“Diwali carries with it an age-old message which we must aspire to each and every day – the triumph of light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil. This message never gets old and no matter how many generations we pass, nothing will be able to replace the importance of goodness”.
These were the words of the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Mereseini Vuniwaqa during the Diwali celebration at the Ba Senior Citizens Community Centre, today.
Minister Vuniwaqa said the story of Diwali shows family unity, togetherness, good values and loving one another. She highlighted the importance of treating our elders with the respect, love and compassion that they deserve by rewinding the journey of Lord Rama that began from a noble, selfless and obedient honor of his father’s promise.
Minister Vuniwaqa also reiterated that senior citizens are an asset to their families, communities and their contribution– as carers, advisers, mediators, mentors and breadwinners – is invaluable, but frequently unrecognized. “Harnessing and nurturing such capacities through older people’s associations has proven to be a decisive contribution to development theory and practice”, she said while acknowledging the Ba Senior Citizens Community Centre.
On behalf of the Fijian Government, Minister Vuniwaqa thanked the senior citizens, in particular those present at the celebrations for their contributions towards nation building. She said that their knowledge, experience, skills and abilities have equally shaped the status of our development that we are proud to showcase regionally and globally today.
More than a hundred senior citizens in Ba were part of this Diwali Celebration.