President Major General Ret'd Jioji Konrote.

President Major General Ret’d Jioji Konrote says this Fiji Day is our first step into the next half-century and also our first step into the new normal as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his final Fiji Day national address as the President, Konrote highlights that our new task is to strive towards better livelihoods, a more sustainable tourism industry and the lives we knew before the pandemic.

He adds that with the best science and information available, Fiji is becoming one of the world’s fastest-vaccinated nations.

“Because my fellow Fijians, this Fiji Day we are not only celebrating, we are making it. Together, we are emerging from a dark and difficult several months. From our cities to our rural highlands, from our towns to our outer islands and from our homes to our hospitals – we Fijians have done what we needed to do to make our country safe again.”

Konrote adds Fijians have drawn strength for each other, even while being physically apart during the lockdown.

“We gave up some of that freedom in collective defense against the coronavirus, and we are fighting now to restore our freedom of movement and our freedom to be together by securing our victory over COVID-19.”

However, he stresses that freedom is not free and it does not come easily to anyone.

Konrote says in Fiji we know the price as we have defended freedom around the world through our peacekeepers.

He adds not all freedom comes with armed weapons that is why the most consistent freedom is eternal vigilance.