Among Young Fijians
p. 75 · Read in the full issue
Ruined
Reputations
Undesirable Trends Among Young Fijians
SINCE they gave up cannibalism, the Fijians, more than any other native people, have earned the reputation of being the “good boys” of the Pacific —rather a hard reputation to live up to in these days of shifting values.
Sweeping generalities are made about them—that they are “won derful people”, and so forth. So it always comes as a surprise when it is shown that the present genera tion, anyway, can come in all grades, good, indifferent and worthless.
A Fiji correspondent writes: During the past two or three years a very marked decline in the general behaviour of Fijian youths has been observed in Suva.
The principal offenders are youths in their late teens and early twenties, and they can easily be recognised by the fact that they loaf about the streets at all hours of the day or night, do little or no work, and have discarded the Fijian dress of sulu and shirt for long dungaree trousers.
They refer to themselves as the Snooker Gang”, the members mak ing frequent appearances in Court
for various offences. Seen in Court they are invariably of poor physique and show a shiftless and hang-dog expression. Indeed, very poor tvnes of their race.
Respectable Fijians look upon them with contempt; and Fijian policemen say that two or three of them can easily be handled, and that it is only when the gang is about 20 or so strong that they show a certain type of gang “courage.”
Loiter In Streets
The authorities cannot be said to have shown much action in dealing with them. Not even to the extent of stopping them from loitering in the streets at night.
Various remedies suggested, such as sending them back to their villages (where they are not wanted); the introduction of a consorting Act to break up the gangs, and deportation of older members to some suitable island, where they would be forced to do a certain amount of work to sustain themselves, have been suggested from time to time.
But in a matter that can be so easily dealt with little has been done. t The Federal Executive of the RSS and AILA has changed the name to National Executive, to more properly include Papua-New Guinea.