Dear Editor,
Fiji, an archipelago in the Pacific, is set to hold its first general election on September 17 since a military coup in December 2006. Fiji is a multi-ethnic society similar to Guyana with serious ethnic conflict between the ethnic Fijians and Indians, and ethnic voting. Fiji has been a coup-prone society that exhibits little tolerance of people of Indian descent who, historically, have been subjected to human rights abuses. However, for the first time in that society’s history, a majority of Indians will be voting for a party not headed by an Indian or dominated by Indians – a watershed in ethnic politics as it will be the first time in modern history in which voters of one ethnic group are crossing over to vote for another ethnic party.
Inter-racial voting has come about in Fiji primarily because the interim Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has promised Indians full equality, and he has expressed regret for violence perpetrated on Indians in 1987 and 2000 during coups against democratically elected governments dominated by Indians.
The Indian-based parties in Fiji defeated a party of the ethnic Fijians that governed Fiji uninterrupted since self-rule and independence were granted during the 1950s. The coup plotters made it known publicly that Fiji would not tolerate Indians dominating the country’s government. Indians were banned from holding major positions in the bureaucracy or in the government. As a result of its policy, bordering on apartheid, Fiji was expelled from the British Commonwealth for lengthy periods of time between 1987 and 1999 when the Indian-dominated Labour Party swept the elections and its leader Mahendra Chaudhry became the prime minister; he was toppled from office in 2000. Following the restoration of elections in 2001, a racist government came to power and refused to heed court rulings to include Indians in the cabinet as per the constitution. The government was re-elected in 2006, but was toppled in December 2006 by the military headed by Commodore Frank Bainimarama who rejected its racist moorings and attacks on Indians.
Bainimarama became prime minister while retaining his position as military head. He resigned as military commander last March so he could contest the polls. He also formed a political party, Fiji First (FF), and he has been advocating racial equality for all unlike the party of the ethnic Fijians (SODELPA) that has not hidden its opposition to making Indians the equal of Fijians.
Following the 2006 coup, Australia, New Zealand and India imposed sanctions on Fiji, and the Commonwealth fully suspended Fiji’s membership in 2009, after the military refused to heed calls for an election by 2010. Bainimarama said the country was not ready as yet for elections and felt steps were needed to reduce ethnic tension and give Indians equality. Bainimarama was eventually welcomed in India in 2012 after he announced that elections would be held in 2014 and for advocating racial equality. Australia and New Zealand restored full relations after Bainimarama agreed to elections and resigned as military head earlier this year.
When I was in recently in Fiji, the general feeling among large numbers of people I conversed with was that Bainimarama would handily win the elections. Everywhere I polled, he received a favourable rating. Based on my informal survey, he was polling more than two-thirds of the Indian votes and almost 40% of the ethnic Fijian votes. A poll conducted last week showed him with 49% national support; I believe he will cross 50%. There are several political parties in the fray but only four parties have any real chance of getting seats under the PR system of voting. There are two Indian-based parties – FLP led by Chaudhry and NFP led by Prof Biman Prasad. Neither one was doing well in my informal polling, and both are struggling to get the minimum 5% threshold to qualify for seats. FLP was far more popular among Indians than NFP in previous elections; NFP did not win any seat in 1999 although it won seats in 1987.
Chaudhry has been banned from contesting a seat because of a conviction on foreign exchange offences and his absence would have a deleterious effect on support for his party; the two parties are fighting to be the representative of Indians. Although there are several ethnic Fijian parties, only one (SODELPA) garnered significant support in my polling to win seats and it could end up with close to a quarter of the votes. SODELPA and others have been accused of running a racist campaign. There has been a decline in support from ethnic Fijians for FF because of this racist campaign. But Bainimarama’s Indian base is growing, in spite of threats against them if FF wins, and this will propel him to victory in spite of polls showing it short of a majority.
Analysts are predicting violence against Indians if Fiji First wins saying that the ethnic Fijians will not accept a government voted in by Indians as happened previously. Racist leaders of Fijian parties have been using language that suggests they will resort to violence if they don’t win. But Bainimarama has warned that violence will not be tolerated.
He noted that forces that led to coups, riots and the destruction of the business centre of the capital city of Suva are re-emerging. He is quoted as saying that “some of these forces are back in the current election campaign. Suva will not be allowed to burn as it did in 2000.” He described that period as “one of the most disgraceful episodes in Fiji’s history.”
The interim prime minister said he was “shocked by some of the threats that have been made in this campaign, not only against individuals but entire ethnic groups. Indians were being threatened with violence. The forces behind the threat must be stopped. The full brunt of the law will descend on any person or persons who cause trouble or who try to stir up trouble before, during and after the election period. I promise that every Fijian living under my Government will be equal.” He has pledged to “create a better Fiji for future generations” giving equality to all regardless of race.
In my conversations with Indians, they said they would vote for Bainimarama because he has treated them fairly and they have not been violently attacked under his watch. In addition, they welcomed comments from Bainimarama expressing regret for the racially inspired violence, rape and robberies unleashed upon Indians. It shows that if Indians are treated fairly and if they get an apology for wrongs perpetrated on them, they would consider voting for a person of another ethnic group as their leader.
Even if FF of Bainimarama is short of a majority of support, as a poll suggests, the party can still end up with a majority of the 50 seats up for grabs because the votes from those parties below 5% support will be excluded from the count thereby inflating FF’s giving it a larger percentage of seats.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
