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As Fiji prepares for the next general election,
the campaign rhetoric is beginning to heat up. Entrenched positions
are articulated with strident enthusiasm. Nuance, subtlety and caution
give way to extravagant claims.
Among the claims being made by some is that the
two major communities can not
work together. The loggerhead between Mr Laisenia Qarase and Mr
Mahendra
Chaudhry is cited as an example.
But Fiji's history shows that its leaders have
been able to corporate in the midst of most difficult situations
and resolve issues facing the nation. The attainment of Independence,
the successful negotiation of the Agricultural
Landlord Tenant Act (ALTA) and the promulgation of the 1997 Constitution
are
shining examples of multi-ethnic co-operation in Fiji's recent history.
If Sitiveni Rabuka and Jai Ram Reddy could work
together productively, why can't
Qarase and Chaudhry?
The prime minister is reported as saying that the
1997 Constitution is Fiji's worst ever. One hopes he is being misquoted.
But if not then which aspects of the 1997 Constitution are deficient.
It should be remembered that this is the same Constitution that
was blessed by the Great Council of Chiefs and the entire Parliament.
Indeed, Mr Qarase came to power under the same Constitution.
It is being said that only a Fijian should be prime
minister of Fiji. The matter is not simple as it may sound. The
real issue is: which Fijian will be acceptable to which group of
Fijians at a particular point in time.
A Fijian could be prime minister through political
negotiation with other parties. But to entrench that as a matter
of constitutional right would breach international conventions and
invite swift retribution from the international community. This
Fiji can ill-afford to have.
There are some politicians who are once again resorting
to the race card. But
race is increasingly beginning to loose its silence. The indigenous
community
is in outright majority and its numbers are increasing. On the hand
the Indo-Fijian population is rapidly declining, through immigration
and lower birth rate. Race in-fact is only one of the facts of life
in Fiji today.
The language of conflict crisis and confrontation
of fear, force and fragmentation has no place in political discourse
of contemporary Fiji. There
is an urgent need for responsible political parties and politicians
to seek the middle ground, to enlarge the common space, for there
are many more things that unite the people of Fiji then those that
divide them.
Fostering the politics of moderation in an ethically
divided society is always fraught. But common sense must prevail
if Fiji is to reach its united goal of a united future for all its
people. There is no other way.
Summary of speech at the NFP Rally, Ba
01\04\2006
Fijilive
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