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Kamisese Mara

16 quotes

“Above all there is our fixed joint determination to build a strong and united Fiji, rich in diversity and pampered with tolerance, goodwill and understanding." (Attributed to Mara by his successor as President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, 10 October 2005).”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1970 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Independence Day address, 10 October 1970.
“How could I stand by and watch my house on fire? (This quote, and the one following, were part of his defence for joining Sitiveni Rabuka's military government in 1987).”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: concerning the 1987 coups and their aftermath The Fiji Sun.
“At that stage my heart ruled my head".”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: concerning the 1987 coups and their aftermath The Fiji Sun
“It is with obedience to your call that I take up the burden of government leadership for the final time.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Letter to President Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, 5 December 1987).
“Here was an action that touched on raw and sensitive nerves in a community that had already undergone the trauma of two military takeovers. There was an undoubted threat to public order, welfare and freedom. I suspect the psychological pressure associated with that crisis caused the first mental blackout I had ever suffered. It contributed to a deterioration in my health that later required the insertion of a heart pacemaker.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(On his Catholic faith): "Certainly it has been the rock on which I have always been able to rely in good times and in bad, and it is the lodestone of my life.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Pacific Way: A Memoir (1996).
“(On his proposal to overcome the ethnically polarized election results with a National Unity government in 1982, which the Opposition declined): "Fiji was too small to squander its limited pool of talent. Worse still, this division created an atmosphere of frustration that could fester and poison relations.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Pacific Way: A Memoir (1996).
“But my friends, my brothers and sisters of the Pacific, we know who we are. We carry in our hearts the knowledge that we are the bearers of a proud legacy that surely marks us as people of strength, and courage and will. We have survived in our aquatic continent through many centuries.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opening address, Pacific Vision festival, Auckland, New Zealand (26 July 1999).
“(Recollection of what he was thinking to himself when confronted by the military): "They want me out, they want me to abrogate the constitution and this is exactly what Speight wants and if they belong to Speight, I don’t belong to them.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Quotes from an interview conducted in 2001, broadcast on Fijian television partially on 30 April 2001, and fully on 29 April 2004).
“If the constitution goes, I go.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Quotes from an interview conducted in 2001, broadcast on Fijian television partially on 30 April 2001, and fully on 29 April 2004).
“I said, yes, if you think I will avoid bloodshed by standing aside I will stand aside … but I will never ever again come back.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Quotes from an interview conducted in 2001, broadcast on Fijian television partially on 30 April 2001, and fully on 29 April 2004).
“It was the work of opportunists, crooks, thugs for their own self-gain and interest.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Quotes from an interview conducted in 2001, broadcast on Fijian television partially on 30 April 2001, and fully on 29 April 2004).
Also quoted by: Kamisese Mara (attributed)
“I had been in touch with a lot of people I thought would stand by me in the front row of the scrum, (I) didn't know it was going to collapse.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (Quotes from an interview conducted in 2001, broadcast on Fijian television partially on 30 April 2001, and fully on 29 April 2004).
Also quoted by: Kamisese Mara (attributed)
“When you (President Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau) called me at Lomaloma in December 1987 and asked me to form an Interim Government to prepare the country for a return to parliamentary rule, I knew the task at hand would be onerous. Fiji had experienced the ordeal of two military coups. Society was fractured, the economy was tottering and the country had been ostracised by some of its oldest friends and allies. There was no Parliament and no properly functioning political system. Even institutions of State, such as the judiciary, were seriously weakened, to the extent that the citizenry justifiably feared a breakdown in law and order. The business community was hit by a slump in sales and confidence, leading to reduced earnings and loss of jobs.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (On the eve of final his departure from the Prime Ministerial office). (Report to President Ganilau, 15 May 1992).
“From where I stand, I do not see the lost people of the South Seas, the defeated and the despairing, shrunken shadows of those who went before. What I observe are the proud descendants of some of the most remarkable explorers and settlers who ever lived. We carry the cultural and historical inheritance of ocean navigators of peerless skill and their courageous kin who crossed vast distances before the tribes of Europe had ventured forth from their small part of the earth. Our forebearers populated islands scattered over the world's greatest stretch of water, covering a fifth of the planet's surface. It was one of the most amazing migrations in history, a triumphant testimony to human endurance, fortitude and achievement.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opening address, Pacific Vision festival, Auckland, New Zealand (26 July 1999).
“It is from the traditional family that we absorb those universal ideals and principles which are the teaching of Jesus, the bedrock of our religious faith. We are taught the difference between right and wrong, and about the law, just punishment and discipline. We are taught to obey our parents, as Jesus did, and about the sanctity of truth and life itself. We are warned against lying, cheating and stealing. We learn that we must respect the person and property of others, care for each other, live and work together in cooperation, show loyalty, patience, kindness and share what we have. The family teaches us about the importance of knowledge, education, hard work and effort. It teaches us about enjoying ourselves, having fun, keeping fit and healthy.”
Kamisese Mara (1920–2004) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opening address, Pacific Vision festival, Auckland, New Zealand (26 July 1999).