Minister for Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh is facing widespread criticism over a social media post in which he publicly shared production details of a Ba cane farmer, calling him a “failure” and accusing him of hypocrisy over comments about the sugar industry.
In his post, Singh wrote revealed the farm number and the production details of farmer Arvind Singh from Ba.
“I will be harvesting 5,000 tonnes of cane this season from my 10 farms… I don’t need your advice to tell me what to do. I have my rights to expose the Dracula’s that were guarding the blood bank,” posted Mr Singh.
The two recently clashed at a Fijian Media Association Town Hall event in Ba, hurling accusations at each other.
The remarks by Minister Singh drew swift backlash from the public on social media.
“The information appears to be of a confidential nature and should not have been publicly disclosed. The Minister should ensure the removal of the post and seek an apology as a matter of professional ethics and respect,” said Deepak Chand.
““You don’t have the right to publish his farm records on social media. As compassion, you should have posted your own farm records so people could compare.”
Joseph Raga added “as a true leader, you should never publicly humiliate or demean anyone. Such behaviour is childish and irresponsible. You may be a successful businessman, but politics requires integrity and empathy.”
Rohit Lingam said the Minister’s actions show “he is unfit to lead at the highest level,” while Rajesh Narayan called for “a full investigation,” saying, “Whoever leaked the information to the Minister should be sacked first. Any difference should have been sorted out in his office rather than brought to the public.”
