Not Forgotten
Commonwealth Education Ministers, Officials Join PM in a moment of silence for Winston, Gita victims
Yesterday was a sad day, a day of sombre reflection for the Fijian people as we commemorated the second anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Winston, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said.
He made the remarks when he opened the 20th Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference at the Sheraton Fiji Resort, Denarau, Nadi.
He asked the delegates for a moment of silence to remember those who died in Tropical Cyclone Winston and those who were suffering in Samoa, Tonga and southern Lau in the wake of Cyclone Gita.
He said homes and schools could be rebuilt.
On Winston, Mr Bainimarama said: “What can’t be replaced are the 44 men, women and children who died in the affected areas. “They were someone’s father, someone’s mother, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins. They were ordinary Fijians – the backbone of our nation. And because we are a small country, they were known to many of us and they mattered to all of us. We still mourn their passing and on this anniversary we remember them, as they rest in the loving arms of Almighty God.”
Winston slammed into our nation with terrible force on February 20, 2016, Mr Bainimarama said. It was the biggest storm ever to make landfall in the Southern Hemisphere, packing record winds at its peak of more than 300 kilometres an hour, he said.
Apart from the deaths, many thousands of Fijians lost their homes. Public infrastructure, including many schools, were damaged or destroyed; and when it was over, the overall cost amounted to one third of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), he added.
He said Fijians had recognised the need for a new standard of resilience to meet the constant threat we now face, even outside the traditional cyclone season.
“They know – because they lived through it – that we must build back stronger and better to survive the more frequent and more intense cyclones that are coming because of climate change.”
He said it was singularly appropriate – given the new age of climate uncertainty that was upon us – that sustainability and resilience be the theme of this conference. “We all know that education is the key to sustainable development because it equips people with the skills they need to benefit their own lives and the lives of those around them,” he said.
Shalvi Shakshi and Timoci Naulusala, our young climate change champions, have been assured that their voices will be heard by their peers and leaders in the Commonwealth. The assurance came from Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Baroness Patricia Scotland. Ms Scotland yesterday received a document on climate change from the two on behalf of young Fijians on the beach at the Sheraton Fiji Resort, Denarau, Nadi. She praised them and vowed to deliver their plea in April this year, as the United Kingdom will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Leaders from all the member countries are expected to gather in London and Windsor.
The two disembarked off a Fijian Drua (double hull canoe) on the beachfront, escorted by muscular iTaukei warriors and cheered on by tourists who are holidaying in the country.
Amid cheers and applause the duo handed over the document to Baroness Scotland. Shakshi, 11, a Year six student of Nasarawaqa Primary School in Bua, said: “In the Commonwealth, we are all part of the one big family spread across 53 countries around the world.”
“Some are big and some are small like Fiji. But as our own Prime Minister (Voreqe Bainimarama) says, we are all in same canoe when it comes to climate change. Timoci and I have come on this Drua to remind everyone that no matter where we live in the world, we are all affected and we have to act. “On behalf of the young people of Fiji, we ask our commonwealth visitors to take this message home to your own young people. One day, it will be our turn as young people to lead his struggle. So to our Commonwealth brothers and sisters, we say: Let’s join hands to make a difference. Let’s fill the sail of our canoe with determination to finish this journey together.”
Her father, Surendra Raj is so proud of her daughter who looks up to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama as a role model.
Naulusala, 12, a Year eight student, also shared similar sentiments which they spoke about at the COP23 in Bonn, Germany, last November 8.
“It’s a proud moment for me to be part of this event once again in Denarau, We have to keep on making noises,” he said.
The event was held during the Commonwealth Education Ministers conference.