Fiji and Guyana: No peace in the context of ethnic alienation

What is taking place in Fiji should alert Guyanese to pay greater attention to the natural structure of their political context. In Fiji, the political chaos that has resulted from its ethnic divide has allowed the military to exploit insecurities, suppress political expression across the board and promote itself as the dominant universalizing factor.

Guyana has been plagued with ethnic political participation, and the general Western support for the present political process in Fiji and the claim by Rear Admiral (Ret) Frank Bainimarama and his Fiji First party that they have eliminated ethnic voting in a country such as theirs must, even if only momentarily, catch our attention.

After the 2006 military coup in Fiji, attempts were made, particularly by its larger neighbours, to isolate the country. However, eight years of