Vote Is Mightier

In Fiji: Holidays As Usual

Vote Is Mightier Than The Sword

From a Staff Correspondent

FIJI'S Official Members of Leg

islative Council took their

swords of office into the Cham

ber, as usual, during the Novem

ber session. They did not have

to use them, however, in defence

of their sacred leave privileges

(which non-official members had

suggested should be temporarily

suspended during 1959). They

had something much better than swords: An Official Majority.

Fiji has been living beyond its means, and so the Fiji Government, to balance the Budget, has increased the taxes paid by the people of Fiji.

Fiji’s citizens —who provide the revenue which the Government spends, but have no real power in the spending of that revenue—have given voice to strong protests.

The Government laid the Budget, in detail, before a “Select Committee” of the non-official members of Legco (that is, the members who are there because they are elected or nominated, and not there because they are Departmental heads, by whom they are out-numbered and out-voted) and said to them; “All right—show us how we can economise and avoid the need for more taxes!”

The non-official members, know ing practically nothing about the v/ays in which Departmental ser vices are organised and directed, so as to take care of the country’s administration, flapped through the voluminous papers helplessly, and, being mostly intelligent men, they realised their helplessness.

Paring Down Privileges

But most people—street debaters and club-room critics, as well as non-official members know that the Public Service personnel of Fiji, which absorbs a lot of Fiji’s revenue, is selected and directed and paid and pensioned by the British Colonial Office, without much refer ence to the citizens of Fiji. So, in this time of taxation strain, the protesting taxpayers naturally ignored most of the Estimates, and fastened their attention on Public Service emoluments and privileges.

Thus they returned to an ancient grievance namely, the leave privileges enjoyed by the civil servants sent to Fiji by Whitehall — and these are remarkable.

They are apparently based on the assumption that Fiji is a hot and fever-ridden hole in some remote part of the British Colonial Empire; and that the unhappy wights who are there immured for a period of service, with their worn-out wives and suffering children, really are entitled to a long period of recuper ative rest in cool old England every few years.

For decades, Fiji’s British appointed public servants have gone, with their families, at first-class steamer rates, to enjoy the four months’ rest every three years—and travelling-time (often six weeks, each way) was not counted as leave.

Fiji, of course, paid for the lot.

In quite recent years, Fiji rebelled.

There are thousands of Europeans who live all their lives in Fiji, and suffer no more ills or discomforts than do Queenslanders, and attain healthy old age.

In 1957, the Colonial Office did amend the Leave Regulations, in a minor way. The travelling time was altered to five days each way— and all officers arriving newly in Fiji after June 1, 1957, are thus penalised. Officers there before that date presumably carry on as before and go by ship, if they wish.

Officers on salaries of £750-£1,300 get four months’ leave after three years’ service; those paid more, or who have had 15 years’ service, get an additional three weeks. But if officers are prepared to take leave in Australia or New Zealand, they can get passage grants and three months’ leave after two years’ service —or four months’ leave for three years’ service.

Fiji taxpayers are not impressed with these changes, and have said so. One gets the impression that the career men of the Colonial

Office are resentful of the changes, and scornful of the views of the Fijian rough-necks who question their privileges.

Value for Money

Actually, the emoluments and privileges of the Public Servants represent only one angle of the politico-economic problem that is developing in Fiji. Fiji is not really deeply concerned with the cost and quality of the public servant.

Probably, a sound analysis would show that, for the money, a more competent and less venal public service than that of Fiji could not be found in the world. But what Fiji is doing, with growing insist ence, is demanding a larger voice in the allocation and spending of the revenues which Fiji provides.

Fiji, like so many other “Crown Colonies”, is growing up and has leached the stage when it is en titled to a larger voice in its own government.

On Friday, November 21, two classes of Members ceremoniously took their places at the opening of Fiji’s Legco. One class was in plain, civilian dress —Fijians, Europeans and Indians, who had been either elected or nominated.

The other, more numerous class, was attired in the white uniform of the British Colonial Service, com plete with topis, white gloves and shining swords —heads of Depart ments, lined up there ex officio to provide the British Colonial Office with a majority, so that Legco would carry out the will of the Colonial Office should any real dispute arise between official and non-official members.

Another Boston Tea-Party?

Those swords were more than an

anachronism.

A minor crisis did arise. The no official members moved to suspei the public servants’ leave privileg during 1959, so that the Treasu might save sufficient expenditure avoid some of the new, planned taj ation. But the 16 official membe were lined up, to support the Budg and the official Estimates. (See elsewhere for report of c bate).

That was the end of that incidei The new taxation was imposed.

But it is only the beginning a definite trend. If Fiji is going be taxed on the present scale — direct seizure of incomes, as well by quite heavy imposts on impo:i generally Fiji must have authoritative voice in the expem ture of the country’s revenue.

That is elementary justice, as is known to the Western world.