H.E PRESIDENT KONROTE'S ADDRESS AT THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL INVESTITURE CEREMONY 20-10-21

20/10/2021


•    Your Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Former President and Honourable Speaker of Parliament;
•    Honourable Government Ministers and Assistant Ministers;
•    The Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Major-General Jone Kalouniwai;
•    Commissioner of Police, Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho;
•    Permanent Secretaries;
•    Members of the Diplomatic Corp;
•    Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Ganilau – Former Commander Republic of The Fiji Military Forces (RFMF);
•    The Chairperson of the College of Honour Dr. Akanisi Kedrayate and the Members of the College of Honour;
•    Recipients of Fiji’s 50th Anniversary of Independence Commemorative Medal, and Members of your Respective Families and Friends;
•    Distinguished guests;
•    Ladies and gentlemen.   

Ni sa Bula Vinaka, Namaste, Asalaamu Alaykum, Ni Hao, Noa’ia ‘e Mauri, and a very Good Morning to you all.   
    
Ladies and gentlemen, it is so wonderful to see you all and it gives me so much great pleasure to Welcome you to the State House on behalf of my wife, Sarote and The Staff.

In fact, we could not proceed with our scheduled Investiture Ceremonies towards the end of last year because of the latest spike and restrictive protocols imposed upon us by the dreaded COVID-19 Pandemic which subsequently compelled us to re-schedule the remaining Awards Ceremonies to a later date, hence today’s historical event – to continue and hopefully complete the Series before the end of my term in Office. In that regard, we should continue to Acknowledge, Praise and Thank Almighty God for His continued Love, Mercies and Blessings on our Beloved Nation and the rest of Humanity – because I believe that we have endured and survived the most deadly and damaging stage/phase of the Pandemic COVID-19 Virus – and are slowly on our way to successfully containing its spread.

Ladies and gentlemen, now I would like to acknowledge and commend the good Reverend for the short inspirational Divine/Spiritual presentation which has started off today’s Investiture Ceremony. Furthermore, it gives me great pleasure to see former colleagues and acquaintances and to Officiate and Confer you with the Commemorative 50th Independence Anniversary Medal – which you all well and truly deserve.

As your President and Chancellor of The Order of Fiji Awards, I have been looking forward to today’s historical and significant Ceremony which fulfills one of my obligatory duties in This Office – and that of appropriately acknowledging, honouring and rewarding your individual and collective selfless contributions to our Beloved Nation – Fiji’s Development and Progress as a Young and Developing Independent Sovereign State since our Independence in 1970.

Hearty congratulations to you The Recipients who had served and continue to serve loyally and selflessly within the various sectors of our communities and I also consider it prudent that I also acknowledge, commend and thank your spouses and other members of your respective families for supporting you in your noble journey of service.   

Ladies and gentlemen, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge and thank our former President and the Current Honourable Speaker, His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Government Ministers and Assistant Ministers, Honourable Members of The Judiciary, and all Heads of Missions and members of The Diplomatic Corps for continuing to avail themselves in attending the Investiture Ceremonies held last year and again Today by gracing this historical and memorable Investiture Ceremony with your presence – Thank you – Vinaka Vakalevu – Dhanyavaad!   

Ladies and gentlemen, at this juncture, please allow me to commend, acknowledge and thank Dr. Akanisi Kedrayate – The Chairperson of the College of Honour and her dedicated and hardworking Team who over these past years had strictly adhered to my request, by ensuring that all Nominations are scrupulously assessed and recommendations are only submitted and considered after careful vetting. The College Team has been very particular and diligent in their work to ensure that this special and historic commemorative Medal is only presented to deserving members of the Public/Private Sectors and Civil Society and this, Ladies and gentlemen is in conformity with my wish to further nurture and promote This Institution’s and hopefully our National psyche and “Culture of Appreciation and Inclusivity”.  

Ladies and gentlemen, the present COVID-19 Pandemic has had a profound effect on our National Plan to commemorate and celebrate this important historical milestone in style last year, however, we were not deterred nor discouraged or disheartened, but celebrated in style nonetheless. By doing so, we remained true to our “Fijian Can Do” spirit and should be proud, not disillusioned or distracted from the fact that within a period of half a century since Independence, our Young and Developing Nation has evolved well into an accepted level of universal socio-political and economical maturity that we should all be proud of in today’s unpredictable and ever-changing global environment that we live in.

Our typically famous Fijian hospitable, friendly, positive and ‘Can Do’ attitude to life, Ladies and gentlemen, continue to portray to our citizens and our wider global community and the Fijian diaspora that, “This Is Who We Are – We - Are - Fiji”! – Although a Small and Developing Independent Sovereign State that lacks economic and political clout in the wider global community, we are determined to celebrate this worthy cause and in doing so continue to “Punch Above our Weight” in leading the world community by passionately addressing some global problematic issues like today’s, - Present, Real and Serious Threat to the survival of Humanity – Climate Change and the Preservation and Protection of our Oceans despite the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Ladies and gentlemen, despite the “New Norm” imposed upon humanity by the world-wide COVID-19 Pandemic, we can still rejoice and celebrate certain events in life and in view of this I commend and thank all Fijians for the manner in which we had come together as a Nation and People and “Weathered The Storm” together in our Collective Effort to Recover and Return our Beloved Nation to some degree of Normalcy.  

By remaining positive and firm in our faith in The Almighty that our Beloved Fiji is blessed and as a Nation and People, we should be forever grateful, hopeful and embrace the Future Together and Believe that the next 50  years and beyond – the journey ahead would be Peaceful and equally Prosperous. 50 years is indeed a long time in one’s life and we have come a long way as a Country and People since Independence to claim our rightful place in our global community as a Responsible and Respectable Developing Independent Sovereign State which is proud of its achievements and contributions regionally and internationally. Ladies and gentlemen, my staff and I began these celebrations in Levuka on the 1st of October, 2020 and today we are conducting our second last Investiture Ceremony before concluding the Series on Friday 22nd October 2021.

We began The Investiture Celebrations last year in Levuka with two aims in mind – Firstly, to begin and end our journey of celebrations where it all began and secondly, to reassure the Chiefs and People of our Beloved Fiji of Government’s and in line with my primary responsibility as President – and the “Pillar of National Unity,” that during the Investitures and National Celebrations of commemorating our 50  years of Independence till today, that – “No One and Community Should be Left Behind”.

Ladies and gentlemen, 26 years ago on Independence Day, 755 individuals were awarded a similar Commemorative Medal and we look forward to celebrating our Diamond Jubilee of Independence in style too. While I wear with great pride my 25th Anniversary medal, I hope that those of you who will be honoured with this 50th Anniversary Medal today will also share with me the same proud and patriotic feeling that we belong to a Progressive Nation which cares for its people and rewards them accordingly for their individual and collective efforts at Nation-Building.

Ladies and gentlemen in celebrating Fiji’s 50th Anniversary of Independence and Awarding your Goodselves with The Commemorative Medal, we continue to show the World Community that we are indeed; A Resilient People, A Strong People, A Caring People, A United People who are collectively confident that with Almighty God’s continued guidance and blessings, Fiji is destined to achieve more great things in the next 50 years.

On that note Ladies and gentlemen, Congratulations once again to all the Recipients and I would like you to share your story and patriotic spirit with your children and grandchildren, so that they too will one day be Responsible and Productive citizens who should continue to serve   selflessly and lovingly for the benefit of our Beloved Nation.

Vinaka Vakalevu, Dhanyavaad, Xiexie, Faiak’sea, Thank You