Apenisa Waqairadovu 
Pacific leaders will decide on Wednesday whether to back Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s Ocean of Peace concept.
This plan, he states is vital for the region’s security.
Rabuka said the initiative goes beyond the absence of war, stressing it was about creating a Pacific where families can live without fear of cyclones, rising seas, or other disasters.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka [Source: Fiji Government / Facebook]
He points out that while island countries have long sent peacekeepers abroad, the time has come to focus inward and build resilience at home.
“Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is the peace of mind, security when nobody will attack you or nothing will attack you in the middle of the night. For example, some of our villages are right next to the see and when you can go to sleep and be at peace knowing that none of these threats that are now being considered around the world like rising sea levels and the severity and frequency of severe natural disasters will not strike our families in the night.”
Rabuka has rejected claims the idea is based on Christianity, saying it must stand as a universal principle for all.
The concept, he adds, is designed to push governments to prepare their people for disasters before they strike.
Rabuka, who will attend the Pacific Islands Forum until Thursday, says he has already secured encouraging backing ahead of the talks.
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