Resilient Fijians
Tukai Lagonilakeba, Nadi
As robust we endeavour to be, we still have self-centred and irresponsible Fijians who will do their level best to derail all the good intentions from our Government. They will specifically do this throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, which is very sad indeed since these Fijians are an iTaukei majority, who call themselves Christians.
As custodians of this nation given to our forefathers by the Great Lord Jehovah, we the majority indigenous iTaukei must be patriotic and be the first to lead and show the best way forward for all Fijians in walking the first mile relevant to our Government’s policies.
We still live below the poverty line according to the 2019-2020 Bureau of Statistics survey, which despite the fact it obviously does not reflect on the ownership of 90 per cent of the Land, Qoliqoli and a shared percentage of the Minerals below the surface, according to our 2013 Constitution for the first time in our history.
Education was never the iTaukei priority until our Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and his team saw appropriate and made education accessible, free and affordable for all Fijians. This included other incentives like free bus fares, TELSB and TOPPERS so that we iTaukei can realistically send our children to any school anywhere in the country.
On merit from their school results, we can further their education to tertiary levels and secure our children’s future in our desires they can then be handed over the batons and reigns to grow our economy and take it to many more levels.
Fijians of other descents seem to be doing very well in terms of their many successes in commercial enterprises and education for their children. They are smart and progressive, they are visionary, but from my personal viewpoint as an iTaukei, I wish to categorically state honestly that they seem to be doing the right thing by their faith and the God they revere and worship.
Sometimes it baffles me, the reality of this fact; what if it was the other way around, relevant to land ownership? Would we iTaukei survive with whatever little or scraps we are given? Or would it be different.
So much for their many past discriminating iTaukei supremacy policies, with its nonsense and the brainwashing of the SVT and SDL governments, including the SODELPA could not see fit. They did not have the political will to provide the necessary stimulus to boost iTaukei participation. From a holistic perspective, the FijiFirst Government’s has a $20 million yearly iTaukei grant initiative to further our many commercial aspirations in the development of their own Mataqali and Tokatoka lands.
The Sitiveni Rabuka’s newly registered People Alliance Party has all the makings from his past SVT party policies, including that of the SDL and the SODELPA party. They are all right wing radical nationalist politicians.
It is the name of the party that keeps changing, but members and faces are still the same and they still carry the same tag.