People’s Alliance candidate Parmesh Chand has labelled recent comments made by FijiFirst general secretary Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum regarding bhajaniyas as “outright derogatory and condescending”.
During a campaign rally, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum had questioned the calibre of some candidates in political parties and claimed bhajaniyas did not have the prowess to speak in Parliament.
Mr Chand, the former permanent secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, said he was personally devastated by the comments.
“It was very insensitive, and no amount of apologies will take the hurt away from the group of people he has hurt,” he said.
“Bhajaniyas are people who have a special role in our culture and tradition and we are proud of their skills because they carry many of those skills handed down from generation to generation. Not everybody can sing bhajans. It has religious significance.
“They provide comfort during mourning periods. During bereavement, (bhajaniyas) they perform roles in religious functions, and many of them, whilst it is a skill, they come and provide those skills freely. They come and sing for you. They don’t charge us money. Occasionally, they are professional singers who charge fees.
“So I was very saddened with those comments and remain saddened. I’m also very surprised that none of the other people within FijiFirst party condemned those comments because those comments need to be condemned by everybody if we are promoting harmony under the ambit of the Constitution they themselves imposed on us.”
Mr Chand said candidates such as Viam Pillay had invited the Attorney-General to open bhajan festivals and ceremonies in Ba.
“I’m just wondering what the voters would be thinking because here’s a man who went and got all the accolades for opening those events, and then comes and passes a derogatory comment about those people who he photographed himself with, so it’s downright unacceptable.
“To me, no amount of apologies will take the hurt away because really, it is, he ought to have realised by virtue of him being in these functions before. So really, why did he pass those comments? I don’t know.
“Only he can say but to the people out there, they should judge what kind of people they are voting in the coming elections.”
