PM: PROGRESS STRENGTHENS ITAUKEI CULTURE
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says progress does not weaken iTaukei culture or traditions. He made the remark while opening the Lomaiviti Provincial Council at Sawaieke, Gau, yesterday. “Welcoming new development hasn’t meant saying goodbye to who we are as a people,” he said.
“It actually strengthens them both. Because of our progress in technology, we’ve permanently enshrined 24,000 words, images and audio files on the iVolavosa app. With that information stored online, it can never be lost or erased.”
He said Government was making cuts to reduce wasteful spending.
“But that’s for everyone’s benefit because it makes Government more efficient and frees up more resources that more directly benefit our citizens,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“But seriously, if politicians try to tell you that there isn’t any money in Government’s coffers ask them: So, who is paying for my children’s education? Who is providing low-income families with free water and who is subsidising our electricity?
“Who is paving the new roads and who is building the new solar projects? Trust me: It isn’t SODELPA – that credit goes to your FijiFirst Government.
“But that’s not the only lie being peddled by politicians. They’ve chosen to play an even dirtier game. They’ve chosen to prey on the deepest fears of our people by claiming that
iTaukei culture – our culture – is somehow under siege.
“Friends, there are indigenous people in countries around the world who have watched – helplessly – as their entire lands have been lost forever and their culture has been erased. “Those experiences represent some of the greatest tragedies in human history, but Fiji is not those countries. That is not the experience of the iTaukei.
“By even suggesting that our people face such a threat, politicians belittle the very real suffering and heartbreak of those persecuted indigenous peoples. “Friends, I’m a proud
iTaukei. I’m proud of our unique culture, I’m proud of our special way of life and I’m proud of the history that forms the most intimate piece of our identities.”