Chand: Leaving Fiji should not be seen as a betrayal

Young Fijians should not be made to feel that leaving the country is a betrayal, says National Federation Party (NFP) president Parmod Chand.

Mr Chand said Fijians had always travelled, learned and contributed beyond Fiji’s shores, but the real national failure was when leaving became the only reasonable choice for an ambitious young person.

“Our aim must be to make migration a choice, not an economic necessity and to create pathways for members of our diaspora to invest, return and contribute their experience to Fiji,” Mr Chand said.

“Young people also deserve a voice in the decisions that shape these opportunities.”

He said people could not speak about young Fijians only as the leaders of tomorrow while excluding them from leadership today.

“We must listen to graduates, apprentices, young farmers, entrepreneurs and workers directly, because policies designed without their experience will not answer their needs,” he said.

“As president of NFP, I have asked every branch and every member during our national convention last weekend to welcome new people, listen in your communities and explain our policies honestly.”

Most importantly, he strongly advised members not to make promises that could not be delivered and not to allow disagreement to become disrespect.

Mr Chand said a national party must show discipline not only on a convention stage, but in every conversation and every community it seeks to represent.

“The people of Fiji are watching all political parties closely; They are listening for seriousness, judging our record and asking whether we understand the pressures they face,” he said.

“NFP has endured for more than six decades because it has never treated politics as a temporary arrangement.”