The architects of our national anthem eloquently selected words that continue to be meaningful to the present day.
The use of ‘our voices’ signifies the uniqueness and cultural diversity of our island nation. In unity, our voices are represented by the different languages we use and cherish.
With the first parliament session being held already, we had the return of language policy that allows parliamentarians to speak other languages apart from English. As linguists, we support this move because as a multilingual country, Fiji is finally becoming more inclusive.
Goundar tweeted about this which was welcomed by #TeamFiji with multiple retweets and likes.
However, it seems the use of standard Hindi language by some members of parliament did not go down well with our youth.
Several MPs took advantage of the new language policy in parliament and spoke in either iTaukei or Hindi in the weeklong sessions. I mean, why won’t they?
The people who have trusted them enough to elect them do deserve to be able to listen to their chosen ones in their own language.
Their consideration of the voters ought to be widely applauded. During one of the parliamentary addresses, the Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad spoke beautifully in the Hindi language.
He was concise and made his point known to the audience.
What was surprising to note was that some younger members of the public started whining on social media stating that they could not comprehend standard Hindi spoken by the MPs because they only knew ‘Fiji Hindi’.
As absurd as it may sound, we do have some youth in our country who speak without due consideration.
How can they justify that they only know Fiji Hindi and not the standard Hindi language?
Yes, it can be understood that some of us may not be able to read or write fluently in Hindi but to be completely ignorant and claim that they are unable to understand spoken Hindi is obnoxious.
We have grown up watching Bollywood movies, listening to Hindi music, and attending religious functions. In primary school, Standard Hindi is taught so Indo-Fijian students have been accustomed to it for at least eight years of their primary education.
Fiji also has Hindi language radio stations and at home Indo-Fijian families use Fiji Hindi, which originated from standard Hindi. The cry of those who claim to be dissatisfied with the multilingual parliament sessions should learn that this is not something new.
For those interested, please read The Language Situation in Fiji by Mangubhai and Mugler (2003) that documents how languages in Fiji were used in politics especially during parliamentary sessions.
It provides a detailed history of all the languages in Fiji from precolonial days to the present. The public that observed February’s robust parliamentary sessions would also acknowledge the powerful speeches in vernacular.
One could easily feel the way MPs gained empowerment through their own voices with the use of vernacular. We urge the youth to be more observant in the upcoming parliament session later this month to realise the importance of conveying messages in the first language.
A milestone achievement for our country took place recently as February. Fiji hosted the 12th World Hindi Conference in Nadi. The event was able to draw attendees of the Indian diaspora from all parts of the world, who showcased their language and culture with immense dignity.
This in itself is a testament that Fiji is a major player in keeping the Hindi language alive. The significance of the conference cannot be emphasised further, it was opened by the President of Fiji Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere.
It also had eminent speakers with the likes of Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad along with other cabinet ministers.
In his keynote address at the conference, the former Prime Minister Mahendra Pal Chaudary highlighted that the Hindi language in Fiji was in danger.
The only solution he said was to make Hindi a compulsory subject in primary schools to revive and maintain the language. Language activists and linguists should also support this motion by taking this up with policy makers.
The People’s Coalition Government has provided an opportunity of inclusiveness, diversity and democracy—things that only existed on paper in the last decade.
The new government has not only brought a breath of fresh air into Fiji, they also vividly know how to interpret the line of the national anthem ‘let our voices ring with pride’.
The uniqueness of Fiji is her people, the culture, the languages and the traditions of a diverse group of individuals and communities. This is our pride that we are seeing being valued by the government of the day now.
Finally, we should not live in ignorance that we are not familiar with the Hindi language just because we use Fiji Hindi to communicate every day. There are many varieties that stem from the same language, even the English language has many dialects.
It depends on the geographical location, social and demographic context that outlines which dialect is used. However, we can still understand the actual English language despite variations.
Therefore, to the youth, please disengage in hypocrisy that you are unable to understand standard Hindi because it’s not a language that you speak. It is far from the truth!
•Prashneel R. Goundar is a PhD candidate in linguistics from the University of New England, while Ravnil Narayan is a PhD candidate in applied linguistics at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The views expressed in this article are their own.
