A time for open debate
AS we mark the 49th anniversary of Fiji's independence today, it may be an opportune time to take an earnest look at where we are headed as a nation.
Can we still proudly claim to be "the way the world should be" as Pope John Paul proclaimed in 1986? I think not. We are today a troubled nation, our fragile democracy shattered by four coup d'etats, all of which caused deep rifts among our people and had a cataclysmic impact on the political, social and economic life of the nation.
While the nation's focus is being diverted almost exclusively to the issue of Climate Change by our current leaders, pressing social and economic problems relating to poverty, ever rising costs of living, unemployment, a failing economy and the precarious state of government finances and national debt, are being ignored.
Unless these are tackled urgently, we face a critical future more immediate than any relating to climate change. As a nation we have to get our priorities right and put things in their proper perspective.
Our people and the nation's welfare must come first.
Fiji Day should be a time for a thorough scrutiny and open debate on whether we are on the right track to creating a prosperous and progressive nation.
This is the kind of discussion that can be sponsored by the media and our various NGOs to create more awareness amongst the public on what our main problems are as a nation and whether steps are being taken to address them. Most deep-rooted of these is the erosion of democratic values, principles and institutions in our society over the past 12 years.
No nation can progress unless these fundamentals are put right. We must give it priority and urgency.
God Bless Fiji