Opening Salutation
Chair and members of the Public Service Commission;
The Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Ewen
MacDonald;
Members of the diplomatic corp;
Board of Directors of the Fiji Learning Institute for Public
Service;
Members of Cabinet;
Permanent Secretaries;
Invited Dignitaries;
Members of the media;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome and a very good morning to you all!
Introduction
I acknowledge and pay my utmost respect to the traditional owners of the land on which we are gathered today; the Vanua o Nadonumai vua na Gone Turaga na Tui Suva. I pay my respect to their leaders’ past, present and emerging who may be present here today.
It gives me great pride to join you today at the opening ceremony of the Fiji Learning Institute for Public Service or FLIPS for short. The opening comes just one year after Cabinet approved it's establishment.
I thank the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Ambassador Luke Rokovada and Mr. Parmesh Chand, the Permanent Secretary for Civil Service, for the very warm welcome and their efforts in getting this project off the ground.
This moment is more than just a ceremony—it is a celebration of a new chapter in our pursuit of Civil Service Excellence for all Fijians and those who call Fiji home. Our civil servants are the backbone of government, ensuring its smooth operation, and the people of Fiji—especially the vulnerable and marginalized—deserve nothing less than our best. I am confident that this Institute will serve as a vital platform, equipping our civil servants with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to enhance public service and improve the standard of living for our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, our presence here today speaks volume of our shared commitment to fostering a learning environment that prioritizes the needs of our people. After all, we are all public servants here to carry out the will of the people.
Background
Training and upskilling of civil servants have always been a priority for Government, dating back to the establishment of a dedicated training division in the public service in 1965. The division’s primary objective at the time was to ensure that Fiji’s local civil servants were well-prepared to meet the governance demands as Fiji prepared for independence in 1970.
Over the decades, the training division has played a pivotal role in developing civil servants, many of whom went on to make significant contributions not only in Fiji but in many countries abroad as well.
Now I would have failed in my duty if I did not acknowledge some of them; Jioji Kotobalavu who was my Permanent Secretary in my first term as Prime Minister in 1992, Josua Rabukawaqa, Rodney Acraman, Francis Singh, Jone Radrodro and others.
Role of FLIPS
Today’s opening of this magnificent Institute with its facilities is a physical demonstration of government’s commitment to capacity- building for over 35,000 of our public servants across the four divisions. The Civil Service is responsible for implementing and enforcing Government’s national development aspirations. I am rest assured that the national and international learning opportunities that will be coordinated under FLIPS will strengthen the capacity of civil servants, ensuring continuous skills development.
The Coalition Government approved the establishment of this learning institute last year after our Cabinet meeting in March and committed over a million dollars in the 2024-2025 national budget.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re standing on ground-zero of what will be a training ground ensuring that the Fijian public sector has a skilled and experienced workforce needed to build a strong future for Fiji. This is an institute dedicated to delivering tailor-made, high-quality, work-relevant learning programmes to support the development aspirations of Government today and into the future.
The Institute will also assist in filling skills gaps in the civil service by upskilling and reskilling civil servants.
I have been told that the training that will be conducted in this facility will amongst others include Public Service Exams, Customer Services, Ethics and Code of Conduct, Quality Circles, Project Management and Monitoring, development of Civil Service policies and initiatives, Finance for Non-Finance Officers, Government Legislations, Governance and Leadership, Public Administration and Management, Human Resources Management, and Local Government Administration and Management.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this Institute will also be a centre of excellence for sharing best practices in modern diplomacy through the provision of high-quality specialised courses for Fiji’s Foreign Service officers.
Training Rooms
There are three dedicated training rooms each having a seating capacity of 100 persons. The rooms are named the Vuvale Talanoa House, the Ocean of Peace Building and the William Cruickshank Building.
The Vuvale Talanoa House represents continuous regional collaboration to strengthen our public sector workforce and strengthen
ties between Fiji and our Pacific neighbours.
The Ocean of Peace Building stands as a reminder that at a time of geo-strategic tensions, economic uncertainty, and a changing climatic environment, we the ‘custodians of the world’s largest ocean” must promote the Pacific to be an Ocean of Peace.
The William Cruickshank Building is named after the late William Cruickshank, a decorated public servant and recipient of the Order of the British Empire. Mr. Cruickshank served as Fiji’s Postmaster- General (1960), was part of the board of various statutory bodies including the Air Terminal Services.
Mr.Cruickshank later chaired the Public Service Commission until he retired in 1987. He played a key role in the development of Fiji’s public service training framework. He is remembered for his leadership, contributions to public administration and passion for golf, which he pursued into his 80s before he passed away at the age of 94 in 2013.
Ladies and Gentlemen, looking ahead into the future, I see potential for this institute to further expand to match learning institutes in developed countries and to provide learning and development opportunities for civil servants in the region.
At this juncture I would like to also thank the Australian Government for supporting this endeavour. The Australian Government has readily provided all the furniture, audio visuals and learning aide to equip the Vuvale Talanoa House
To our Civil Servants who are present here this morning and to those watching via the online stream; I hope that this institute will provide you the platform to effectively develop your competencies and progress through the service as high performers. In doing so, it is my earnest hope that you will embrace civil service values and ultimately ensure that the citizens of Fiji get better civil service delivery.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – it is with great pride, I now officially declare the Fiji Learning Institute for Public Service open.
Vina’a Va’alevu.