In an emotional address at the 23rd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit in Suva yesterday, outgoing chairman and Vanuatu Prime Minister Hon. Jotham Napat officially handed over the chairmanship to Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, calling it “not merely a handover of a title” but “the passing of a sacred flame”.
Speaking before Melanesian leaders, observers, and dignitaries at Vale Ni Bose, Mr Napat began by acknowledging the traditional landowners and the Great Council of Chiefs.
“It is with profound humility and immense pride that I stand before you today at this pivotal juncture in our collective Melanesian journey,” he said.
Reflecting on MSG’s evolution since 1986, Mr Napat described the organisation as “a bastion of Melanesian solidarity, sovereignty, and shared destiny” and “not merely a political construct, but a manifestation of our ancestral kinship, our cultural tapestry, and our collective aspiration for self-determination, peace, and prosperity”.
He paid tribute to Mr Rabuka, who led Fiji into the MSG in 1997. “It is both symbolic and historic… you take the wheel once more,” he said.
“You led Fiji into the MSG nearly three decades ago; today, you return to lead it with experience burnished by time and a spirit undimmed by age.”
Urging continued unity, Mr Napat declared: “We pass on not just a position – we pass on a legacy.”
Calling for “bolder collaboration, smarter diplomacy, and unwavering unity”, he added: “We must continue to be architects of our own future, and not bystanders to other nations’ ambitions. Let us continue to walk together… undaunted, united, and unyielding.”
