Walking the talk

Simon Hazelman, Savusavu

If one scrutinised carefully those who are dissatisfied and frustrated with the FijiFirst Government, one will come to realise the fol­lowing.

These individuals had it easy during the Sitiveni Rabuka and Laisenia Qarase gov­ernments and through corrupt practises that had their needs met.

These individuals knew someone working in government or knew someone who knew someone in government.

That’s the way those governments operated as it was all about who you knew.

Not anymore!

It is also evident that many business owners are up-in-arms over tightened policies that is making it difficult for them to get away from paying their due taxes.

Poor financial monitoring systems and poli­cies back then allowed for these unethical practices.

Not anymore!

If you haven’t noticed, then you need to travel around Fiji to realise what this Fiji­First Government has done and is still doing.

This FijiFirst Government has taken the unprecedented step of walking their talk.

Past governments were nothing more than lukewarmish operators.

Not anymore!

The fact of the matter remains in that the majority of Fijians are the ordinary people of this nation and for them this FijiFirst Gov­ernment has broken away the shackles of unequal rights, elitism, religious discrimi­nation, unethical behaviour and intolerance.

So in retrospect, the hangers-on and ex­treme nationalists will vote for SODELPA, tax fraudsters will vote NFP or any other party that tickles their fancy, and the major­ity will vote FijiFirst for yet another term.

What is meant to be will be and our unhappy campers will continue into further misery.

As a close friend used to advise those who continuously made the same mistake over and over again, ‘Change boy! Change!’.

Rabuka must explain

Timoci Gaunavinaka, Nausori

The fear of losing our iTaukei land has been used over and over again by various iTaukei politicians over the years to attract support for their various political agendas.

And over and over again, many common iTaukei swallow such devious lies hook, line and sinker.

We iTaukei can never become victims like the Maori of New Zealand or the Abroginals of Aus­tralia because;

1. We own over 91 per cent of the land in Fiji that is now fully protected by the 2013 Con­stitution.
2. We form over 95 per cent of our military personnel.
3. The history of our culture states that we are one of the most notoriously aggressive people who have ever walked on the face of this planet as confirmed by our war-like and cannibalistic past.

What we are a victim of is our inability to compete financially or academically with other ethnic groups in our midst.

But instead of identifying the root cause and nipping the problem in the bud, these devious politicians many of whom are fail­ures themselves in their various endeavours because they do not know the solutions, now try to guide us as if they are experts on the issue.

It’s like the blind leading the blind.

When their true agenda is revealed, they turned to the “land” and cooked up various explanations such as the “Sunset Clause” and etc. to justify an “imaginary” threat to iTaukei land by our non-iTaukei citizens.

In the process, they cloak and cover the only true threat we iTaukei had ever had.

Sitiveni Rabuka’s “Land Plan” of Septem­ber 2007 will shock any iTaukei who reads it.

He proposed that we should “nationalize” all natural resources including all iTaukei Land.

This would mean converting all current na­tive land to crown leaving us iTaukei with absolutely no land.

When asked by reporters then on how the iTaukei people would feel, Rabuka replied with this exact words, ”The indigenous Fiji­ans will argue that this will leave them with nothing but in the end, it’s for the good of all. We’ll all benefit in the end”.

Rabuka added that “the iTaukei will contin­ue to progress under the Affirmative Action programme of Government if the budget was spread out more equally”.

How can losing our iTaukei land which is our inheritance for hundreds of years be compensated by Affirmative Action which is the prerogative of any elected Government to implement or not ? How idiotic can that be?

The late Ratu Ovini Bokini, Ratu Epeli Ga­nilau, Ratu Epenisa Cakobau and Rev Ame Tagaue are recorded to have all attacked Rabuka for his proposal.

Today SODELPA boasts about protecting iTaukei rights. But their supporters deserve to know the truth about Rabuka’s Land Plan of September, 2007.

Of course we know that Rabuka’s land plan can never be implemented now, thanks to the 2013 Constitution.

But, how on earth can a man viewed by many iTaukei to be the protector of their rights and interests come up with the most lethal proposal against our kawa iTaukei ?

Rabuka must explain. The iTaukei people deserve to know.

Royal unity

Spencer Robinson, Suva

One of the obvious observations during the recent royal couple’s visit was the huge num­ber of Fijians that turned out to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

It was a great feeling of unity and purpose as we cheered on and waved our noble ban­ner blue especially during the climax of the event.

This very same approach of ‘unity in diver­sity’ should prevail and it should not only be unleashed during significant events.

Mahatma Gandhi once reminded us to ‘be the change that you wish to see in the world.’ Have an awesome and safe weekend.

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