The presence of Pacific royalty at the recent chiefly installation in Fiji is a powerful symbol of solidarity and shared heritage that the world should take note of, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
In The Fiji Times’ A Conversation with the PM column, Mr Rabuka reflected on the significance of the attendance of the King and Queen of Tonga and the Māori Queen at the installation of the Turaga na Tui Nayau.
“This is more than just the King and Queen of Tonga. They are kinsmen of, if not all, many of the chiefly households of Fiji,” Mr Rabuka said.
“There had always been a close association, close relationship since they were established by the royal grandparents of the very chiefly households of Fiji.
“Their coming here is just cementing or reemphasising, re-laying those foundations – and it’s just assuring that the current generation of chiefs know that we’re not alone. We are connected and that Pacific solidarity is very, very important, particularly at this time when Fiji is championing the Pacific as a zone or as an ocean of peace.
“And when the people around the world see that the royal households of the Pacific are very closely associated and connected, and they want peace for their region, for their people – they should be, likewise, motivated to go for peace in their own regions.”
Mr Rabuka said the visit by the Māori Queen also held deep diplomatic value in light of regional dynamics and growing Pacific engagement by Australia and New Zealand.
“It is very important at this time when you look at the association retrospectively and also when you look forward and see the politics being played out in the Pacific now, and the roles Australia and New Zealand are playing in the Pacific, particularly in their concern for Pacifica people and the various allowances they make for people coming from the Pacific through immigration channels, through the labour mobility schemes.
“It will give them a cultural dimension to the international intergovernmental cooperation we are already playing at this time, so it’s all good.”
