Suva, 7 September 2022 (TDI): The Republic of Fiji celebrated the 9th anniversary of the Fijian Constitution which was adopted in 2013.
We celebrate 9 years of the 2013 Fijian Constitution today.
Read more: https://t.co/SuuD6BYrko#FijiNews #FijianGovernment #TeamFiji #Fiji pic.twitter.com/YHpGLknsEp
— Fijian Government (@FijianGovt) September 6, 2022
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Constitution Day is a public holiday observed in Fiji each year on 7th September to celebrate the day. However, if Constitution Day falls on the weekend, the public holiday is observed on the next working day. This year, Constitution Day fell on a working day, Wednesday.
The theme of this year’s Constitution Day was “right to a clean and healthy environment.” People celebrated this day with in-person activities and picnics as they were not permitted last year due to Covid-19.
Highlighting this year’s theme, the President of Fiji, Wiliame Katonivere gave a challenge to Fijians to submit a brief video on how they plan to address topics including climate change, the need to clean up communities, or how to maintain our reefs and ocean ecosystems as part of the celebration.
Remarks of Fijian Officials:
On the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the constitution, the President of Fiji said:
“Our Constitution forms the basis of our common and equal citizenry. It cements our identity as Fijians into law and the right that it enshrines guides your government’s mission to empower all Fijians and improve the quality of life of everyone no matter who they are or where they live in the country. As a steward of Fiji’s great sea reef, our constitution’s right to a clean and healthy environment for all Fijians means an enormous amount to me personally.”
Furthermore, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in his message said the 2013 Constitution is the only constitution in the history of Fiji that recognizes equal citizenry and socio-economic rights and is inclusive of the rights of the most vulnerable in society.
Brief history of Fijian Constitution
In 1970, the first constitution of Fiji was drafted after the country gained independence from Britain. Since then there have been three major revisions. These include revisions of 1990, 1997 and lastly of 2013.
7th September commemorates the recent revisions of the constitution. Moreover, Constitution Day a public holiday in 2016. It was established as a day to inform people about the merits of the constitution.
To mark the inaugural holiday in 2016, a march took place from the Suva Flea Market to Albert Park. Moreover, the procession included entertainment from marching bands. The Prime Minister of Fiji, Voreqe Bainimarama, and the President of Fiji, Jioji Konrote attended the celebrations.
President Konrote said “The constitution is a permanent reminder of the critical importance of our constitution in our national life and its critical importance to our democracy.”
