14 Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Quotes on Leadership

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara quotes on leadership

3. At that stage my heart ruled my head'.

4. It is with obedience to your call that I take up the burden of government leadership for the final time.

5. 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.

6. 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.

12. (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.'

13. 'If the constitution goes, I go.'

14. '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.'

15. 'It was the work of opportunists, crooks, thugs for their own self-gain and interest.'

16. '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.'

20. James Ah Koy, Senator and former Cabinet Minister: (From a Senate speech, 10 May, 2004): 'Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara was a man who is loved by many today and is appreciated for what he was - a man for all seasons, who was true to his God and his belief, true to his wife and family, true to his country, a man of faith, unswervingly for what he believed in and strived for.'

22. Mahendra Chaudhry, Prime Minister (1999-2000). The following quotes are from a condolence message that Chaudhry sent out on 19 April 2004, after learning of Ratu Mara's death the previous day:

23. Sakeasi Dikota, former Aide-de-Camp to Ratu Mara (1992-1994): 'Something that I learnt from Ratu Mara was his adherence to time .. he was a stickler for keeping up the time .. he was never, never late ... and he would ensure that all programmes were not late by a minute. Protocol was also high on his list of priority. I also admired his art of dressing immaculately ... he was always dressed according to the occasion ... something that young people can learn from him.'

24. Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Vice-President of Fiji (2005-): 'Ratu Mara is a man who stands for the truth, he hated lies.'

25. Laisenia Qarase, Prime Minister of Fiji (2000-): 'For as long as many of us could remember, he dominated our national life. His leadership was marked by discipline, vision and a keen and penetrating intellect. His dedication to this country was total. He worked tirelessly to make a unified nation from different communities; a nation to stand tall as a model of progress and harmony.'