a government which is itself engaged in creating divisions."
It was not the first time the prime minister had attacked the opposition in such a way, Professor Prasad said.
He said it was because the government had lost its moral authority to govern.
Biman Prasad Photo: RNZI/Alex Perrottet
"This government is getting desperate and creating divisions."
Mr Bainimarama said the opposition had been in the political wilderness for the past four years and had not got its act together.
But, according to Professor Prasad, the opposition had exposed the FijiFirst government's flaws despite major hindrances.
"Despite the flawed democracy and restrictions on the media that we've had ... the opposition has been able to highlight all the pitfalls of this government," he said.