A Land of Hope, Freedom and Glory
The National Federation Party says consensus, goodwill, dialogue and bipartisanship are missing from our national political landscape and believes now is the time to re-dedicate ourselves to One Nation, One Destiny just as Fiji did 48 years ago.
NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad and Party President Lt-Col Pio Tikoduadua said in their message on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of Fiji’s Independence from 96 years of Colonial rule on 10th October 1970: –
“We must never forget the giant strides made by our country’s founding fathers and to hold true to the spirit of unity and understanding of our Independence because freedom, hope and glory is still ours if we grasp it”.
“We should in the spirit of unity and harmony through genuine talanoa, so ably demonstrated by our founding fathers, bequeath to our future generations a nation of boundless hopes, endless dreams and aspirations and above all a Fiji that once again becomes a symbol of genuinely united, harmonious and a beacon of hope”.
“We must keep reminding ourselves, by appraising ourselves with history as well as inculcating it in our generation through school curriculum, how Fiji achieved Independence on a silver platter through the sheer painstaking work and negotiation of a few leaders regarded as the finest statesmen that Fiji ever had”.
“We must not forget it was achieved through goodwill, consensus, dialogue and a genuine willingness on the part of the then leaders realise their vison. It was not based on threats, fears mongering and extortion”.
“We pay tribute to the founding fathers of Fiji, hailing them as gigantic leaders who put national interest above everything else to negotiate Fiji’s Independence 48 years ago”.
“We remember the NFP’s founding father and the then Leader of the Opposition Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel (A D Patel) and his successor Siddiq Moidin Koya (SM Koya), together with the then Chief Minister and later the first Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (Ratu Mara), who put aside their deep personal and political differences to give Fiji true nationhood and sovereignty”.
“A peaceful transition from 96 years of Colonial rule to Independence, constitutional and parliamentary rule is a monumental and above all a lasting legacy of an achievement through genuine dialogue, consensus building, negotiation, resulting in unanimity amongst our founding leaders”,
“This fundamental principle is a cornerstone of NFP’s foundation. We have always achieved solutions to our national problems, which to many people may have seemed insurmountable, through genuine dialogue, goodwill, consensus and bipartisanship.
Independence, a thriving sugar industry that was Fiji’s economic mainstay for 30 years of our independent history and continues to remain vitally important to the livelihood of some 200,000 of our people, and the 1997 Constitution are a few but perfect examples of what can be achieved by working together”.
“At the same time, we should not also forget the 14 years of our Independent history during which we were under military rule due to 4 military coups since 1987”.
“We should not also forget that the most important symbol of our nation following Fiji being granted its Instruments of Independence, our noble banner blue flag, would have been changed had it not been for the widespread opposition of our citizens”.
“As we celebrate our Independence, all our people must reflect on what kind of Fiji they want to bequeath to future generations”.
“This is the greatest challenge facing us as a 48 year old Independent nation”.
Authorised by:
Professor Biman Prasad Lt-Col Pio Tikoduadua
Leader President
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