A WAR of words erupted in Parliament on Friday when Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh called Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma a “kid”.
While explaining that the Fiji Sugar Corporation had completed a thorough review and strengthened its fire prevention systems, operational contingency plans, and disaster resilience infrastructure across all three mills, Mr Singh paused, looked at Mr Sharma, and said, “You are a kid man”.
Mr Sharma, while asking a supplementary question, called him out for his remark.
“For the minister to respond to me and say that I’m a kid, should I say that he is old enough and he doesn’t know what’s happening in his ministry? You’re undermining…,” Mr Sharma said.
“We are not small kids. Kids can come to Parliament and ask serious questions.”
Mr Sharma then questioned him whether he admitted that it was an act of negligence by his ministry in relation to the fire at the Rarawai Mill in Ba.
He said video footage showed bagasse scattered all over the ground, which contributed to the spread of the fire.
“Can he admit that it is an act of negligence by his ministry.
“Because what was seen from the video was when the fire started, there was bagasse all over the ground, and that led to the fire, the major fire.
“So, is this an act of negligence from his ministry. Can he admit that.”
In response, Mr Singh said that his job as a minister was not to sit in the FSC compound and monitor everything happening there.
