[?]R Constitutional

Fiji Electioneering

Real Demand

[?]Orms

om LEN USHER, in Suva i Legislative Council of Fiji nded its three years of life and been formally dissolved. In d the voice of the candidate he forthcoming elections was in the land. 5 at such times as these that e political constitution of Fiji tnes under special discussion, j oddest contributions to the e come from candidates who hat the Legislative Council, in esent form, is ineffective be the Government has a ity of one—yet they urge rs to give them a seat in this dly useless body.

Iways find a curious unreality the belief that the official rity in Fiji’s Legislative cil, as it operates at present, s Government dictatorship, le, the Government can out the unofficial side, but in the decade the big stick of the rity vote has been used very r indeed. ch more often, the Government withdrawn or modified a lire because of substantial —but o means always unanimous— lition from the unofficial side, even more important factor is uthority given to the unofficial 3ers who, as a body, form the Ing committee of the Councli nance. This gives them, very ively, the power of the purse, ogether, the unofficial side of Legislative Council has much er ability to influence the try’s course than the opposition has in the House of Commons, ly some of the unofficial

members of the Council are directly elected by the people; but there is still room in Fiji for special repre sentation of the interests of com merce, or agriculture, or the Christian missions.

More particularly, the voice of the considerable Muslim community would be heard very faintly, indeed, if representation depended on the vote of the predominantly Hindu- Indian electorate.

The basic democratic principle of one man one vote is not followed in choosing the elected European and Indian unofficials. There are many many more Indians than Europeans on the roll in each electoral division, but as each votes for the candidate in his own racial group

alone European and Indian members are chosen by unequal numbers of voters.

This is due, however, to the fac that the Indian population is s<, much bigger than the European and equal representation of the three main races, as races, leave;: most people in Fiji much more content than they would be if ont group dominated the others by weight of numbers alone.

Despite the talk at election time and occasionally in between, ther< is no real demand in Fiji for major constitutional change.

Such a demand may one dav develop, but for the moment “let well alone” makes good political sense.