Bainimarama hails Gandhi’s principles
PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the 150th birth anniversary of former Indian leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a day of celebration for Fiji and the world.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Bainimarama said it was a time to come together to pay tribute to the extraordinary life and teachings of Mr Gandhi and the values of peace, tolerance and non-violence that he espoused.
“Fiji joins the rest of the world in its gratitude for the life, teachings and values of Gandhi,” he said.
“Tolerance of all religions, all ethnicities and all people are enshrined in the Fijian Constitution and we must practise it.
“For Gandhi taught us that ideals must be lived or they may be swept away. He has taught us that there can be no progress without collaboration of all people and none must be excluded or overlooked.”
Mr Bainimarama said Fiji was a multiracial country and like many countries, it had struggled with what it meant to be one nation of many different kinds of people.
“We have struggled with discrimination and even violence over our history.
“But we have learned that being Fijian is a source of unity, that our identity as Fijians helps all of us achieve far more together, as a united people.
“But it is because of the teachings of leaders like Gandhi and those he inspired, like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, that we know that there is always an opportunity for peace and progress.
“I would like to ask all people to reflect on the simple concept often attributed to Gandhi – that we must be the change that we want to see in this world.
“That we must seek out opportunity for growth by shaping the world we live in, through our own actions.”