Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma has called for more inclusion of young people in national decision-making, saying Fiji’s future cannot be shaped without giving the younger generation a stronger voice in Parliament and leadership spaces.
Speaking during the 2026-2027 National Budget debate in Parliament yesterday, Mr Sharma said Fiji was a young nation, but questioned whether young people were being given meaningful opportunities to influence decisions that affected their future.
“Fiji is a young nation, the majority of us are young, and yet how often does youth sit in the rooms where our future is actually decided?” he said.
He said young people were often told to wait before being given opportunities to lead.
“Too often our young people are met with those same tired words: ‘wait your turn,’ ‘you are not ready,’ ‘your time will come.’ I have heard those words; I have lived them.”
Sharing his personal experience in Parliament, Mr Sharma recalled starting his political journey from the back bench and aspiring to have a greater role in decision-making.
“When I first arrived in this Parliament, I sat at the very back. And from that back bench, I used to look to the front row and simply imagine what it might feel like to sit there — to be trusted, to be heard, to matter.”
“I made myself a promise that before I retire from this Parliament, I will ensure our young people have what I was once denied: a space at this table, a voice in this chamber, and a choice in the future of this nation.”
