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On 17 May 1982, India Fiji Day was celebrated at the Suva Civic Centre.
An article in The Fiji Times the next day highlighted that Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Immigration Tomasi Wakatora had delivered the keynote address at the celebrations, saying that “Fiji accepts race as part of life, thereby ensuring multi-racial peace and harmony”.
Earlier in the day, the Royal Fiji Military Force Band led a group of young people through the city to Sukuna Park.
He said when he travelled overseas people often asked about Fiji’s multi-racial society.
“How could it be possible, they ask, that roughly equal numbers of Fijians and Indians could live in harmony?” he asks.
“I told them the answer is simple — we accept race as a fact of life and we don’t shy away from it or try to suppress it.
“We recognise this in our constitution and since independence, the government has actively promoted the idea of a multi-racial, multi-religious society – where each of us enriches the other through our different cultures, traditions and religious beliefs.
“When we look at the violence and suffering that stems from racial tension in the world, this is a remarkable achievement.”
Mr. Wakatora spoke of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech shortly before his death, saying: “One day my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
“Fiji achieved this dream not by accident but through well-thought-out policies based on goodwill and a sense of justice.
“Living in a multiracial society is like sailing a small boat in the ocean – if one of us decides to row in a different direction, we risk getting lost or capsizing.
“We have to trust the navigator – when things get tough, does he have enough experience to lead us through it? Can he get us home safely?
“When the sea is calm, anyone can take the helm – but it takes courage and skill to lead us all to the same destination.
“Someone once said that to transcend the past we must not lose touch with the past, but rather we must feel it beneath our feet, for we are built on the past.”
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