Party, League slam Qarase comments Jyoti pratibha (nadi) and litia Cava (suva) Attempts by former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to link chapters of the Quran with number 135 on the ballot paper has been labelled as an act of desperation and xenophobia by the FijiFirst Party. The Party issued a statement last night and called on Police to investigate the matter. The FijiFirst Party stated that: “This statement shows the desperation of Qarase, a man who cannot stand for elections, and his party SODELPA. “His absurd and unintelligent statement can be quickly dismissed by a simple Google search that will show that the word justice appears several times in several chapters and several verses in the Quran like in many other religious texts including the Bible. “It is quite obvious that SODELPA is now resorting to xenophobia and religious discrimination. Their desperation is so advanced that they are looking for a conspiracy everywhere. In doing so they have no shame or fear about causing intolerance and promoting communal hatred – an affront to the teachings of Jesus Christ. “We hope the Police will investigate this matter. We also hope that the Electoral Commission will take some meaningful action to stop such disgraceful conduct. It is very sad to think that this man was once the Prime Minister of our beloved country.” The comment and attempt to link number 135 to Quran by Mr Qarase has also “baffled” the Fiji Muslim League. Ironically, Psalm 135 in the Bible is a hymn of peace and talks about praising the Lord. League president Hafiz Ud-Dean Khan said comments made by Mr Qarase were illogical. “I cannot make sense of what he is trying to say here. For the life of me, I don’t see what the numbering on the ballot paper has anything to do with any religion.” Mr Khan said it’s about time religion and politics are not mixed by politicians. “The numbering system in the ballot paper has no relevance to us. Why is one religion being singled out? We do not have proprietary over any numbers. Almost all books have number 135 etc. Mr Khan also said such comments seem to be bordering on inciting religious vilification and appropriate authorities should take note and act on it. “If people are trying to imply that one religion is superior to another or one religion would create havoc, then it is of concern.” He said the League condemned such insinuations made. Questions have also been sent to the Electoral Commission, seeking their views on comments made by Mr Qarase. No response had come from the the chairman, Chen Bunn Young, when this edition went to press. fijisun.fj/2014/08/06/party-league-slam-qarase-comments/
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 21:39:31 +0000
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