On May 17, 1982, India Fiji Day was celebrated at the Suva Civic Centre.
An article in The Fiji Times the next day highlighted that Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Immigration, Tomasi Vakatora, delivered the keynote address at the celebration. He emphasized that “Fiji ensures multiracial peace and harmony by accepting race as a fact of life.”
Earlier in the day, the Royal Fiji Military Forces band led a march of youth through the city to Sukuna Park.
Vakatora shared that when he traveled overseas, people often inquired about Fiji’s multiracial society.
“How is it possible,” they ask, “for Fijians and Indians, who are roughly equal in number, to live side by side?” he recounted. “The answer is simple – we accept race as a fact of life; we don’t hide from it or attempt to suppress it.”
“We recognize it in our Constitution, and since independence, the Government has actively promoted the concept of a multiracial and multi-religious society, each of us enriching the other through our diverse cultures, traditions, and religious beliefs.”
He pointed out that in a world often marred by racial tensions, Fiji’s achievement of racial harmony is remarkable.
Vakatora referenced American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who famously dreamt of a nation where individuals are judged by their character rather than the color of their skin.
“Fiji has realized that dream, not by accident but through deliberate policies based on goodwill and justice. Living in a multiracial society is like being on the sea in a small boat – if one of us decides to row in a different direction, we risk becoming lost or capsizing.”
“We must have faith in the navigator – is he experienced enough to guide us through rough waters and bring us home safely? Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm; it takes courage and skill to carry all of us to the same destination.”
Vakatora concluded by quoting someone who said that to excel beyond the past, we must not lose contact with it but feel it under our feet because we have raised ourselves upon it.