When the 52nd Asian Development Bank’s annual governor’s meeting gets underway in Fiji next month, it is going to be much more than having thousands of foreign delegates in our country.

A successful meeting will open doors for Fiji to host other international conferences and in turn it will mean more Fijians directly benefiting from this.

So far, we have established that there will be a local designer who will dress the delegates for the main Governor’s plenary to be held on Friday, May 3.

The delegates will be dressed by Ilai Jikoiono in Zuber outfits and will be designed and custom made locally.

This level of exposure where hundreds of overseas media will broadcast our local designer’s work is unprecedented.

And, that is not all. The 13th Kula Annual Fiji Link Dance competition winners Rishikul Sanatan College will also put on a show for the delegates during the meeting.

They will perform their award-winning dance, which will be broadcast live by many international media organisations.

The ADB meet will also have an arts village where local artisans will display and sell their wares, their hand-carved statues, handmade bags made out of voivoi.

There has already been a surge in demand for locally-produced fruits and vegetables, locally sourced seafood and our farmers and fishermen have already locked in great deals for the coming few weeks.

Therefore, it is important to note that the success of this meeting is not only important for the Fijian Government, but extremely important for the Fijian people.

Now is the time to be pro-Fiji, to do our very best to open Fiji’s doors to other international conferences.

Now is not the time for petty politics, now is not the time for Unions to call for a national strike.

Anyone who does so is being anti-Fiji and anti-Fijian.

This is the time to rally together and put up the best possible convention and set the benchmark for future events.

Workers need to think long and hard before they make that call about May 3.

The ball is indeed in your court right now.

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj