Never in living memory have so many government ministerial vehicles entered the Seventh-day Adventist Fiji Mission headquarters compound as was seen on Monday, March 2.
Five ministers from the current Fiji First Government visited the home base of the vegetarian diet—the Fiji Mission conference room—that they had heard so much about from an Adventist Church member in parliament, Alipate Tuicolo Nagata, assistant Minister for Youth and Sports. Mr Nagata is a complete vegetarian and does not attend government functions during the Sabbath hours.
The group included Ifereimi Waqanabete, Minister for Health; Inia Seruiratu, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Semi Koroilavesau, Minister for Fisheries; Jone Usamate, Minister for Infrastructure; and the sole woman in the group, Mereseini Vuniwaqa, Minister for Women; and a couple of followers including an assistant minister. Normal logistical protocol for a ministerial visit was ignored, with the the group inviting themselves to enjoy vegetarian cooking and the chance to be by themselves for a couple of hours in the Adventist environment.
After a delicious vegetarian meal provided by Atelini Dakua, the group bought up all the Sanitarium cereals and other products displayed by the quick-thinking Hope Books staff.
“This is a major breakthrough brought about by a faithful Daniel in Fiji’s parliament,” said Peni Dakua, president of an association of former Adventist Church workers. “We thank [him] and want to encourage Adventists in public life to be more conscious of the fact of they are a spectacle to the world in a special sense.”
