‘Party for Fiji’s future’ | PM Rabuka: Believing there was no other way was not the way
Fiji #Fiji
Prime Minister and The People’s Alliance party (PAP) leader Sitiveni Rabuka says he has come a long way since the coup on May 14, 1987.
While speaking at the PAP annual general meeting (AGM), Mr Rabuka acknowledged the founding members of the party and supporters for their dedication over the short few months since being formed in 2021.
“The party has come a long way in a short time,” Mr Rabuka said.
“In late 2020, I had to leave the party that I was a member of because of my leadership of that party was no longer confirmative to the ideals of the party.
“They felt it was time to appoint a new leader so I had to leave – I was no longer relevant as far as that party was concerned. As soon as I left a group of friends – founding members of the party, said I still have something to offer – please come to form a party.”
He said the party gave him the opportunity to embrace and show his ‘reformed’ life as he said ‘Fiji and the world saw me as an enemy of democracy’.
“I learned in the first few days, weeks and months after the 14th of May 1987, that what I thought was the only way, what I thought was the way and believing there was no other way was not the way. “So they asked me to come and form a new party.
“And very quickly those that believed in each of us spent time to listen to us.
“It was easy to form a political movement to move away from what Fiji was.
“From what Fiji was seeing and going through – it was easy for them to see that there was an alternative.”
He added with the help of the Social Democratic Liberal Party and National Federation Party (NFP), the three parties were united in moving Fiji forward.
“SODELPA and NFP were telling Fiji that there is another way, a different way to run a country than the way we were witnessing in those 16 years of that style of leadership and Constitution.
“We are slowly working towards changing the spirit if so that we can fly in the spirit of Fiji, fly the spirit of democracy.”