[Source: Rainbow Pride Foundation 4 LGBTQ Rights and Equality in Fiji / Facebook]

Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission Director, Ashwin Raj says a lot of noise was made by certain political parties on the rights of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex community (LGBTQI) over the years.

However, he says there is no representation of the community among the 343 candidates for the 2022 General Election.

Raj says no political party is seen openly voicing their belief in the empowerment of members of the LGBTQI community.

“And therefore we going to fill candidates to show that in principle, we are committed to this thing.”

Human rights activist Ratu Eroni Dina says a collective approach is needed for diversity and inclusivity in the political arena.

“Ever to be any person that is going to openly say that they are speaking for the LGBT people, from our perspective, it is best done by our own people, our issues are best reflected upon by members of our own community which is one of the reasons we want parties to start collaborating with us.”

Meanwhile, National Gender Youth activist, Alanieta Atama says women’s empowerment plays a crucial role in this.

“Even in our communities today, when it comes to gender when it comes to women, they hesitate when they want women to lead even though I told them that some women don’t want other women to lead. Some women are hesitant to vote for other women to get into parliament.”

56 women are among the 343 candidates who will be contesting the 2022 General Election.