RUPENI WAQAVONO
THE Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has urged Fijians to look back and reflect on what the country has achieved in the last 50 years.
Officiating at the Fiji Day celebrations with yachters and staff at the Musket Cove Island Resort, the A-G highlighted that Fijians who witnessed the handing over of our instruments of independence should be proud.
“We would like to ask the Fijians who were there, that today – the ones who remember – to think about how they felt that day and to tell your children and grandchildren about it,” he said. “It is a rare privilege to witness the birth of a nation and then see it blossom into a country that has truly made a difference in the world.”
“To the younger citizens among us, Fiji has always been an independent country, and they can’t imagine anything different.”
The A-G said it was all new back in 1970 when Fiji was entering a new world as a nation and Fijians were responsible for their own destiny.
“No one knew what the future would bring, all we knew with certainty was that we alone would determine our destiny. So, tell them about that day.”
The A-G who was also officiating at the opening of the 37th Fiji Regatta 2020 event thanked Fiji’s frontline heroes at the borders and hospitals for their hard work and sacrifice which allowed Fijians to celebrate Fiji Day all over the country.
“We are grateful to be able to celebrate at all. In most places in the world, large gatherings are not safe. But because Fiji acted quickly to contain the coronavirus, our people are safe.”
-ENDS-