Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya today addressed the events that led to her dismissal last year, calling it a deeply personal experience that became public.
“What happened last year was personal. It became public. It was not political, but its consequences were,” she said
Ms Tabuya said she now speaks with more clarity and purpose, having learnt hard lessons about public life.
“I do not hide from it, but I do not carry it like shame. I carry it like a lesson, a lesson in humility, and in what it means to hold public trust,” she said.
She defended her ministry’s role in communicating government work.
“We don’t cut ribbons, but we connect citizens to what those ribbons stand for… information is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy,” Ms Tabuya said.
“I’ve seen the jokes on social media – ‘Oh, so you’re the Minister for Facebook posts now?’ Or my favourite: ‘The Minister for likes and shares.’
“And I say – yes, I’m proud of it. Because those posts are the ones that tell you your daughter’s school is reopening, where your nearest health clinic is, or how to access disaster relief. “If it takes a TikTok to get that message across, then yes, we’ll dance. We’ll do the work and we’ll make sure people know about it.”
This was Ms Tabuya’s first Ministerial Statement as Minister for Information.
