EVERY citizen of Fiji is Fijian.
And this is the principle that should guide national identity debates, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
Speaking yesterday when asked for a response to a submission by the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) to the Constitution Review Committee, Mr Rabuka acknowledged that the meaning and use of the term “Fijian” remains contested.
The GCC submission proposed that the designation “Fijian” be reserved solely for indigenous itaukei.
However, Mr Rabuka indicated that such a change should be carefully debated, stressing his belief in a shared national identity.
“I think Fijian should be debated,” he said.
“I believe we are all Fijian.”
He suggested that while indigenous identity should be preserved and respected, it could be expressed through more specific terminology.
“If itaukei want to have an itaukei identity or label, it can be Fijian itaukei,” Mr Rabuka said.
“There will also be Indo-Fijians. But itaukei, I believe, is the one that belongs to all of us (indigenous Fijians).”
According to Section 5 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji 2013, “all citizens of Fiji shall be known as Fijians.”
