Former President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau was remembered this week not for pomp but for his humility and rapport with ordinary Fijians, as chiefs, military leaders and provincial delegations converged on the State House to pay their respects and finalise funeral arrangements. The traditional reguregu rites began on Monday and will continue through Wednesday, ahead of a church service and state funeral in Suva on Friday that will precede burial on Bau Island.
Presenting the i-reguregu on behalf of the vanua o Burebasaga, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai delivered an emotional tribute that captured the personal side of the late statesman. “His stroll in the Capital has ended, his voice singing Silisili mai Wainadoi is just a figure of a memory, the betting house will be now void of presence,” Kalouniwai said, calling Ratu Epeli “a man of two pedigrees, who brings himself down, and mingles with anyone, as a common man.”
The vanua o Lau delegation, led by the Tui Nayau, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba, presented customary gifts including a magiti and the revered sisi ni Lakeba — a fragrant garland closely associated with the Tui Nayau — in a display of provincial sorrow and respect. The Burebasaga confederacy was led by Gone Marama Bale Na Roko Tui Dreketi, Ro Teimumu Kepa. Among the other groups that paid tribute were Golden Manufacturing, ex-servicemen, the Turaga na Qaranivalu, the vanua ko Nalawa, the ACS community and the QVS Old Boys Association.
Ratu Epeli, known for quiet visits to Suva’s Grants Betting House, easy walks through the capital and his rendition of Silisili mai Wainadoi, died on March 26 at the age of 84. His death has set in motion traditional and state protocols that blend chiefly custom with formal national honours: after the rites at the State House and the church service in Albert Park, his body will be taken to Bau Island for interment at the sautabu, the chiefly burial grounds.
Logistics for public participation were announced at the State House. The funeral cortege will depart Oceania Hospitals at 6am tomorrow, escorted by the RFMF, and will travel via Waimanu Road, Victoria Parade and Queen Elizabeth Drive before arriving at the State House. Ratu Epeli’s body will lie in state there with controlled public access to allow citizens to pay their respects. The funeral church service is scheduled for Friday at Albert Park, followed by the State Funeral at 8.30am and a final procession through Suva to Bau Island.
The presence of senior military and chiefly figures, and the mix of traditional presentations and formal honours, underscores the breadth of Ratu Epeli’s public life — a chief and statesman who, mourners said, remained accessible to everyday people. As the nation prepares for Friday’s state funeral, the continuing reguregu at the State House offers a last opportunity for provinces and communities to perform customary farewells before his burial on Bau.
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