NEGATIVE public perceptions of activism and campaigning continue to hinder broad participation in environmental movements, despite growing turnout at such events, says Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) founder Amitesh Deo.
Speaking to The Fiji Times at the PRF roadside campaign held along the Kings Highway to mark World Environment Day and World Oceans Day last week, Mr Deo said activism was often misunderstood in Fiji.
“When we say it’s a campaign or activism, people get put off,” Mr Deo said.
“Because of our history, because it’s been sensitive, when we say we are trying to organise a rally, people see it as a very negative thing.
“Many don’t participate, so this is why this year we were quite impressed by the number.”
He said past political upheavals continued to influence public perception and discourage both individuals and organisations from engaging in advocacy work.
Despite these challenges, PRF reported a record turnout of more than 1000 participants this year, compared with 500 in 2024 and 300-400 people who participated in 2023.
“We still need to change the narrative around activism because if we continue to sort of disregard or continue to ignore that we need activism to keep everything moving forward, we will never be able to change the issues.
“This year, we had people standing on the roadside for one hour, and the passion in which they advocated, and they came out with their messages, with their placards, and just saying chants and things like that, were really empowering for us to see.
“We have a huge waste management crisis in this country, and the region, and globally, and we can’t continue to operate this way, so we need to implement best practices, and go away from the culture of clean-ups, because that doesn’t solve anything.”
