Telawa made media headlines on 12 January 2006, in the midst of a virtual breakdown in relations between the government and Military, which fuelled public fears of a possible coup d'état.
Telawa made a surprising statement to the Fiji Sun on 19 January 2006, reversing his party's previous demand for the repatriation of Indo-Fijians, some 38 percent of the population, to India.
[3] Provided that they were Christians, Telawa said, persons of Indian descent would be welcome to join the party and contest the upcoming election under its banner.
References from a Fijian chief and a church pastor would be required, to certify that a prospective candidate had been a born again Christian for at least three years.
[5] In August 2008 he was detained by police and interrogated after publicly criticising the military regime's draft People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress.