Minister Tabuya to begin nationwide listening tour next month

Minister for Information Lynda Tabuya will embark on a nationwide listening tour next month, visiting every province in Fiji to hear directly from citizens — not to speak, but to listen.

“Communication is not a megaphone. It’s a conversation,” Ms Tabuya said in Parliament during her inaugural address today.

“You will see me in village halls. At the bus stand. Behind the tanoa. Not to give speeches, but to listen. And I hope you’ll speak freely.”

The newly appointed Minister said she is committing to grassroots feedback as a central part of her leadership.

In her address, Tabuya acknowledged the weight of public judgment and the strength it takes to return to public service.

“I know what it feels like to be judged. I know what it means to fall. But I also know what it means to stand back up, not because you forget what happened, but because you remember why you serve,” she said.

“This is not about rewriting reputations. It’s about writing better futures.”

Ms Tabuya, who was reinstated into Cabinet last week, said she is focused not on apologies but on rebuilding trust through action.

“Let me earn your trust not with apologies, but with action. Let me serve with more humility and less ego. Let me prove that redemption in public service is not only possible, it can be powerful.”

She closed with a powerful declaration of her Ministry’s mission: to bring government communication back to basics — truth, clarity, and language the people understand.

“Let this Ministry be known not for managing narratives, but for telling the truth,” she said.

“And let every Fijian, from the farmer in Bua to the student in Nadi, be able to say:

‘My government spoke to me. Clearly. Honestly. In my language. Without spin.’

“That is the Ministry I will build. That is the promise I make. And that is the work I now begin.”