Proposed Allied Fiji Party

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Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them.
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice,
except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.
Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own and no other culture but its own.
Pity the nation whose breath is money and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away.
My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.

By Lawrence Ferlinghetti, "Pity the nation"

(Ferlinghetti's Greatest Poems https://amzn.to/47I4piF)

The discussion regarding the exclusivity of the name Fijian has sparked significant debate following recent submissions by the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC). This shift touches on the core of identity for many, especially those who are 5th and 6th generation who are not of the indigenous race, the many who call Fiji home and hold her dear.

This is a sensitive conversation that touches the very heart of what it means to belong to a nation. When names change, it’s rarely just about the letters on a page, it’s about the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
If the term Fijian were reserved exclusively for the indigenous, the impact would likely be felt more in the spirit of the nation than in the laws. Here is a look at how those shifts might unfold through both a practical and sentimental lens.

The Flying Fijians and Fijian Drua

Sports have a way of stitching a multi-ethnic country together. The Flying Fijians and Fijian Drua are brands of global prestige. Sentimentally, a player regardless of their ancestry, bleeds the same blood on the pitch for that jersey. To re-label these players to Flying Non-Fijians, with the likes of Greg Smith, John Sandy, Caleb Muntz, Isaac Mow, Nicky and Lawrence Little, Dan Lobendhan to name a few, would be to overlook the deep ancestral roots that binds them to the islands.
These men are not Backups or Outsiders they are sons of the soil carrying the weight of their heritage. The jersey is not just worn as a uniform, it is a vessel of pride and sacrifice of an entire nation.

Commerce and the Economy

Will we refrain from the usage of word the Fijian Economy due to its exclusivity? What will happen to the so-called Fijian made products? Majority of these products are manufactured in non-itaukei establishments, what will we call it?
Will the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission be only for the Fijians, with this being said there will be a significant amount of rebranding.


The Flag

Apart from exclusivity of the name Fijian will there be an indigenous flag similar to the Maori or the Aborigine? Since our current flag has an adopted colonial background?

The Soldiers and the Fallen

This is perhaps the most sentimental point. When a soldier falls in the line of duty, they die for the soil they called home.

The Fallen: It is highly unlikely that history would be rewritten on tombstones. A soldier who died as a Fijian in 1944 or 2000 served under the definition of that time. Amending a grave would be seen by most as a violation of the peace they earned. My grandfather fought in the Malay Campaign although not an itaukei man, he proudly called himself a Fijian Soldier.

The Living: Many of us who have served foreign armed forces and are identified by our nationality (our passport). Unless the legal name of the country itself changed, our service records would still list all as Fijians. It will be really strange for a small nation like ours to have different names in the British armed forces one will be called Fijian and the other Fiji Islander or Non-Fijian.



A Sentimental Conclusion

But sentimentally, the shift would be a period of mourning for some and a homecoming for others. It would require a new way of defining us. If Fijian becomes a term of ancestry, then a new word perhaps Fiji Islander or simply Non-Fijian would have to become the new word for Brother and Sister in the eyes of the law. The challenge for any nation in this position is ensuring that while names change, the shared love for the land remains the bridge that connects everyone.

Let's be more constructive rather than destructive, lets bring back that Bula Spirit, The spirit of Life, Laughter and Love. ❤️ 🇫🇯 🇫🇯 💙

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LIFE WITHOUT PAYSLIP:
HOW ONE MAN SUPPORTS A FAMILY IN FIJI’S INFORMAL SECTOR

By 5.30am each day, Dharmen Chand is already on the move.

The 52-year-old leaves his two-room tin-and-wood house in Navosai settlement, Narere, carrying his tools as he goes from house to house repairing shoes and bags across Raiwaqa, Vatuwaqa and Toorak in Suva.

On a good day, he earns $100. On a bad day, just $10.

“Sometimes no luck, sometimes luck,” he said.

“Like fishing.”

When shoe repairs are slow, he travels to Nausori town to sell balloons, buying $50 worth and selling them for $100.

It is a cash-based life with no payslip, receipts or tax file—and he is not alone.

Across Fiji’s informal settlements, home to an estimated 120,000 to more than 200,000 people, such work is not a side hustle. It is the main economy—shoe repairs, balloon vending, subsistence farming on borrowed land and other small trades that keep households fed.

Dharmen supports a large household that includes children aged seven to 24, grandchildren and a daughter-in-law.

The family relies on his irregular income, occasional support from his son and what they can grow behind their home, dalo and rourou.

“Sometimes no food,” he said.

“I struggle and buy.”

He has no fridge, no electricity and shares water with a neighbour.

During heavy rain, floodwaters enter the house, forcing the family to move to higher ground inside and wait for it to subside.

The $200 Back-to-School Assistance provides some relief.

“Uniform very expensive and $25, $50, $100. $200 goes quickly.”

He said he had applied for social welfare but had not received support.

“I need social welfare to support us because I got seven children.”

Fiji Revenue and Customs Service chief executive officer Udit Singh said people like Dharmen operate within the law up to a point.

