| Health: A MAN OF THE TIMES |
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi: chief, contemporary leader, realist
Sophie Foster
Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi is an idealist. But he is also a realist.
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Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi (left)... HIV/AIDS needs to be dealt with openly and honestly.
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As Roko Tui Bau, Madraiwiwi is a highly respected traditional leader in Fijian society. Yet his progressive views, his prowess at law and his commitment to national service—including as Vice-President of Fiji—have also elevated him to the type of contemporary leader people seek.
Around Fiji, it is acknowledged that when Madraiwiwi speaks, he commands respect no matter which part of the nation’s multiracial community may be listening.
Yet his influence goes beyond national boundaries, extending throughout the region training magistrates and judges.
So when the Bauan chief says he is firmly behind the drive to boost the region’s HIV response, people of all ages tend to sit up and take notice. And that’s when the realist kicks in.
In conservative societies such as those which exist throughout the Pacific—and particularly in Fiji—having a traditional leader question “customary sensitivities” which impede initiatives to respond to HIV could be likened to setting the cat amongst the pigeons.
But, because he is considered a responsible leader by both traditional and contemporary society, Madraiwiwi’s words tend to invite consideration more than chaos.
Take for example, his call in September last year for Pacific leaders to ensure national education curriculums have comprehensive sex education emphasising HIV/AIDS.
“We cannot pretend that our youth are not sexually precocious. They are as a direct consequence of their youth whether one likes it or not, and we need to consider how best to moderate that behaviour or at least ensure it does not result in the fatalities suffered elsewhere,” Madraiwiwi told the Forum Education Ministers Meeting.
Such a statement from a traditional leader can sometimes be hard to come by in Pacific society, but because it is Madraiwiwi, the reception his comments received was a warm one.
Madraiwiwi believes that while many islands states would prefer it were not mentioned at all, HIV/AIDS needs to be dealt with openly and honestly.
The alternative, he says, is that the islands may face an entire generation of young Pacific Islanders lost to us.
“We do not have a choice. It is that simple. Either we decide to speak openly but sensitively and compassionately to the established structures within our society about HIV/AIDS, we adopt a limited perspective counselling complete abstinence, or we remain silent.
“The last two alternatives have been followed elsewhere without success. Either we make available the information and support necessary, or we face the prospect of lost generations.”
Though Madraiwiwi is very respectful of traditional sensitivities, he believes it is his duty to speak out for the sake of “the Vanua and the Lotu for they are part of me and I am part of them”.
“Ethnical and moral strictures and precepts provide the comfort of certainty and boundaries. But they do not save lives,” Madraiwiwi told a mixed gathering of young leaders from the Pacific.
“We have to recognise that a large portion of sexual relationships occur outside cultural and religious codes of accepted conduct. Dealing with the HIV/AIDS challenge obliges us to recognise realities on the ground. This is the world as it is and not as we wish it to be.”
How can Madraiwiwi make such statements and get away with it? It’s simply a matter of trust. Because he has earned the trust of people from all walks of life. Madraiwiwi’s carefully considered words are, more often than not, openly welcomed.
It is this level of trust that Madraiwiwi says is key to any response to HIV/AIDS in the Pacific.
“It is critical that those who engage have credibility and standing in the community. An unpalatable message is more readily absorbed if it is conveyed with that reinforcement,” he says.
Through his example, Madraiwiwi hopes that more traditional and contemporary leaders in the Pacific will lend their names and their commitment to any HIV response.
He acknowledges though that it is a process that takes some patience.
“Conversion or acceptance will not happen the first time or the second or even the third. It will require patience, forbearance and fortitude.
“We also need to appreciate the discomfort and awkwardness the subject causes Pacific audiences and tailor our response accordingly. As always, it will depend on context, time and place, as well as discernment of the nuances one will need to pitch.”
So why would someone such as Madraiwiwi stick his neck out for HIV/AIDS when it is a subject that is often frowned upon in many islands conversations?
He says it’s about empowering people for a better future.
“Leadership is about providing people with a vision and direction. However, it needs to be done in a way that enables and empowers people...HIV/AIDS will only be overcome if our communities are meaningfully involved in the struggle against it.
“Those of us who have and exercise some measure of responsibility and influence have a duty to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS as widely as possible.”
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