WION: If you can also sum up India-Fiji ties in Hindiīiman Prasad: (He answered in Hindi, this is a translation of that) India and Fiji have historic ties, and our govt will promote that, we believe that India today is a strong nation economically, politically, and strategically. It’s a nice thing that we are hosting these meetings. People from countries with Indian diasporas, like Suriname, Trinidad, Mauritius, and Guyana are also coming. EAM Jaishankar will be travelling to Fiji, other people are coming from India. World Hindi conference is taking place at an opportune time, a time at which Hindi is being promoted by our Govt. While the school system had a few issues, the new govt is giving Hindi and Adivasi languages a priority.
Hindi is being used in our country for the last 143 years, and Hindi is being taught in schools. WION: How important World Hindi conference is for your government if you can answer that in Hindi?īiman Prasad: (He answered in Hindi, this is a translation of that) The world Hindi conference that will take place in Fiji is very historic because the Indian-origin people who have settled in Fiji under the girmit process, their language, and culture is linked with India.
So, some of those concerns are misplaced, it is coming from those people who think they can exploit racial sensitivities and challenges and unfortunately that is not the case with this govt. So I could go to Parliament and speak in Hindi. We have just decided that both languages will be allowed to be used in Parliament. In fact the new govt has decided on an indigenous language and Hindi to be a very prominent language. It is about consultation and dialogue, I don’t see any threat, we don’t see, we have different ethnic, and cultural practices. We have a 143-year history in that country, by and large, we had political problems, we had coups, and we had challenges but by and large indigenous community and major other community–the Indo-Fijian community have worked together for 143 years, they get together by and large, do things together and there a leadership commitment especially with this govt to ensure we run very inclusive, open, transparent govt where everybody feels, the philosophy of the new govt is working together in partnership. WION: There have been worries for Indian origin people in Fiji, there has been a past, how can you assure on thatīiman Prasad: Those people who look at the compartmentalization, perhaps get it wrong sometimes.
Contribute to the whole process of decarbonization, looking at alternative sources of energy. For small island states and many others from the developing world, India can provide that leading role in developing climate-friendly, climate-resilient infrastructure. WION: How do you see Fiji’s centrality in the Pacific?īiman Prasad: India is a global power, India has a lot to offer, India is the largest democracy, and more importantly India provides a lot of cutting-edge entrepreneurship, and innovation in the whole area of energy, climate change and I saw this in the India energy week summit in Bangalore, the kind of products India is developing is very very interesting. Kiribati is back in the forum and Fiji play a very important role and strengthening the Indo-Pacific strategy and go economic strategy, Fiji and India with the other three countries –Australia, Japan and US will play an important role.
Kiribati had decided through other influences to leave the Pacific island forum, which is the form of political leaders within the region. I can tell, our PM Sitiveni Rabuka visited Kiribati. It is one of the most developed economies, can if it wants to, this new govt will do it is to play a much more influential role in the Pacific region. As you said rightly, India is a global power, more so as stated by EAM Jaishankar himself, India provides leadership to the global south and within the Indo-Pacific strategy, India has an important role and Fiji, on the other hand, is the hub of the Pacific. The relationship that the current government would like to build is to strengthen the relationship, we want a meaningful, deeper engagement with India. With me being the deputy Prime Minister of Fiji to talk about this relationship let me start with how you see this relationship currently, how will you characterize this relationship in the current era at a time when geopolitics is changing so fast?īiman Prasad: Fiji considers India as an old and historical friend, a friend whose values are universal, which beliefs in democracy, human rights, media freedom, rule of law and practice of good governance. WION: India Fiji relationship is a relationship which has a historical background, its close relationship and Fiji has an important role in the wider Indo-Pacific as well.
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