PRIME MINISTER HON. VOREQE BAINIMARAMA'S SPEECH AT THE 2021 FNU STUDENT ASSOCIATION MULTI-CULTURAL EVENTS

The Minister for Education, Hon Rosy Akbar;
Deputy Chancellor of FNU, Dr Nur Bano;
Deans and Staff of the University;
FNU Student Association National President Mr. Ketan Lal;
Vice President;
Council Members;
Students;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
 
Bula vinaka and a good afternoon to you all.
 
It's a pleasure to be here at our region's fastest-rising star in higher education - the Fiji National University.  As students here, with a growing network of campuses and one of the most highly qualified board of directors in Oceania, your academic ambitions have room to grow, take shape, and deliver benefits to you and your country for decades to come. 
 
Your Government is here to support you in every way that we can, through TELS and Toppers, more than 22,000 FNU students have been assisted since 2014, and we’ve made substantial investments to widen the FNU network of campuses and improve the facilities you all count on. 
 
And FNU, through the FNU Student Association, is giving back to the country. You have funded scholarships and aided Fijians in the path of cyclones, particularly young people. Because of your good work, there are students reading and learning and reclaiming what they lost from these storms. 
 
This is a special and sacred time of year for people of faith in Fiji. Three weekends ago, we saw the beautiful colours of Holi. We began this month marking the solemn and sacred Easter Weekend. And now our Muslim sisters and brothers are preparing for the Holy month of Ramadan. We are blessed that these occasions are celebrated so openly by our people.

And I am proud to see that spirit of appreciation and acceptance shared so joyously among your student body today. 
 
There are nations - great nations - that laid the foundation for equality and religious and cultural harmony at nationhood. Instead of being used as a tool for division, religion has added to the richness of these societies. Throughout their histories, the merits of individuals from all faiths have propelled these countries ahead of the world, and their people have prospered.
 
As much as I wish that was how Fiji's story began – that is simply not the hand that history dealt us. For decades, division along ethnic, religious, and provincial lines shackled our people's potential. We suffered politically-driven communal strife   which erupted into instances of violence. There were times when Fijians - in their own country feared for their security.  
 
I take no pleasure in recounting that history. But it must be remembered so it is never repeated. Make no mistake, there are some today still practice and advocate division and seek to drag us back to that painful past. These people would pervert religious ideals to divide our people and pit Fijians against Fijians. Always, always, always, their aim is to garner power for themselves. We can prosecute that sort of religious intolerance.
 
When necessary, we do. But even with the resources at our disposal, even with the vigilance of our officers of the law, nothing can erase religious intolerance more powerfully than you; young people who see the humanity in one another, regardless of our differences. Young people who choose to call an inclusive nation their home.
 
For you are writing a new Fijian story, it is a story of a truly great nation.  For you know - better than any generation before you - that there is nothing natural about distrust, disharmony and suspicion. People are inclined to co-operate for the sake of the common good.

We are here, together, in this country. We may practice different faiths, but we share a desire to see life improve for ourselves and for our children, and we know we are most successful when we walk the path to greatness together. All faiths teach the values of love and compassion. We may worship in different ways, but every religion in Fiji preaches the need to love thy neighbour and the value of love, compassion, and empathy.
 
Every Fijian knows in their heart what it means to be accepting of others. Every Fijian has the innate conviction to practice the faith they choose, and the good sense to see the worth of the faith of others.

Every Fijian can find comfort in religious values and practices in their personal lives. And every Fijian benefit from a Government that protects their right to practice the religion they choose, and the rights of their fellow Fijians, without forcing any single faith, or denomination of faith, on its citizens. That is the promise of our Fijian Constitution. That is the foundation upon which you - young Fijians - will build. 
 
Even in the darkest moments of our history, I have always believed that Fiji is destined for greatness. Indeed, we have already done many great things. We are here today, safely gathered amid a global pandemic.
 
I am not speaking to you through a mask and we are not meeting virtually because we defeated our outbreak of the coronavirus and have kept our people safe from the pandemic for more than 350 days. No nation on Earth has matched that record.
 
Now, we have a chance to join the world in defeating this pandemic for good. I am appealing to all of you to register for your COVID-19 vaccines. We have worked extremely hard to bring these medical marvels to the country so that we can all be protected. I have received my first dose. I'm feeling great health-wise, but not only that. I feel even better about the fact that I've done my duty to get us on the road to recovery.
 
I know you may have questions, I did as well. You'll find answers on the Government website and Facebook, or from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services teams on the ground, helping Fijians be registered.  When you do, I trust you'll see just how important being vaccinated is for you, your loved ones, and for the country.
 
My friends, this celebration is wonderful to witness.  But I urge you not to let this ethos of harmony end at its close. Unity is not a one-night event. Inclusivity is not a temporary state of being.
 
Every day, in everything we do, our collective spirit of empathy must reach beyond our immediate surroundings, beyond the walls of our homes, our communities, our churches, temples, and mosques, and extend to all of society. 
 
It would be a tragedy for us to speak of unity today, and then pack our bags and head home to live our lives within the confines of separate communities of faith. We should be together, eat together, learn together, work together, share well-wishes with each other on our holy days -- these gestures may seem simple, but they mean everything. And if you hear voices of religious intolerance, do not stand-by. Do not stay quiet.
 
It is your duty to condemn it. It is your moral obligation. Infact, it is your religion obligation to do so because God tells us we must love all of our fellow human-being.  You may hear these voices of intolerance at a party with friends, it may be on social media, it may even occur across the dinner table. Regardless, I urge you to speak up and speak out in defence of an inclusive Fiji. If  you see hateful posts on social media, report them. Comment on that post, and tell that person they are wrong. Remember, hate always starts small and it spreads in the darkness. When we ignore it, or when we pretend that it does not exist, it can spiral out of control to consume us all. So do not hesitate to shine a light on what is wrong. And let’s root it out together.
 
As you embark into the next stage of life and progress through your careers, know that your Government and your society will reward you based on what you do and what you achieve, not based on who you are, where you're from, or how you worship. For you have what no Fijian generations before you have had - the foundation of equality and harmony, and access to knowledge, upon which truly great nations can be built.
 
This celebration, your smiles, your joy, and your mutual respect and genuine appreciation, this, my friends, is the new Fiji. You are the future. Not because you are young, but because you are wise.
 
Wise enough to see the strength in unity. Caring enough to share your happiness with others and capable enough to take our nation to new and greater heights.
 
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.
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