The presence of paramount chiefs at the reopening of the Great Council of Chiefs last week has resulted in a united call to revisit the 2013 Constitution, says Justice Ministry Assistant Minister Ratu Josaia Niudamu.
He made the comment while officiating at the opening of the Ra Provincial Council meeting and in his capacity as a Ra chief yesterday where he made specific reference to the presence of the Marama Bale and Turaga Bale and its significance.
“Your collective submission has now been placed before the Supreme Court, requesting that a legal process be used to review and amend it, a process that involves the people, rather than one determined solely by a single person as we have seen in the governance of our nation over the past 16 years,” Ratu Josaia said.
He said each member of the Ra Provincial Council played a pivotal role in guiding the country’s young people.
“Our elders passed on their wisdom to each one of us.
“That wisdom is seen and heard in our stories, in our dances, in the movements and rituals shared by our grandmothers and grandfathers who have gone before us.
“It is a life of protection and guidance, so that we may live lives of peace, lives rooted in our land, and lives filled with promise for the days ahead.”
Ratu Josaia also emphasised the importance of culture and living communally.
“We may be spending less time seeing and engaging with our children, and more time watching images and distractions on television and phones.
“We may share less wisdom and guidance with our young people and more hurtful or destructive words across platforms that sit before us.
“Our Fiji and our chiefly province of Ra can be a guiding light for the good things we want to achieve.”
