Apenisa Waqairadovu 
FijiFirst General Secretary and former Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the coalition government is failing future generations by allowing Japan to dump its nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean.
Recently, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka agreed with the science that has deemed treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant safe.
He even said that some members of his own cabinet disagreed with him, but it was his prerogative as Prime Minister.
The former Attorney General says that the Pacific region is scarred by past betrayals, where we were misled and lied to about nuclear testing and its consequences.
Sayed-Khaiyum says while we were presented with compelling evidence from Japan that indicated the safety of the proposal, the real issue then and now is trust.
He adds that for too long, Pacific people have been an audience for scientific findings instead of the authors, and it is dismissive, dangerous, and insulting for Rabuka to pit the Pacific champions against the broader scientific community.
Sayed-Khaiyum further says the current Fijian government should never have accepted the dumping of nuclear wastewater into our precious Pacific without assurances that allow us to assess the impact for ourselves.
Sayed-Khaiyum says for a nation that once led the world on climate action and ocean preservation, such as through our 30 x 30 commitment, this is a shameful step backwards from our rightful role as the stewards of the Blue Pacific.
Meanwhile, Japan has concluded that it will start releasing the wastewater tomorrow.
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