EASTER MESSAGE BY COMMODORE JOSAIA VOREQE BAINIMARAMA
My Fellow Fijians
Easter is a celebration of renewal, manifested by love and compassion for others, which makes this holiday especially meaningful for Fiji this year. Fijians have shown great unity during this past week--just as we did in January--to care for and look after our families, our friends our neighbors - our fellow Fijians.
Our collective unity in the face of national adversity will uphold the meaning of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for humanity as an individual. Our lives too will return, and we shall strive to practice daily the tenets of love and harmony that he espoused.
Indeed, it is also important to acknowledge that Easter is a time to give thanks to those who have sacrificed for us. To those selfless individuals, business houses and non-government organisations that have shown great support for Fiji and flood-affected Fijians, we thank you.
During Easter we pause to celebrate; however, our work continues to rebuild. Our children will soon return to school. Our businesses will all reopen. And all Fijians will work to restore our nation through sharing, compassion and understanding--just as Jesus Christ did.
I extend to all Fijians my deepest prayers for a very blessed Easter.
3 comments:
Vinaka, Mr Prime Minister, for this inspiring message of hope and unity. It still leaves me with a sense of wanting to pinch myself when I see myself being called a fellow Fijian by this great man.
All my life I have never been able to call myself Fijian and yet I am now addressed as such by our country's leader. Those of us who aren't indigenous finally belong!
Whatever else his legacy might be, Voreqe Bainimarama will surely enter the history books as an important man just for this. He has become the great unifier of the Fijian nation.
As we all join in celebrating an auspicious religious festival for our Christian citizens, we can count ourselves lucky even as we cope with the present national crisis. A blessed Easter to you, Mr Prime Minister, and to all!
i think there is difference to being a citizen of fiji and calling yourself a fijian. I am not aware of anyone, even foreigners who see indians as fijian, they see them a fijian indians and fijians. I wouod have thought like america, where people are proud to call themselves afro- american and celebrating the plurality. Apparently if we all call ourselves fijian we automatically embrace everyone, i don't think so, you couldn't get a more more mutually exclusive combination than indian and fijian and while it is fashionable, i-taukei will always see indians as citizens but not with any equal entitlement nor rights that even remotely resemble indigenous rights.It's about a bizarre as the gay marriage argument, or that men should be entitled to have babies. There is difference for a reason.
To anonymous 2:
Agree fully. I think there needs to be a national education effort to inform people in Fiji that to be called a Fijian only means being a citizen of Fiji. Within this citizenry, each ethnic group should proudly identify itself as being culturally different i.e Indo-Fijian, Asian-Fijian, Rotuman- Fijian etc.
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