I say this with a clear conscience, I dont stand to gain anything more than what any other person would depending on whom I decide to vote for. I work to earn a living. I dont drive expensive cars, wear designer clothes (apart from the ones I make myself) and I certainly do not eat caviar and sip champagne. So please refrain from putting me in a guilded cage but if you must categorise me to justify your opinion than perhaps a wooden box would be appropriate. Right here goes....I am a firm believer in the rights of an Indigenous people especially in light of other Indigenous races who have been marginalised, oppressed and taken advantage of under a colonial rule. Of course native land should be treated with the scrutiny it deserves if it is to be leased or used in any way in the foreseeable future. Treat this as an issue of importance, yes, I agree, but dont use it as one of your main objectives and to insight insecurity in the minds of a people. Yes the time is getting closer and the closer it gets, the more I have seen this nation divided. So if that was your aim SODELPA than congratulations you have succeeded. By the way, how will those Fijians living on minimum wage and barely being able to afford their rent find security if they vote for you? Will you implement a native land tax levy which will be distributed equally to all of them as well? In what way do those without direct link to land ownership benefit? You know the average person. As for identity, surely it is quite apparent that those of us who are not Indigenous Fijians can not claim to be Indigenous but surely by right of birth we can refer to ourselves as Fijian, just as an American born Japanese person would refer to themselves as an American. For the simple fact that we are proud to be Fiji born. In addition, the term democracy also means that all people, regardless of race, religion or financial status, have equal rights and are equal under the law. Is it democratic to revert to a government whereby the rights of one race is given preferential treatment over that of another. This is such a difficult topic to debate as I have Fijian (Itaukei) friends and even family to an extent, and I honestly thought that we, as a nation and people had gotten to a point where we were all striving to build a prosperous nation under one noble banner blue. But clearly some have decided that it is time that there should be a clear line drawn in the sand to remind us that we are but invited guests who have been allowed to live in this place we call home. I am sick of just going with the flow and not speaking my mind as a citizen of this country. I am exercising my democratic right to freedom of speech and I am not going to walk on eggshells just because I am afraid of the repercussions of having a voice. If SODELPA had not used this card and had a really solid and unbiased agenda that benefited everyone in this country, than who knows, maybe I would vote for them. The fact is I am going to vote for a progressive political party, not a regressive one. By the way, perhaps you should follow your political discussion forums more closely and police the words that your supporters use, unless of course you agree with them.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 08:22:16 +0000
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