Joni Madraiwiwi Quotes

However social integration cannot be forced and not proceed at the pace that the community considers uncomfortable.

We need to try and focus less on ethnicity in this country and concentrate on trying to improve the lot of the marginalized whoever they are.

When you (Military personnel) serve in uniform, you serve your country, not your mataqali, yavusa or particular vanua. You serve the larger vanua that encompasses all of us.

Our country needs visionary and far-sighted leaders. People who appreciate and understand that our lives are inexplicably linked and our futures tied together. The vision must be one that is inclusive and open to everyone. It is a matter of enlightening self-interest.

There is no denying the powerful emotions appeals to ethnicity can arouse. We need to develop linkages that will subdue or weaken such appeals. This will lie in deepening relationships across ethnic boundaries. It cannot be forced but must be encouraged by all in any position to do so. Because we need to expand and strengthen the interethnic connections which already subsist to mitigate the siren calls of ethnicity when they are made.

All our communities have to make the effort to reach out to each other rather than waiting passively for gestures that may never be made. We need to write our stories and sing our songs together not necessarily in unison or in tune but in a way that makes space for all of us.

The politicians pontificate and manoeuvre with eloquent manifestos and pronouncements saying little about the challenges we must confront.

The (racial and cultural) difference is to be celebrated, not fried or criticised, and we are so much richer for it.

To say that power should have been returned to the Fijian chiefs is to ignore what occurred between 1874 and 1970.

I trust you will bear in mind the deeply-held fears and insecurities Fijian have as an ethnic community. This is a subject I dwell on repeatedly because, while I do not share them, I am sufficiently Fijian to appreciate the depths of these emotions.

This is a small country with limited resources. Can we afford the time spent on endless debates about ethnicity and identity?

It is time to move forward together. Stronger for the bitter experiences we have shared, wiser for the suffering inflicted on us and more compassionate for having the capacity to forgive. For all its faults and cruelties, Fiji remains a country full of promise and hope simply demonstrated by the goodwill that has endured and the love we have for this land that is our home.

Back then (in 1985) the issue of the day was nuclear testing, now we are faced with problems such as climate change, overfishing, deforestation, shipments of radioactive materials through Pacific waters and nuclear proliferation. We need to remain vigilant so that we won't become victims again.

The essence of traditional leadership is learned by osmosis. The next generation learns from what their elders and the current generation does. This was appropriate in a society where the pace of change was gradual.

Corruption undermines public confidence in our country and institutions. It is a huge cost to the economy. Combating it will take courage, determination and perseverance. The most effective means of doing it is by creating a climate not receptive to corruption.