Minister for Policing Iowane Naivalurua has spoken candidly about the personal and professional toll of confronting crime daily, saying discipline and focus are essential to sustaining the fight against illicit drugs.
Speaking at the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji, Mr Naivalurua said he was deliberate about where he invested his energy, given the realities faced by the police force.
“I really choose my energy,” he told participants.
“At four o’clock in the morning, if you don’t know, I receive the MSR — the morning situation report — the first thing I read every day.”
He said the report, which runs to more than 10 pages daily, details incidents and developments from police divisions across the country.
“My wife always reminds me, before you read that, make sure you pray first,” Mr Naivalurua said.
“Sometimes I forget about praying and I go straight into that piece of paper.”
By the time he finishes reading the report, he said the emotional weight is already heavy.
“By the time I finish those 10 to 12 pages every day, I’m already exhausted,” he said.
“A lot of my energy is chewed up by the list of things reported from the last 24 hours.”
He told the gathering that dwelling too long on negativity or commentary detached from frontline realities only worsens that burden.
“If I tell you everything that’s in that report from the last 24 hours, you’ll lose a lot of energy before you even begin your talanoa session,” he said.
Mr Naivalurua said this was why leaders and stakeholders must remain focused and disciplined, particularly as Fiji intensifies its response to drug-related crime.
The national talanoa session aims to strengthen whole-of-nation cooperation and maintain momentum against illicit drugs, drawing together government agencies, community leaders and civil society partners.
