...I would now say something, which I never said before ... It is the international convention, if it is not a law, that when independence is granted to a people of a country by a deed of cession, the sovereignty of that country is transferred to the people of the country that assigned the deed. If I were not the Leader of the Opposition and if I was not born in Fiji ... and held a brief for the Fijian people in the 1965 London Constitutional Conference, I would have made the Britishers sit up and think what they were doing to the Fijian people in this country. It was their country in 1874, it was their country in 1965 ... what was there to stop the Fijian people saying, 'Your Majesty give the country back to us.' The immigrant races - Europeans, Rotumans, Chinese, et cetera, would be looked after by us. They are our guests.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker argues that when a people’s independence is granted, sovereignty should return to them, and criticizes colonial control over Fiji.
- In plain terms
- He says independence should restore sovereignty to the people, not foreign rulers.
- What can you take from it?
- Self‑determination is essential for post‑colonial nations.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can former colonies ensure true sovereignty?
- What role should former colonial powers play?
Another view
Historical complexities may make a simple transfer of sovereignty unrealistic.
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