 | *FICAC's then acting Deputy Commissioner Francis Puleiwai to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka |
*Fijileaks: On 2 September 2024 FICAC had recommended that Biman Prasad be charged with ten counts relating to his lies and falsifications in his statutory declarations. On 4 September Barbara Malimali's appointment was rushed through as new FICAC Commissioner. The next day, on 5 September, Richard Naidu, the NFP stalwart and Prasad's lawyer wrote to Malimali requesting that Prasad must NOT be charged for the World Bank chief Ajay Banga was in town, and if charged, Fiji will be shamed. Now, Malimali has closed Biman's File on dubious reasons.
*We will return to Richard Naidu's role in another installment.
 Ganesh Chand |  *HID THE RECORD. Biman Prasad gave thousands of dollars to GGI to host international conference at USP on Girmit history but hid from Elections Office that his wife Rajni Kaushal Chand was a Trustee of the GGI |
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From left, Professor Anand Chand, Hirdesh Sharma and Jagnath Sami, now Fiji's High Commissioner to India
 Suva lawyer Ravikant Singh who witnessed the statutory declarations |  |
Unfortunately, so far nothing has been done to preserve the memories of the Girmitiyas and there is a need to introduce it in the school curriculum, to establish museums to preserve the artifacts of that era and to have a comprehensive database for Girmitiyas.
This has been highlighted by Global Girmit Institute Chair Dr Ganesh Chand who says lack of action to acknowledge and preserve the past was what led to the formation of the institute in 2017.
He says they have been proposing to various governments and leaders on ways to preserve and to acknowledge the history of Girmit and only recently has the new government been able to acknowledge that by recognizing a day in the year as Girmit Day and this is remarkable.
While speaking to fijivillage News, Dr Chand says a lot needs to be done to preserve Girmit history as it is part of history which cannot be denied.
While highlighting this year’s Girmit Day theme of “Preserving the Past, Envisioning the Future”, he says Girmit history has to come into the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools and museums need to established to preserve artifacts and how life was in the past.
Dr Chand says despite budget allocation, and an announcement in 2018 for a Girmit Museum project, so far, nothing has been done.
The researcher further says people continue to face challenges in tracing their ancestral roots due to the lack of accessible information, as most historical records are only available at the National Archives in Suva. Dr Chand says they have launched a digital archive – girmitdata.org – which now hosts digitised copies of the original indenture passes.
However, he says much more work is needed to verify and clean the database, which contains over 60,000 handwritten arrival cards of Girmitiyas, each with 15 to 18 pieces of personal information.
Dr Chand says another area that requires focus is tracking those who returned to India, those who moved to other countries such as Mauritius or the Caribbean, and those who stayed in Fiji and where they served under the indenture system.
He says the National Archives holds valuable records of these placements, but digitalisation is essential to make them accessible to the public.
Dr Chand stresses that this work is vital not just for preserving the legacy of the Girmit era, but also for empowering descendants to connect with their past and better understand their identity.
Girmit commemoration events will take place from Saturday to Monday at Subrail Park in Labasa.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs of India Pabitra Margherita will be part of the events on Monday.
The public holiday for Girmit is on Monday, 12th May.
This has been highlighted by Global Girmit Institute Chair Dr Ganesh Chand who says lack of action to acknowledge and preserve the past was what led to the formation of the institute in 2017.
He says they have been proposing to various governments and leaders on ways to preserve and to acknowledge the history of Girmit and only recently has the new government been able to acknowledge that by recognizing a day in the year as Girmit Day and this is remarkable.
While speaking to fijivillage News, Dr Chand says a lot needs to be done to preserve Girmit history as it is part of history which cannot be denied.
While highlighting this year’s Girmit Day theme of “Preserving the Past, Envisioning the Future”, he says Girmit history has to come into the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools and museums need to established to preserve artifacts and how life was in the past.
Dr Chand says despite budget allocation, and an announcement in 2018 for a Girmit Museum project, so far, nothing has been done.
The researcher further says people continue to face challenges in tracing their ancestral roots due to the lack of accessible information, as most historical records are only available at the National Archives in Suva. Dr Chand says they have launched a digital archive – girmitdata.org – which now hosts digitised copies of the original indenture passes.
However, he says much more work is needed to verify and clean the database, which contains over 60,000 handwritten arrival cards of Girmitiyas, each with 15 to 18 pieces of personal information.
Dr Chand says another area that requires focus is tracking those who returned to India, those who moved to other countries such as Mauritius or the Caribbean, and those who stayed in Fiji and where they served under the indenture system.
He says the National Archives holds valuable records of these placements, but digitalisation is essential to make them accessible to the public.
Dr Chand stresses that this work is vital not just for preserving the legacy of the Girmit era, but also for empowering descendants to connect with their past and better understand their identity.
Girmit commemoration events will take place from Saturday to Monday at Subrail Park in Labasa.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs of India Pabitra Margherita will be part of the events on Monday.
The public holiday for Girmit is on Monday, 12th May.
