AS much as we are afflicted with shortcomings, Fiji is without a doubt, a lovely nation to live in.
Whatever your take is on today, we hope you will value it for what it truly means, and consider the impact of this day back in 1970, what it stands for, and how our young nation has developed.
Today is a very special day for Fijians. Today, we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. Despite all our flaws, we can still be a beacon of hope for others. Today we have a great opportunity to remember how we have fared over the decades.
We have a chance to relive history, and relive the joy that emanated from the old Albert Park when we became an independent nation.
Today is about belief in our way of life, acceptance of our place as individuals in a nation brimming with harmony that stretches through every imaginary demarcation line, cutting through religion, ethnicity and gender divisions.
We live in a country that embraces people from different walks of life who make up our multi-racial population.
Today is about who we are, and how we live together in peace and harmony despite our many differences.
We celebrate our identity as people of a nation, with great pride and patriotism.
Today is about Fiji. We should be reminded about the important place we share with over 850,000 other people.
We share many thoughts.
We are sports crazy people. We rejoice every time our sevens rugby team wins at international level competitions.
We cheer for the Flying Fijians and fellow Fijians in other international sides. As a nation, we unite to celebrate massive achievements.
The golden win at the 2016 Olympic Games by the national 7s team united us for instance, and gave us a reason to bask in the limelight, and be joyful and full of cheer.
We are friendly people and we love a lot of things about our country even though we take a lot of things for granted.
How about taking time out today to reflect on the many things that have shaped our nation?
Let’s look back into the past to ensure we do not stumble in the future. Let us continue to put aside our differences and dedicate ourselves to lifting our nation to great heights.
We can make a difference. We have the power to build a better Fiji together, for ourselves and for our future generations.
We may not be free of negative vibes, but we have shown resilience and evolved over the years.
Let us celebrate today and mean what we say when we call ourselves Fijians.
We have to be grateful and appreciative of this very special day in our nation’s calendar.
We wish all our readers a happy, safe and memorable Fiji Day wherever you are in the world.
