Miss Pacific calls for unity as negative comments made against her

MISS Pacific Leoshina Kariha has called for unity among Pacific island people in the wake of a negative comment made against her at a function in Nukualofa, Tonga last weekend.
She said in a statement the comment was made against her by someone in the VIP area during the crowning of the Miss Heilala (Miss Tonga) pageant last Friday.
“That is something that is never nice to hear but (was) said by one individual,” Kariha said .
She did not specify what was said against her but posts on social media had branded it “racist”.
“This is a time to put aside our differences and unite,” Kariha said
“For too long there has been a division between the sub-regions of the Pacific, which needs to stop.
“We can’t negatively label an entire group because of the harmful actions of a single person.
“And we can’t jump to conclusions over one post on social media.
“I am more hurt by the statements of our own people throwing hateful comments at each other.
“Be quick to listen and slow to anger. “We can’t let the minority dampen our spirit of Pacific Unity and spoil such an empowering platform as Miss Pacific Islands Pageant, which preserves cultures and showcases the beauty and intelligence of our women.
“Now, this experience has presented us with the opportunity to use the platform to break stereotypes and boundaries among our own people.
“God would never have approved of this.
“We need to see the real enemy, not attack physical people.
“The true issue lies in the minds and attitude of our people which needs to be addressed at a regional level and we will use the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant platform to do just that.”
She was invited to be a guest at the Miss Heilala Festival.