My govt will not treat anyone as second class citizens - PM

Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama said the days where some Fijians were given more privileges while the rest were treated like second class citizens in their own country are over.

While speaking to more than 1,000 students at Tilak Day celebrations at Tilak High School, Bainimarama who is also the FijiFirst Leader said the people who were treated as second class citizens never had a sense of truly belonging.

He has described the mass exodus from Fiji of tens of thousands of our best and brightest people after the 1987 and 2000 coups as a national tragedy.

Bainimarama also said the coups of 1987 and 2000 robbed Fiji of the opportunity to develop itself years ago into the nation that it is only now starting to become - unified, proud, with a keen sense of purpose and punching above its weight in our region and the world.

The Prime Minister said he is the Leader of all Fijians.

Bainimarama also told the students that their parents come from a generation that never experienced true equality in Fiji.

He said in those days, some Fijians were treated as if they were more important than others, some had more rights than others, depending on who they were or where they came from.

He told the students that they have to understand what that meant for individual families.

Bainimarama also said old politicians should not fool the people of this country.

Bainimarama further said that people can be thankful that those days of prejudice and discrimination are in the past.

He said now the students’ fees are being paid by the Government and their parents have been freed from the pain that often struck them.

The Prime Minister has called on students to seize the opportunity that has been given to them, to work as hard as they can and to seriously consider moving on to higher education. 

Bainimarama said the government has made this easier with the National Toppers Scheme of free university and technical courses for the best 600 students or government loans for anyone who makes the grade.