Problem Of The Indian

In Fiji

The following letter by Major W.

Willoughby-Tottenham, of Suva, Fiji, was published in the October issue of “United Empire,” the journal of the Royal Empire Society:— THE reference to Racial Discrimination by Mr. Bank-Anthony in the May- June number of your publication de serves considerable attention, as in the failure to appreciate its importance lies the certainty of unsuccessful colonisa tion.

I know little or nothing about the Colonial Dependencies generally, but I do know something of one in particular. My remarks refer to Fiji.

Some 150 years ago the group was con stantly visited by whalers. From time to time members of their crews deserted their ships and settled amongst one or another of the Fiji tribes. In the ordinary course of events the descendants of these men would have become the leaders, and in no small part due to their white blood.

The value of white blood was recog nised by the Fiji Government on the out break of the late war, when all of mixed European descent were called up to serve.

This did not happen to the Indians, as owing to what they considered racial dis crimination they refused to serve, but they did organise and bring off a disastrous strike in the cane fields.

On Fiji being taken over by the Colonial Office, officials from the United Kingdom appeared, and although those sent out may not have been clever and brilliant, as understood to-day, they possessed a wide understanding of human nature, which enabled them to bridge the gulf between Official on the one hand and European and Native on the other,

which is more than can be said of to-day when Fiji seems to be administered mainly to uphold the privileges and prestige of the Civil Servant.

The next step was the arrival of the wife of the white official; and with her arrival came discrimination. She would have nothing to do with persons of mixed European descent. Their future value to the Empire was ignored.

These people called up in World War II to defend the land of their birth, found on demobilisation the Indian (who had made no war effort) firmly entrenched in Government Offices whilst they had been actively serving their King and Country.

It is idle for those in London who con sider the affairs and fate of Fiji their private concern —a concern in which the people of the Dependency have no part— to think that a solution can be found in legislation or education. Obviously it cannot. The only hope lies in the parties gradually merging their interests, and this will take time. One thing is sure; outside interference will only delay a solution if it does not render it impossible.

There is little doubt that the Euro pean, half-caste and Fijian would have solved any racial discrimination had they been left to themselves, and this would be true colonisation.

But, unfortunately for Fiji, the solution is now complicated by the descendants of the Indian coolies introduced in the seventies by Australian companies to cul tivate sugar cane. The descendants of these coolies, reinforced by Bombay wallahs, are nowadays very politically minded. Vocal and aggressive, they out number the combined European and Fijian population. In a few years they will double this difference and dominate Fiji.

Although they have all the privileges of the other two races, their one cry is

that they are the victims of racial dis crimination. At the same time they make it obvious that things will be dif ferent when they have control. What then will be the attitude of the Colonial Office towards Racial Discrimination?

The marriage took place at Towns ville recently of Miss Irene Burgess and Mr. William T. Parker. The couple are well-known at Thursday Island.