Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says Fiji joins the rest of the world in its gratitude for the life, teachings and values of Mahatma Gandhi.
While giving his message for the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gandhi, Bainimarama says Gandhi has taught us that there can be no progress without collaboration of all people, and none must be excluded or overlooked.
Bainimarama says tolerance of all religions, all ethnicities and all people are enshrined in the Fijian Constitution, and we must practice it adding Gandhi taught us that ideals must be lived, or they may be swept away.
The Prime Minister adds through his works, his prayers and the force of his character and personality, Gandhi helped India gain its independence from British Colonial rule.
He says his non-violent philosophy of passive resistance helped Indians gain control of their future and lay the groundwork for peace and basic human rights in his country—and it has inspired peaceful, democratic movements of people around the world.
He says Gandhi’s humility was reflected in him in totality.
Bainimarama says Fiji is a multiracial country, and like many countries, Fiji has struggled with what it means to be one nation of many different kinds of people adding we have struggled with discrimination and even violence over our history.
He adds Fiji has learnt that being Fijian is a source of unity, that our identity as Fijians helps all of us achieve far more together, as a united people.
The Prime Minister says it is because of the teachings of leaders like Gandhi and those he inspired, like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, that we know that there is always opportunity for peace and progress.
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