When Mereoni Rakatia contests in the 2022 General Election under the Social Democratic Liberal Party, she will advocate for the empowerment of indigenous womenfolk. She believes she can achieve this as a provisional candidate for SODELPA because of the party’s policies.
“While I consider myself to be a modern iTaukei woman, I still care about the protection and enhancement of my heritage and culture,” Ms Rakatia said.
“SODELPA is the only political party with a proven record of advocating for the interests of the iTaukei people as its top priority.”
Ms Rakatia said her passion to advocate and protect the heritage of indigenous Fijians was the reason she decided to enter politics.
“There are usually two elements that push us to do anything in life, either you are passionate about something or you are dissatisfied with something occurring.
“I entered politics because of my passion to advocate and protect the heritage of indigenous Fijians and to advocate for the empowerment and recognition of our indigenous women who work hard for the sustenance of their families. I want to be an agent of change for the indigenous people of Fiji.”
Ms Rakatia said she believed that she had a lot to offer if given the opportunity to be a SODELPA member of Parliament.
“Firstly, I bring to the table the perspective of iTaukei women in a male-dominated arena — which is very important — thanks to SODELPA’s effort to achieve at least an increased number of female representation in Parliament and leadership.
“I challenge women in our society to keep striving for excellence in pushing the ceiling of achievement and participation on all levels, especially in leadership roles.
“We have come a long way, however, we must be able to achieve our breakthrough leadership roles through merit, which means that we do not feel entitled and deserving of the roles simply because we are women.
“Secondly, I bring to the party my experiences from the iTaukei Affairs Board where I was a part of the team that established the five-year (2018-2022) Strategic Development Plan currently relied on by the Government for the development of indigenous Fijians.
“Should SODELPA require professionals in formulating a new development plan for the indigenous people, I can offer my services to achieve such objectives.
“Other than that, I have relevant operational experience from working with women in the Soqosoqo Vakamarama as a volunteer.
“I was able to contribute to the organisation through the establishment of the Marama Sausauvou Programme which was established for the participation of younger indigenous women in the development of women. And I also contributed to the formulation and implementation of policies that promote good governance in the indigenous sphere.
“My experience with the indigenous Fijian community offers a lot for SODELPA and the service of our people, in the new Fiji moving forward.”
Ms Rakatia is a graduate of the University of the South Pacific with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Public Management and Employment Relations.
She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Law degree at USP and hopes to complete it by 2023. In terms of career, Ms Rakatia has vast experience working on indigenous issues, especially in terms of indigenous women issues when she was with the iTaukei Affairs Board, Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei and the Soqosoqo Vakamarama Yasana Naitasiri.
