Fiji: Independence Day Is Approaching

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32382, 22 August 1970, Page 6

Fiji: Independence Day Is Approaching

(By

KATHLEEN HANCOCK)

Fiji is still gasping at the speed with which Britain organised the country’s transition from Grown colony to independent nation at the London constitutional conference early this year.

When Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara’s government was elected in 1966, few of Fiji’s multi-racial citizens would have prophesied that their islands would be catapulted into independence in October. 1970.

And as . independence day approaches, the fledgling Fijian nation finds itself in the grip of a number of conflicting emotions:' surprise at the swiftness with which the country has been granted independence; apprehension concerning its inexperience in self-government; delight at the prospect of running its own show after nearly a century of British colonial rule.

As Fijians get accustomed to the idea of paddling their own canoe, the fear of freedom is fading and their confidence is growing. And Fiji's leaders on both sides of the Legislative Council have showed a willingness to face facts and a disinclination to be rattled by the imminence of independence. Fijian leadership has succeeded in tempering the antagonistic feelines of the under-educa-ted Fijian villager against the Indian sector of the population, who have things pretty well sown up in the world of local commerce.

And Indian political leadership has shown foresight in dampening down the demagoguery within their ranks, and forbearance in accepting a delay in confronting the problems posed by Indian demands for a common voting roll. Key Factor Education could be the key factor in deciding success or failure for Fiji in this new and unfamiliar area of total independence. It is remarkable how few citizens of this island community have any conception of the implications of independence. One young Indian said to me in Nandi in June that he was disappointed the country wouldn't be truly indepen-

dent, as Fiji Would still have a governor-general. He sighed with relief when 1 explained that the Queen’s represents/ tive merely symbolised the tie between members of the British Commonwealth. Misconceptions like this one could well be manipulated to inflame the uneducated mass of both Fijians and Indians. The present accord between the two parties in Fiji is at top level and the lower echelons in politics may not have the same disinterested concern for the country’s welfare as either Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara or the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Koya. There are plenty of rabble-rousers on both sides of the political fence. Back lit 1966, Mr Koya said he Was amazed that so little had been'done in the area of adult education before the Legislative Council elections of that year. He underlined the necessity for bringing home to the people the responsibilities and privileges inherent in self-government And he was critical of the lack of experiment in local government on the basis of one man, one vote. Four years have passed and only now, on the eve of independence, is action being taken to put the voting for the. Suva and Lautoka City Councils on a one-man, one-vote basis. Electoral Roll The thorny question of the common roll still rankles in a country where the franchise is so organised as to ensure that the majority Indian sector of the population cannot in any circumstances become the government. An attempt to find a solution to this prickly problem has been tossed into the lap of a Royal Commission to sit five years from the date of the first post-independence elections in 1971.

However, both the Chief Minister and Mr Koya can be congratulated on their judgment in assessing the need for a time lapse between independence and the consideration of equal voting rights for all citizens in Fiji. This is a sensible and cautious approach to an issue which could easily lead to internal strife, either in the heat and excitement of the independence celebrations themselves, or during the elections a year later. Credit must be given to Ratu Sir Kamisese mara for agreeing to consider a common roll,

which most Fijians feel is a threat to their identity. And Mr Koya’s acceptance of the five-year period of grace is generous indeed in the face of a long history of pressing Indian demands for the principle of one man, one vote. The delicate question of Fijian citizenship has also been settled in a generous manner. There will be no repetition of tbe disastrous events which followed independence in some African states, where British citizens of Asian race suddenly found themselves stateless persons. Fiji will grant citizenship to any bolder of a United Kingdom passport with the necessary residential qualifications. Long Memories On the other hand, memories are long in Fiji, and her relationships with other Pacific countries, and in particular with Australia and New Zealand, may well be coloured by past performances. Dignity and pride figure strongly in both the Fijian and the Indian character, and the virtual exclusion of Fijian citizens, both Melanesian and Indian, from Australia has angered the hew nation for many years. In this context Fiji sees New Zealand as little better than Australia. A

liberal New Zealand immigration policy towards Polynesian Cook Islanders and Samoans doesn't cut much ice in an Indo-Melanesian community. Fiji will take a long hard look at trade relationships, too. Both sides of the Legislative Council have made no bones about their dissatisfaction with Australian and New Zealand policies. A record of substantial Australian and New Zealand aid to South-East Asia contrasts unfavourably with the modest handouts, often in kind, that both these countries have made to Fiji in the past Until now Fiji has been dominated politically by Britain and economically by Australia. On October 11 she will emerge on the Pacific scene as an independent nation, and she has every intention of standing on her own feet Ties with India, Malaysia and Singapore are strong. Japan is moving in. The economic and strategic facts of life point to Fiji’s increasing importance to Australia and New Zealand, but Canada and the United States are investing heavily in her future. Now that her internal problems are well on the way to being resolved, Fiji will be able to play an important part on the Pacific scene. And she will choose her own friends.

staW’ STORY

crossed the Atlantic in a quixotic endeavour to bring the First World War to an end believing that the strength of the Ford personality would triumph where all the politicians and generals bad failed. But the warring nations rejected his appeal for sanity. Ford returned disappointed to America and the war dragged on for another three destructive years.

As the stamp indicates, Henry Ford has a secure place in history. He was a pioneer of profit-sharing in industry, and introduced the five-day week for his workers as early as 1926. But if he had brought peace to Europe, what an achievement that would have been—and how many more stamps might we have seen with his portrait