Indian Newslink January 15 2018 Digital Edition

JANUARY 15, 2018
Social harmony and tolerance keep Fiji ahead
Josiah Voreqe
Bainimarama
We are lucky to be in a
country that is rich in
different cultures and
religions, and I am
grateful that in the Fijian society,
we openly share the traditions and
celebration of our fellow Fijians.
Every year, the ‘Ram Leela
Festival’ brings colour, artistic
expression and joy to communities
across Fiji.
Through the dramatic re-enactment
of the life of the Hindu Lord
Ram, poetry, singing and dancing,
our Hindu brothers and sisters express
the noble ideals of Lord Ram,
and the triumph over adversity that
was the ultimate purpose of Rama’s
incarnation on earth.
Since the Girmit Era
I have been told that the art form
of Ram Leela has been practiced in
Fiji for around 140 years, when it
was first brought to Fiji by indentured
labourers from British India
in the early years of the Girmit Era.
Then, it was a social gathering,
a celebration that brought the
comfort and familiarity of home to
a strange and foreign land. And we
can all be proud, that nearly a century
and a half later, this Festival
continues as a joyous tradition in
our nation’s life.
I was very proud when, just
over one year ago, Fijians from all
backgrounds and walks of life came
together to commemorate the 100th
Anniversary of the arrival of the SS
Sutlej – the last ship of the Girmit
era that brought 888 indentured
labourers to Fiji in November 1916.
It was a very special and emotional
tribute to the ancestors of our
fellow Fijians who suffered through
that dark time in our history.
I was grateful then, as I am grateful
now, that Fiji is blessed with
such a rich tapestry of religions,
ethnicities and cultural heritage.
Diversity is strength
While it has not always been an
easy journey, today, that diversity
is our nation’s greatest strength,
and our unity has emerged as the
foundation for the great progress
we’ve made for Fiji over the past
decade.
In every religious tradition in Fiji
there are values that every Fijian
can appreciate and celebrate. The
Ram Leela Festival is no different.
It is a story of family, friendship
and leadership. And as a father
and grandfather myself, the story
of Lord Rama puts forward ideals
that I strive to meet in my own life,
and I know mothers, fathers and
grandparents across the country
strive to do the same.
Teamwork Story
The Story of Lord Ram is also
a story of teamwork, unity and
camaraderie. Values that have
built the Fiji we know and love
today. Values that bond us together
in our great journey forward as a
nation. And values that we have
enshrined, for all time, in the
Fijian Constitution. A Constitution
that, for the first time, establishes
common and equal citizenry in Fiji,
regardless of our background, our
beliefs, our socioeconomic status, or
where we live.
Fijian Constitution
Under that Constitution, united in
common purpose, the Fijian people
have taken our nation to unprecedented
heights – at home, as we
have grown our economy for eight
straight years, and abroad, where
we’ve assumed global leadership
on causes critical to our secure
future. We’ve shown that when we
respect one another, when we work
alongside our fellow Fijians and
embrace our differences, there is
nothing we cannot achieve.
We have just entered the New
Year, as we look ahead to the rest of
2018, it is more important than ever
that we continue to stand together
– as one nation and one people – in
building the new Fiji.
General Elections 2018
We will be holding our national
elections later this year, and, as we
have seen before, we will again be
confronted with old forces that seek
to divide us and hold us back from
our journey into the future. Again,
we must reject that backwards way
of thinking. Again, we must choose
progress over prejudice and dirty
politics. And again, we must renew
our commitment to one another,
as Fijians and as men and women
dedicated to the betterment of our
nation.
Josiah Voreqe Bainimarama is
Prime Minister of Fiji. The above
is an edited version of his speech
at the ‘Ram Leela Festival’ held
in Sigatoka on Sunday, January
6, 2018.
The suspended People’s
Democratic Party (PDP)
faces deregistration if it
fails to comply with the
requirements sought by the Fijian
Elections Office.
One of the requirements, under
the Political Parties decree, is that
all the key executive positions are
filled.
It is understood that only the
Treasurer and General Secretary
positions are filled.
If it is deregistered, it will have
an impact on the general election
landscape.
One politician who is rubbing his
hands with glee is Fiji Labour Party
(FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry.
The demise of PDP will open the
door for his Party to consolidate its
support in the labour movement.
PDP had split the votes in the 2014
General Election. As a result, FLP
and PDP failed to win a seat.
Breakaway Party
PDP was formed after Felix Anthony,
General Secretary of the Fiji
Trades Union Congress, broke away
from FLP because he did not like Mr
Chaudhry’s leadership style.
But they now appear to be
singing the same tune as they rally
support for the striking Air Terminal
Services workers.
Mr Anthony has kept people
guessing about the future of his
political career since he resigned as
PDP leader.
His mates, lawyer Aman Ravindra
Singh, who is the former PDP General
Secretary and Daniel Urai, FTUC
President, have aligned themselves
Fijilink
PDP’s demise could boost Labour
Fiji Sun
09
with FLP. Mr Singh is now the
Assistant General Secretary of FLP.
Mr Urai has no substantive role, but
has been prominent in recent FLP
rallies.
Split Votes
If Mr Chaudhry is able to capture
the PDP votes (there is no guarantee),
he could attain the threshold
for FLP to win a seat. Those votes
can also be split between Fiji First,
National Federation Party, SODELPA
and even Unity Fiji Party.
Since the resignation of Mr Anthony
as leader and a Party pioneer
Sivia Qoro (now in Unity Fiji), PDP
has been on a downward spiral.
President and later Leader Lynda
Tabuya has unsuccessfully tried to
keep PDP on an even keel.
Pact with SODELPA
Her move to sign a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with
SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka
that allows PDP members to contest
the election under the SODELPA
banner was weird. It looks like a
ploy to buy time before the PDP ship
goes under. It came as no surprise
when the Fijian Elections Office
(FEO) started asking questions.
It also caused a stir in the SODEL-
PA camp and it is understood that
the “merger” was viewed with suspicion
by some officials. They included
Raman Velji, a Vice-President, one of
the few Indo-Fijians in the Party.
He quit the party because “the
recent development within the party
has been of great concern to me.”
It is believed this is to do with the
MOU with PDP.
By Arrangement with Fiji Sun.