Fiji's Government, Too

Rotumans Want A Say In

A suggestion that administration of the island of Rotuma lould be transferred to Australia was made in a letter to he Fiji Times in October. The writer, who signed himself Rotuman Patriot”, complained that the Fiji Government had eglected Rotuma and was treating Rotumans unfairly.

)TUMA, an attractive, fertile island, together with its small abours, has an area of 18 square s and a population of about [). It is 240 miles north-north of the main Fiji Group, was annexed by Great Britain :r a Deed of Cession on May 13, , and is administered as part of Crown Colony of Fiji. However, ima has no representatives in 1 Legislative Council. le island is the most isolated in Fiji Group, and its only regular is of communication with the de world is by an inter-island >r-vessel which visits it about a quarter and normally stays one day. his letter to The Fiji Times, uman Patriot” said: “It is 81 5 since we entrusted our country le British Sovereign, but we have seen any of her Majesty’s ser -5 in Fiji ever propose in the slative Council to carry out de 3ment work at Rotuma like con :ting a port or a water supply, or icing new products like bananas cocoa, or free education or free ical treatment. f the Fiji Government cannot his, I sugest that a transfer be 2 immediately to Australia, and United States of America might r as a new partner.” lotuman Patriot” said that al gh he had lived in Fiji since , he had been refused registra as a voter for next year’s Legis e Council election. Other Rotu s in Fiji had been similarly re d. low many non-Fijians living in Colony,” he asked, “have made

r. Alan McMillan, who has been ager of Boots the Chemists (Fiji) for the last four years planned ffurn to New Zealand in October manager of the firm’s Wel on branch. He will be succeeded dr. D, S. Lawson, who was with London branch of the firm until w months ago; since then he has in Australia and New Zealand.

an agreement with the British Queen and offered their lands as the token of their promise?

“Yet they have the right to vote while Rotumans are rejected . . .

“This is the time when all Rotu mans at Rotuma and abroad should stand and ask the British authorities in Fiji to help the Rotumans as much as they help the Fijians.

“We want the British Government to give us work and to help to de velop our country.”

“Rotuman Patriot’s’ letter brought a sympathetic response from other Rotumans in Fiji.

One, signing himself “Peace and Unity”, said that as Rotuma had no representative of its own in the Legis lative Council it was “only fair that we should be allowed to vote for the Fijian members of the Legislative Council as they are indirectly our representatives in the council.

“If there is a very good reason for denying us this vote, I’m sure Rotu mans would be very grateful to know.

MISS HIBISCUS, 1962. Soon to visit Aus tralia is this year's Miss Hibiscus, crowned during the Hibiscus Festival in Suva in September. She is Miss Eta Uluvula. Her prizes included an air trip around Aus tralia. Eta celebrated her 21st birthday on September 22. —Photo: S. A. Whippy.

“We are citizens of this Colony and as our island is ruled by the Government of Fiji, we feel we have a right to take part in it.

“If we cannot possibly vote for Fijian members, I’m sure there is no harm in allowing us to choose one of our own people to represent us— someone who can understand us and

our needs better than anyone else.”

Another writer, Lindsay Verrier, said; “The Rotuman people joined Fiji by treaty and their position is exactly that of the Fijians; but they have been done out of their share in our democracy.

“If by design, the Government should explain it; if by oversight, the Government should tell us all how they propose to set matters right.”

A fourth writer, Viliame Fauoro, thought the Rotumans were not being treated as badly as they made out, “If the Government is unfair to the Rotumans,” he said, “then why are

there so many working in Fiji today?

“The Rotuman people have their Council of Chiefs in Rotuma who deal with matters of Government and I advise ‘Rotuman Patriot’ that he should go to them with his com plaints.”

FOOTNOTE: W. I. E. Eason, in his A Short History of Rotuma pub lished in 1951, described Rotuma as “Fiji’s Cinderella”. He said; “There might be a case for the election or selection of a Rotuman chief to the Legislative Council of the Colony, since it is not possible nor realistic for a Fijian to understand and rep resent their interests.”