Laisenia Qarase: Use

“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.”

Laisenia Qarase

14 June 2005
Additional remarks about the proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission

“Let us respect each other and avoid causing unnecessary hurt to those with beliefs and faiths different from ours.”

Laisenia Qarase

( Pacific Magazine http://www.pacificmagazine.net).
Reaction to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, 7 February 2006

Faith , Hurt

“"Fiji can make a similar report on the US on all those issues. Our report would be far worse than the US state department's report on Fiji." (2 March 2005, reacting to a US State Department report critical on the state of race relations in Fiji).”

Laisenia Qarase

Miscellaneous quotes

“This doctrine was not so much to do with sinlessness but with personal growth. It is about the attitude that should guide us in our relationships with others according to the commandment of loving your neighbor. I will just add that I am far from perfect in my faith. I often stumble and fall but I will never stop striving to serve God in the best way I can, to honor him and to serve the purpose for which he has called me. I know in my heart that what has transpired since the elections are part of God's plan for Fiji. He has given me a part to play in this and I cannot refuse it.”

Laisenia Qarase

quoted in Fiji Village http://www.Fijivillage.com/news
Interview, 16 June 2006

Love , God , Faith , Way

“For Christians, the rules are clear. They are under order to forgive. We must follow those orders, no matter how difficult they appear. If we do not forgive, God will not forgive us. That is the beginning and the end of it.”

Laisenia Qarase

Additional remarks about the proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission, Address to the nation at the National Day of Prayer in Fiji combined church service http://www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/page_4615.shtml, Post Fiji Stadium, Suva, 15 May 2005

God , Forgiveness , Appearance

“We all share the same vision for our children. It is one of the things that binds us together. Let this Summit give extra strength and purpose to the great cause of education.”

Laisenia Qarase

Opening address to the Education Summit, Suva, 31 August 2005

Children , Education

“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.”

Laisenia Qarase

Parliamentary speech, 23 November 2005 (excerpts)

Money , People , Travel , Fraud

“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.”

Laisenia Qarase

Pacific Magazine http://www.pacificmagazine.net
Reaction to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, 7 February 2006

Freedom , Country

“I emphasise again that people who participated in the 2000 uprising with criminal intent, as established by the police, will continue to be subject to the full force of the law. The Bill is not intended to provide relief to those who used the coup for their own gain or other criminal intent.”

Laisenia Qarase

14 June 2005
Additional remarks about the proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission

People , Law

“"We cannot bring the people together and concentrate all our energies on developing the country when the agony of 2000 is continuously haunting us." (27 May 2005, from a speech to the annual conference of his United Fiji Party).”

Laisenia Qarase

Additional remarks about the proposed Reconciliation and Unity Commission

People , 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.”

Laisenia Qarase

People , Thinking , Time

“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.”

Laisenia Qarase

History , Time , Future , Forgetting

“This age of globalisation is marked by the adoption of universal principles governing such matters as democracy, human rights, trade and development. Today, I reaffirm here that Fiji accepts these precepts. But we also say that countries like ours should not be held to unrealistic standards, we need time to evolve to adapt and to adhere. Do not judge us by what might be inappropriate at our stage of development.”

Laisenia Qarase

Address to the United Nations General Assembly, 17 September 2005 (excerpts)

Age , Democracy , Universe , Time