The National Federation Party’s (NFP) future is in working with other parties because of the declining population of the Indo-Fijian community and to ensure a united Coalition Government remains in power, said NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad at the party’s diamond jubilee celebrations in Rakiraki over the weekend.
He said the party was founded on strong principles that remained intact today.
“This convention is the beginning of a new era. It is the beginning of the next 60 years of our party,” he said.
“We will not be around. But NFP is here to stay.
“The seeds sowed by an ordinary canefarmer the late Mr Tataiya for the struggles of our forefathers and their descendants to formalise themselves into a political party to be an effective and powerful voice for the equality, dignity and social justice of our people, was visionary.
“NFP that we have known, Fiji’s oldest party, has weathered many storms. It has survived many political battles.”
“And we survived because we did not shirk our founding principles. We did not take short cuts for personal glory. We did not believe in short term gain. And we prevailed. To date, we still hold dear the principles and vision of our former leaders and founding fathers.”
Prof Prasad said the party had “stood steadfast on the face of dictatorship.”
“We will march on relentlessly. We were the past, we are the present and we will be the future.”
