5 Aug 2002

MP says Minister's comments on Indians disgust indigenous Fijians

4:12 pm on 5 August 2002

An Opposition MP in Fiji says indigenous Fijians are disgusted at the behaviour of Cabinet Minister Adi Asenaca Caucau who sparked a controversy by referring to Indo-Fijians as weeds.

Ms Caucau is the Minister of Women's Affairs and the comment led to calls for her to apologize and resign.

But Ms Caucau has refused, saying the remarks are truthful and she had the right to make them because she is the daughter of a chief.

The leader of the opposition United General Party, Mick Beddoes, says it is not the type of rhetoric you would expect from one of the more highly educated people in Cabinet.

He says Ms Caucau does not have any credibilty.

"nothing that she says has any meaning and I would suspect that to allot of her own people they themselves have expressed to me you know allot of indigenous people have expressed disgust at that kind of behavior they expect more out of their members and unfortunately she is not delivering"