Apimeleki ramatau
pp. 22-142 · Read in the full issue
Down With The Old Traditions!
Fijian Co-Op. Turns Itself
Into A "Communist Part
From a Suva Correspondent Fiji people had a shock one day late in August wh they discovered that a “Communist Party” had been form in the Colony.
Apimeleki ramatau
MATAKA, a former clerk in the medical Department—and a relative and close associate of Mohammed Tora, whose name often crops up in industrial activities—f ormed the organisation, which he calls the Bula Tale (“Come Back to Life Again”) Communist Party, in four villages in Nadroga Province, South West Viti Levu.
Just how closely connected it is with international Communism—or whether it really is connected at all and not just a unique local version— nobody yet knows.
Once the news became public pro perty, the Government said very little.
A spokesman did comment: “The history and deeds of Communism are well enough known for the people of Fiji to judge for themselves whether there is Communism or not. Where there is Communism there is no free dom of choice. The flight of refugees from Communist countries in the last two and a half years is an adequate answer. It has been referred to as ‘voting with the feet.’ ”
The Suva branch of the Fijian Association, which has become in creasingly vocal through its pre sident (Ravuama Vunivalu, MLC), in recent months, and the Fijian and Rotuman Ratepayers’ Association (of Suva) were quick to condemn the new party, whatever it might really repre sent. They denounced what they called “a move along lines which were not in keeping with the general opinion of the Fijian people”.
They issued a statement which said that the Fijian people had known
many similar movements in the: and they knew too that unscrup influences in the community hs times, been quick to exploit ignorant. The new party woul have responsible Fijian followin The Fijian Teachers’ Assoc behaved something like the a which hides its head in the sand, publicly condemning the new it said the party’s advent shoull have been given Press and publicity.
Perhaps the teachers imaginec if no one said a word about Apin and his party it would quietly up and die.
Local European comment has; restrained—older residents recall
(Continued on p. 140)
Apimeleki Ramatau Mataka who has the Bula Tale Communist Party.
Photo: S. A.
there has always been a tendency towards some “movement” in this area of Fiji. The last one (in 1959) was called “The Blood of the Lamb” but it faded out like its predecessors.
This is the first time that a revival group has declared itself Communist.
About all this, Apimeleki says simply that his new party will abide by the laws of the land, yet will be a “third government”—in addition to the Central Government and the Fijian Affairs Board.
Apimekeli makes it clear he has no time for the present set-up of the Fijian Administration. “The present leaders do not care to visit the villages and they should resign in favour of others who do care,” he said.
The interesting point in all this is that the so-called Red movement started as a movement among a group of villages, but nobody had any idea about its supposed Communist lean ings. In fact the very existence of the movement in the villages was gener ally unknown in Fiji until August.
When it did become known its Com munist slant was made public.
Started in January The movement had its beginning in January this year when Emuri, Togovere, Kab i s i and Vagadra villages, Western Districts, banded together to form a co-operative society under the name of Bula Tale Association, with Apimeleki as pre sident and Apenisa Degei, of Kabisi, as secretary. A major plank of its charter was that it would not re cognise the laws and regulations of the Fijian Administration (the authority for the “dual”, purely Fijian system of government).
By jettisoning Fijian customs, the Bula Tale Association sought to established a co-operative system that would allow its members to live equally, but under conditions of dis cipline. They all had to eat together, not smoke tobacco or drink kava or liquor and they had to work as directed by the leader.
People who have visited the co-op. villages say the village day begins at 6 a.m. with the beating of a lali (Fijian log-drum); 7 is compulsory bathing lime for all villagers; 8 to
11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 are “com munity work” times. With tea at 6 p.m., curfew for bed is 9.
Cooking chores are done by rota tion of members. Everyone eats the same food, in the same dining hall.
Produce from communal planta tions that the men work on during the day are weekly taken by the As sociation’s own truck to its two markets, one at Nadi and one at Lomawai. Proceeds are partly banked and partly split into four equal amounts for member villages. All the villagers’ needs (soap, kerosene, and such) are issued free on a ration basis by the co-operative store in each village. No one buys anything.
Apimeleki said the Association members had ceased to adhere to the traditional obligations of religion— though they still believed in God.
Discontinued, too, were the usual feasts and relative-obligations asso ciated with Fijian marriages and deaths.
Fijian Affairs' View Cautiously, as it learned of the Association’s aims, the Fijian Affairs Department tried to channel its activ ities along the well-worn track of the regular co-operatives. Ratu K. K. T.
Mara, Deputy Secretary for Fijian Affairs, had several conferences in Suva with Apimeleki and advocated amendments to parts of the Bula Tale Association’s constitution that appeared to conflict with the Colony’s laws.
In an official statement about the situation with the Nadroga co-op., Ratu Mara said on August 12; “The main theme of the Bula Tale Asso ication’s constitution is economic de velopment, and I have advised pro vincial officials to try to guide it along lawful paths rather than try to suppress it.”
A fortnight later, on August 24, Apimeleki publicly declared that the name of the organisation was changed to Bula Tale Communist Party and that it embraced about 1,000 mem bers.