“You could be selling balloons up to $30,000,” he said.

“Everyone’s allowed to earn a living, provided they pay some tax.”

However, he acknowledged the wider challenge of the black economy, with unrecorded cash transactions estimated at between $800 million and $1 billion annually.

“The cash economy is one of the big drivers,” he said.

“Digitisation is going to support us.”

For Dharmen, digitisation remains a distant concern. His world revolves around 92-cent bus fares, barracks of 36 houses where even $2 a door adds up, and weekends when people are more likely to have cash.

“When money comes, I can move with my children,” he said of his plan to extend the house.

For now, he walks.

Those wishing to assist Dharmen and his family can contact him directly on 7992239.

Pictured👇
Sitting from left ; Gita Devi, Ruuvi Prasad, 2, Dharmen Chand.
From left standing; Kajal Devi Nikhil Chand

Happy International Womens Day.

You are Appreciated!



If the first woman, God ever made was strong enough to turn this world upside down. These women together ought to be able to turn it right again. – Angela Bassett


It was a scene that should have been ordinary, yet it carried the weight of a thousand unspoken lifetimes.

At the supermarket checkout, an elderly woman stood with her grandchild in front of me. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and filled with a profound silence as she placed her few items on the belt, a couple of packs of instant noodles, a single can of tuna, two potatoes, and a small snack for the boy.

When the child asked for a drink to go with his treat, she didn't hesitate. "Go and get it," she whispered. But as he ran off, the reality of the math took hold. In a move that was as swift as it was heartbreaking, she caught the cashier’s eye and silently gestured to the two potatoes. Cancel these, her eyes said. The drink is more important.

In that moment, the potatoes weren't just vegetables; they were the substance maybe of a family meal. By removing them, she was choosing his joy over their hunger. She was calculating how to turn a can of tuna and some noodles into a feast, while she settled for less.

Watching her, my eyes filled with tears. It was a masterclass in a specific kind of courage—the quiet, maternal bravery that toils in the shadows of "making do."

It took me back to the three pillars of my own life: my three grandmothers. I saw them in her. I saw the women who carried the weight of entire households on their backs, who toiled until their hands were calloused and their spirits weary, all to ensure there was a home to come back to.

We often set aside one day a year to remember women, but a single day cannot contain this kind of sacrifice. How many women are standing at counters right now, trading their own necessities for a child’s smile? How many are performing these invisible miracles, ensuring that even in scarcity, the child only feels the abundance of love?

If a man had stood there, perhaps the logic of the meal would have won. But this was the logic of a grandmother—a logic where love is the only currency that matters, and where a drink for a thirsty child is worth more than a full plate for her family. They are the silent architects of our lives, building worlds out of noodles, tuna, and a love that knows no limits.

Far too often we see women perform acts of heroism—whether as homemakers, life coaches, shoulders to lean on, teachers, nurturers, protectors, or our number-one fans. Where would we be without them? A house is not a home without a woman.

To the many women out there, especially those I call family, thank you for all you do. In leadership, men may initiate things, but it is women who maintain them. Women push us to be great, and when they teach, they live their teaching. Their years of struggle and pain were for us.

To the women who push us to be great, who turn a house into a home, and whose years of struggle were the seeds of our success: You are more than appreciated. You are the reason we stand.

Vinaka Vakalevu.

BULA Vinaka to the followers and steadfast supporters of the Proposed Allied Fiji Party Movement. 🇫🇯

Vinaka vakalevu for standing with us. We are bound by a singular, sacred purpose: to ignite positive change for our beloved Fiji and to secure a thriving future for the generations yet to be born. This movement is forged in the fires of Passion, Patriotism, Unity, Duty, and Service.

Our journey to gather 5,000 signatures is more than a legal requirement—it is a rising tide. Over the past few months, we have made significant progress. Every name on that list is a heartbeat; every signature is a voice, a concern, a new beginning, and a solemn commitment to a better tomorrow.

We are not inviting you into a political cycle; we are inviting you into a legacy that will span decades.

Look within yourself. At this very moment, there lives a force so powerful it can transform a nation. Yet, too many of our people are sitting on their God-given potential, waiting to be discovered, waiting for a "right time" that never comes. The greatest tragedy of our era is not death—it is a life lived beneath its full potential.

The Proposed Allied Fiji Party wants you to know: Fiji is done waiting.

We are done with broken promises and ineffective leadership. Our nation is desperate for leaders who don't just occupy seats, but who create solutions and earn the people's confidence through action.

We stand for a radical shift: a system where power is not hoarded by a single executive leader, but dispersed among the representatives of the people. In this movement, you do not have a leader—you have leaders.

Our strength is woven from our diverse cultures, our varied beliefs, and our sacred traditional customs. We must renew and enrich our land until Fiji is recognized globally as the premier land of opportunity in the South Pacific.

We must become a nation that welcomes those bursting with new ideas and energy—those ready to push us toward the next frontier. This is how we intrigue, inspire, and empower our youth.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for." — Barack Obama