Independence is “not something we inherit and put away in a drawer”, Lau’s paramount chief has told Fiji’s young people, saying every generation has to earn it again. The Tui Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara, issued the Fiji Day message from Lakeba in Lau as the country marked 56 years of independence, according to the Fiji Sun on 11 October and FBC News on 12 October.
Both outlets report the same central line: that nation-building asks more of citizens than celebrating what the country has already achieved. Neither report quotes the chief making any request of government.
Key facts
- The message was issued from Lakeba, Lau, to mark Fiji’s 56th Independence anniversary, both outlets report.
- He named four means of earning independence: education, honest work, service to family and community, and the courage to reject what destroys young people and homes.
- He described Fiji’s diversity of faiths, cultures and languages as the country’s greatest strength, the Fiji Sun reports.
- He said traditional institutions stand beside the people rather than above them, FBC News reports.
What the Tui Nayau said to youth
The Fiji Sun quotes the chief addressing young Fijians directly: “To the youth of Fiji: this nation belongs to you. Learn your language, know your roots, master the skills of the modern world, and come home with them. Fiji needs your hands and your ideas.” FBC News summarises the same instruction as a reminder that the nation belongs to young people and that they must stay rooted while acquiring modern capability.
The fourth item on his list — the courage to say no to “the things that destroy our young people and our homes” — is left unexplained in both reports. Neither outlet specifies what he meant, and the chief did not name them.
Chiefs “beside” the people
FBC News reports that the Tui Nayau affirmed traditional leadership as a source of stability and service, quoting him as saying the vanua has always understood that to lead is to serve, and that Fiji’s traditional institutions stand not above the people but beside them, as what he called a steady keel through calm and rough seas. In the same passage he said the chiefs of Fiji walk together with every community that calls the islands home.
That passage appears only in the FBC report. The Fiji Sun’s account instead carries more of the chief’s remarks on diversity, quoting him saying Fiji’s mix of faiths, cultures and languages “is not a weakness to be managed” but the fabric of the country and its greatest strength, and reporting that he urged citizens to keep working together in the spirit that shaped independence.
1970, and the chief who held the title before him
The Fiji Sun reports that the Tui Nayau tied the message to the securing of independence in 1970, saying responsibility for nation-building had been passed on by those who achieved it. Among them, he said, was the late Tui Nayau and Fiji’s first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, whose contributions and sacrifices he said the country honours — that is, the holder of the same Lauan title the present chief now carries.
Why it matters
The message places the unfinished work of 1970 on citizens, and on young people in particular, rather than on the state. Its instruction to bring modern skills home also addresses Fijians living abroad, a group whose role in national decision-making has been legislated on this year; Fiji News reported separately on Fiji’s referendum legislation, which includes overseas voters.
What happens next
Neither the Fiji Sun nor FBC News carried any response to the message from the government, from other chiefs or from youth organisations, and neither indicated whether the Tui Nayau would speak again during the anniversary weekend. Fiji News will report any reaction as it is published.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What titles does the Tui Nayau hold, and why do the two reports render his name differently?
The Fiji Sun identifies him as Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Nayau, Sau ni Vanua ko Lau and Tui Lau, and describes him as Lau’s paramount chief. FBC News calls him Tui Nayau Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara. The Fiji Sun uses Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara in its text but gives the fuller Ratu Tevita Lutunauga Kapaiwai Uluilakeba Mara in a photograph caption. Neither outlet explains the difference.
Who did he credit with securing Fiji’s independence?
According to the Fiji Sun, he said Fiji remembered “with deep gratitude” the chiefs, the elected leaders, the faith leaders and the ordinary men and women of every race and island who believed the country could stand on its own. He said their work was the beginning and that the work of building Fiji had been handed to the present generation.
What did he ask Fijians to do over the Fiji Day weekend?
The Fiji Sun reports that he called for the weekend to be one of thanksgiving and of renewal, and urged citizens to honour those who came before by being worthy of what they built. He also asked Fijians to take up a shared responsibility to build a peaceful, inclusive and prosperous Fiji “for those not yet born”.
What did he say the 56th anniversary asks of Fiji?
FBC News reports that the Tui Nayau said Fiji’s 56th Independence anniversary asks of the country peace, unity, mutual respect and cooperation. The Fiji Sun reports he closed by saying that 56 years ago Fiji chose to walk together, and that it should choose that again.
