Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase has been the Prime Minister of Fiji since 2000.
"We must learn to respect each other's views and to differ without anger or ill will." (14 July 2005)
"The foundation in which the Bill was introduced was for the Government to offer a political solution that was legally binding, because if the Government had not introduced the Unity Bill, the investigations will never end. Trial after trial and the list goes on. About 2500 people have been investigated. Those who turned up in Parliament was close to 20,000 people. I mean, if 10,000 to 20,000 people are going to be investigated, God knows when it will end." (8 July 2005)
"It has, understandably, aggrieved our Muslim community. Their religion and its founder have been insulted, and ridiculed." (Fiji Live)
"I want to assure you, Prime Minister, that we in Fiji cherish the vital and valuable role, and the enormous contribution, which members of our Indian community have played, and are continuing to play in the development and progress of our country."
"We cannot bring our people together, and give all energies to development, when the agony of 2000 lives on and haunts us through prosecutions and sentences. Five years have gone by and ... there is no end in sight. I believe it is time now for fresh thinking and action."
"Recently we heard that a prominent parliamentarian converted government assets to his personal use. Very soon, we will hear of some prominent politicians evading tax deliberately. Very soon we will hear of people abusing their travel entitlements. We extend zero-tolerance to these kind of people and some years ago, we know that the former Prime Minister converted government funds to improve his own personal standing by renovating and upgrading his personal house. The member for Labasa Open went on a fishing trip at government expense ... This is fraud. I do not know want you want to call it, but it is fraud, using taxpayers' money for personal use."
"Let us respect each other and avoid causing unnecessary hurt to those with beliefs and faiths different from ours." (Pacific Magazine)
"They forget that although our economy has been doing well, it is still narrow and fragile and it will take a long time before we can compete fully with the developed nations."
"Any Bill is drafted without consulting any party or stakeholders is because it contains what the Government wants to be included in the Bill." (20 May 2005, explaining why he had not consulted the Great Council of Chiefs on the legislation).
"The sections of the Bill dealing with amnesty were not plucked out of thin air. They have been taken from legislation adopted and successfully used elsewhere. The principles of amnesty are well known and accepted internationally. We have done the research on this." (14 June 2005)
"Christianity took Ratu Cakobau and the Fijians from the way of the club, to the way of peace. Our islands were transformed forever."
"Good governance is also about rooting out corruption, which is a stain on the integrity of any nation."
"While the Constitution guarantees press freedom, it must be used with sensitivity, respect and good judgement in a multi-cultural and multi-religious country such as ours," he said. (Pacific Magazine)
"For our country, it is vitally important, as a factor for long-standing stability, that we always maintain a careful balance between the rights of individuals and communities, the special interests of indigenous people, including their right of ownership to their natural resources must also be protected."
"I believe that the chiefs of Fiji have relevance for all our citizens not just the Fijians, they still represent stability, order and continuity. If the chiefs were diminished, the entire nation would be weakened and be vulnerable."
"It is now time for us to bring a greater degree of closure to a tragic period of our history. We must not forget what happened in 2000, but we must turn our eyes more to the future."
"Opponents seem to think the end of the world is nigh and that law and order will grind to a complete halt. Their strategy is based on attack, attack, attack."
"Two distinct ethnic groups, with quite different cultures and religious beliefs, were ... put together in the same islands. Colonial policy largely kept them apart and there was, therefore, little assimilation. This racial separation and segregation became a defining feature of our country. The two communities have co-existed, without finding a sense of unified nationhood."
"They (the indigenous Fijian people) believe they (their demands for political power) are just and reasonable, given our history, racial division, present-day majority of Fijians, their ownership of the land and their indigenous identity."
"Two thousand and five is our Year of Forgiveness in Fiji. Again, we are seeking God’s help in reconciliation and in making the country whole. Each of the great religions teaches forgiveness. That is a golden thread that links them."