Sitting in my office and just about fell out of my chair at the loud sound of the cannons being fired....soldiers rehearsing for Fiji day. I looked out of my window in time for the second round of thunderous blasts, amazed to see that even the soldiers that stood next to these gianomous thundering machines didnt as much as move a muscle in terror or shock, they stood unflinchingly in the rain, chests out, feet firmly planted to the ground, as if to showcase the muscle power of our military, that they fear nothing. And again my fathers words ring aloud in my ears and in my soul, words that he uttered as we sat for breakfast at my home on Saturday morning, just he and I....... just like the good ole days when I was growing up......Saturday at the breakfast table was a talanoa day on all matters but particularly national leadership, politics, Israel (the precious State.....we must always lend our support to Israel then he would recount Israels many victories in war), the Asian economies and how we stand to learn much from them (a favorite topic as a Banker). But last Saturday, almost with an earnest sense of urgency, he spoke of one of his most precious concerns, Indigenous rights and the birth right of the indigenous to their land. He sat at the head of the table as he always did, looked at me pleadingly, Our land. Youre not doing enough. You have to get in there and help out Uncle Niko (Nawaikula now a member of the opposition in Parliament) safeguard our land. They are weakening all our indigenous institutions. If we lose control over our land, we are nothing in this country, absolutely nothing, we are just squatters. We cant be landowners just by name! I remained silent. Then he moved on to the next issue, and our scholarships, it was a way to bridge the socio - economic gap, now we dont stand a chance at all. As much as I wanted to offer my views which to some extent were to the contrary, something in me knew that it was better not to, that his sentiments came from a place of fear and deep concern for his people, silence was almost solace at a time like this. There was the intermitent silence. He indicated that he better leave to attend to his Saturday errands. Paused.....as if in deep thought in his attempt to recollect a story from long ago, he looked at me and said, Dont get too comfortable with your lifestyle Lai, living in your good home, enjoying the perks of a good job and falling victim to the trappings of materialism. There are people who are long gone who made this life possible for you, who supported you, the Vanua has always supported you, think of your people, think of the vanua! You must help safeguard our land, its our identity, we lose it and we are gone! As I watched from my window, the great lengths and efforts towards our Fiji Day celebrations, I asked myself, what am I celebrating as an indigenous Fijian on 10th October as we commemorate the decision of our indigenous Fijian forefathers to loosen our Fiji of the shackles of colonialism? Is the removal of the GCC, the weakening of the I Taukei Land Trust Board through the Land Bank Decree, the abolition of indigenous Fijian scholarships.....were all these hallmarks of the independent and prosperous Fiji that they envisioned? Surely, the answer can never be in the affirmative. #soulsearchingFijian #mybeautifulFiji #NaVanua #mythoughtprovokingFather
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 05:25:17 +0000