PM Calls This Christmas A Holiday of Hope
Bula Vinaka, good evening, and Merry Christmas From his arrival in a humble manger in Bethlehem, through his teachings and his virtue, to his death upon the cross, Jesus lived a life of grace, of wisdom, and of profound love for all humankind; a love that shone brightest through his sacrifice to forgive our sins.
That is why Christians celebrate His birth at Christmas as a new beginning for humanity -- the start of an everlasting hope for salvation.
Jesus changed the world because he showed us how a person can truly live for others. His example has inspired people of all faiths for centuries, and every Fijian looks forward to Christmas as a time for joy, for giving, fellowship and peace.
I think for all of us, this Christmas feels even more special, and our time with family more precious, because this is a holiday of hope unlike any before it. It is a new beginning, Fiji, for us and the world –– one that we have prayed for, prepared for, and that we promised you would come.
Light at the end of the tunnel
More than six months ago, in the thick of the second wave of COVID-19, we asked each of you to fix this Christmas on your calendars as the light at the end of a long tunnel. We promised you what could be -- what would be -- if we achieved our vaccination targets.
We have achieved our mission. Well over 90 per cent of Fijians are fully vaccinated and more are getting that vital protection every day.
To echo the song of victory of our sevens heroes after winning their second Olympic Gold in Tokyo: We, my fellow Fijians, have overcome.
Friends and families are reuniting. We can play sports and attend tournaments. We can celebrate together and share sorrow together as well. The markets are humming.
Our tourism employees are back in their uniforms. We can offer prayers in our houses of worship with our friends and neighboursas true congregations once again. Planes are flying, and they are bringing our families home and visitors to vacation. And businesses are getting back to business: hiring, expanding and investing.
By taking on the lessons of the last two years, we are a stronger and more resilient Fiji. Through the pandemic, your government offered historic unemployment benefits. We also helped businesses and -- in some cases -- entire industries to survive.
We kept developing infrastructure. We kept building climate resilience and we have kept the path to prosperity open to all Fijians. Now, it is our duty to lead the Pacific’s economic comeback. Now, is our time to reconnect with the region, recover our economy, and restore the Fiji we knew.
We have many reasons to be proud but none to be complacent. This is a still-unfolding crisis. And as Dr Fong often reminds us, we must remain vigilant.
We must continue to vaccinate those between the ages of 12 to 18 so we can return our children to their classrooms.
Keep to protocols
We must continue to adhere to the basic protocols that have kept us safe -- like mask wearing and physical distancing. Remember, no holiday party is worth putting lives at risk. Please mask up and keep your distance from others, especially if you are indoors.
And, most importantly, we must continue administering booster doses to those most vulnerable to the virus.
The new Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading faster than any variant before it. We will see cases of this variant in Fiji, as will every nation. But we know how to protect ourselves from a wave of severe disease and death without crippling our society and locking everyone in their homes.
We have been ramping up our booster dose campaign and will continue to do so. No one should wait for cases to rise to get boosted if they qualify. And if you live with someone who is elderly and or who has an underlying health condition, please urge them to get boosted and get protected.
My friends, Christians believe that Jesus Christ was God’s greatest gift to humanity. And Christmas is a season to find gratitude for all of God’s blessings.
When I think back on what I am most grateful for over the past 12 months -- I am most grateful to you, the Fijian people. To each of you who followed the path of science and solidarity that led us here.
All our tools to combat this pandemic depended on your willingness to wield them. Vaccines themselves are a remarkable advancement -- but they would have meant little if we do not show the wisdom to use them and use them well. Many of our businesses are now open and hiring again. But many would not have survived without a combination of government support and private sector ingenuity. Our farms are producing more food and creating more income than ever before, but they would be derelict patches of land without our farmers who toiled them. Finally, our borders have re-opened, but visitors would not come if Fiji Airways and our hoteliers did not adapt our tourism sector to be COVID-safe.
And because we have shown the lengths we can go -- and will go -- for each other, I know our resilience and resolve will carry us through any challenges that lie ahead.
Double-dosed winners
In a few moments, we’ll announce the double-dosed winners of the Christmas Draw of the Win Together Sweepstakes, including our recently-vaccinated under 18s.
The New Year’s Day draw is still open for applications. Remember, we’ll have another category specifically for those who have been boosted. So, please, do not wait if you are eligible. The application window for the next draw will close at 6pm on the 26th of December.
Thank you and Vinaka vakalevu. And from my family to every family in Fiji, and to our Pacific sisters and brothers across the region, we wish you a happy and blessed Christmas.
God Bless you all.