Fijian Election

FijiFirst lambasts ABC and correspondent for misinformation

December 9, 2022 6:15 am

FijiFirst General Secretary, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum evidence that he wasn't in Suva on the day of the allegation.

FijiFirst General Secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has taken a swipe at Fiji-based Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s correspondent, Lice Movono for grossly misinforming the Fijian public.

The misinformation followed claims made by the National Federation Party that FijiFirst General Secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum visited Star Printery in Raiwaqa last Thursday where the ballot papers were being printed.

Sayed-Khaiyum says the number of insinuations made in the story by the ABC correspondent is extraordinary.

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This comes on a day that the Fijian Elections Office also wrote to the ABC expressing its disgust at the way it has reported on the matter.

Sayed-Khaiyum also yesterday afternoon provided evidence that he wasn’t even in Suva on the day of the allegation.

“I was in Labasa. Those of you who follow my Facebook page that I have got a post and a photograph leaving Labasa Airport in the morning flight, where I saw Mahendra Chaudhry and Shashi Kiran Singh getting off the plane, to obviously campaign in Vanua Levu. I had one of the Labour party candidates speak to me and take a photograph with me at Labasa Airport. I have here my boarding pass, seat 2A, 1st of December its dated when I got on the plane.”

The FijiFirst party is not holding back, ripping into what it calls biased journalism backed by zero facts.

The party says  journalism ethics have been completely thrown out the window by the Australian broadcaster and its  local journalist.

“You can see she does not hide the fact that she does not like the FijiFirst party, and she wants the government to be changed. Then she puts her spin to the story, but very dangerously of course and ABC Australia takes it as a gospel truth.”

Sayed-Khaiyum also took a swipe at the NFP for failing to provide any evidence to back its claims.

“That’s you cannot trust a political party who’s going to run these kinds of sideshows. How can you trust them?”


FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama

FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama says his party is aware of the biased  background of the journalist involved.

“That’s nothing new, this local reporter was in parliament and she was associating with George Speight so whatever she says will be against my government because I was the one that removed George Speight. She was there in parliament associating herself with George Speight so no wonder she is coming up with those views.”


Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem

Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem says the entire story that was published appears to have been designed to bring disrepute to the Fijian electoral process.

“The ABC in the manner in which they look down at the Pacific have once again reported in the same manner and they have used very flowery language and very scintillating sensational words to try and show that there is a huge event dispute happening in Fiji and they are the only ones who can report it appropriately.”

Star Printery Director Sandeep Chauhan yesterday corroborated the FEO’s explanation that the final batch of ballot papers were transferred from Star Printery to the Fijian Elections Office warehouse at Laucala Beach on 28th November and therefore there is no basis in the claims made by the NFP.

Questions sent to the ABC remain unanswered.