Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh [Photo: File]

Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh has been issued a yellow card for disorderly conduct in Parliament.

The ruling follows a heated exchange with Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj during last month’s budget deliberations.

Speaker of Parliament Filimone Jitoko made the ruling after reviewing both the Hansard record and video footage of the incidents.

Jitoko said the matter arose during debate on a $2 million allocation for multi-ethnic grants to community-based organisations.

The Speaker said the first heated exchange involved Singh and Opposition MP Premila Kumar.

Kumar had asked how the $2 million allocated in the 2025–2026 financial year had been distributed and used, and how the additional $2 million allocated for the new financial
year would be distributed.

Jitoko said Singh did not directly answer the question and instead referred to the previous government having disbanded the multi-ethnic portfolio.

When Kumar reminded Singh that this was not her question, Jitoko said the Minister abruptly responded with listen to me in what he described as a very loud and aggressive tone.

The Speaker intervened and directed Singh to apologise; Singh complied.

However, Jitoko said a second heated exchange later took place between Singh and Maharaj.

Maharaj had sought further clarification on the same budget allocation before raising a separate issue concerning the upgrade and enhancement of a crematorium in Labasa.

Jitoko said the issue involved the proposed realignment of a furnace and a proposed $200,000 increase to the allocation.

According to the Speaker, Singh responded with what he described as a diatribe about different religions and religious practices.

Jitoko said Singh accused Maharaj of causing religious division in the country, while arguing that his ministry was working to promote social cohesion.

Singh also accused Maharaj of trying to split hairs between Sanatan Dharma, Muslim Dharma and other religions, according to the Speaker’s account.

Jitoko said Maharaj then exploded, shouting in objection to the accusation.

It was at that point that a point of order was raised and the Speaker intervened.

After reviewing the footage and Hansard, Jitoko found that both MPs had breached parliamentary rules.

The Speaker said Singh’s use of expressions including you listen to me and listen, ‘yar’, particularly when delivered in what he considered a patronising and condescending manner, amounted to unparliamentary language.

Jitoko ruled that Singh’s conduct fell under Standing Order 75, which deals with disorderly conduct.

He issued Singh a yellow card and ordered him to withdraw from Parliament and its precincts for up to one and a half hours.

Maharaj was also found guilty of disorderly conduct for his shouting response to Singh’s remarks.

However, the sanction against Maharaj was different.

Jitoko directed Maharaj to write a letter of apology to the Speaker, conveying his apology to the Chair and Members of Parliament.

The apology will be entered into Parliament’s official records.

The Speaker said the offences were dealt with separately according to the level of disorderly conduct involved.

He noted that parliamentary rules provide graduated sanctions for disorderly conduct, gross disorderly conduct and grave disorder.

Jitoko said the more serious provisions relating to gross or grave disorder did not apply in this case.

He also confirmed that although the incidents occurred while Parliament was sitting as a Committee of Supply, the actions taken were properly within the Speaker’s jurisdiction once the Committee had resolved itself into Parliament.