Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has expressed his experiences of being labeled negatively and facing accusations, particularly regarding the use of race in the context of the 2022 General Election. In a recent reflection on the Coalition Government’s political journey over the past two years, Rabuka conveyed that he was often demonized and called a “snake.”
Rabuka stated that he is unfazed by personal attacks, recalling similar experiences during his previous term as Prime Minister from 1992 to 1999 alongside Jai Ram Reddy. He noted that in both the 2018 and 2022 elections, he and Professor Biman Prasad encountered a wave of “gutter politics,” which, although personally unscathed, led to a prevailing sense of fear among voters, particularly within the Indo-Fijian community.
He emphasized the importance of trust and unity, asserting that Prasad would not have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding for a coalition without mutual confidence. Rabuka urged the Indo-Fijian community to trust him and to view their current partnership as a commitment to rebuilding Fiji’s future collectively as a three-party coalition.
Looking ahead to the next election, he assured that the electoral landscape would differ significantly from the past experiences.