New Political Party Aims

For Racial Unity In Fiji

From a Suva Correspondent The Alliance, a political body made up of representatives of all the major racial groups in Fiji, was launched in Suva on March 12 when a draft constitution prepared by Messrs.

R. A. Kearsley and J. N. Falvey was unanimously adopted.

CHE new party’s broad aim is to get all races in Fiji to work armoniously together, and it is idely expected that it will become ie most powerful and influential Mitical body in the Colony.

The Alliance is the brainchild of atu K. K. T. Mara, an outstanding ijian leader, who is the Member r Natural Resources in the Govern ent. The organisation boasts a rmidable array of talent, from liom will almost certainly come ost of the members of Fiji’s future ►vernment.

Ratu Mara told the inaugural seting: “More and more in these ands, where we all live together d trade together and play together, : must combine to govern ourselves, oviding for our people a form of vernment which will be uniformly it and stable; maintaining our tied institutions although we must prepared if need be to review ;m.

“We wish to stand before the rid as an example of good govern ;nt by agreement of all the people icerned.”

The Alliance displays the willing

ness of the enlightened leaders of the different races to work together for the common good and from this basis it must be viewed as one of the most important developments in Fiji’s recent political awakening.

Delegates who attended the inaugural meeting were from the Fijian Association, Suva Rotuman Association, the All-Fiji Muslim Political Front, the Chinese Associa tion, the National Congress of Fiji, the General Electors’ Association, the Fiji Minority Party, The Rotuman Convention and the Tongan Associa tion.

Committee Members

Messrs. James Shankar Singh, David P. Ragg and Baldwin March were appointed vice-presidents; and Dr, L. Verrier is secretary-general.

The executive committee comprises Ratu Mara, and Messrs. Hasan Raza, D. P. Ragg, Baldwin March, Peni Naqasima and Ayodha Prasad.

The committee is to formulate a public statement of The Alliance’s policy. This, broadly, will become the platform for candidates endorsed

by The Alliance in the general elec tion to be held later this year.

The registration of voters for the general election took place all over Fiji in March, with March 31 the deadline for registration.

The number of people eligible to vote was estimated at 180,000, but the response by electors was so dis appointing that on March 29 the period for registration was extended to midnight on April 15.

To March 26, only 113,3171 voters had registered—so,4s2 in the Fijian constituencies (3,000 short of two thirds); 58,235 in the Indian con stituencies (nearly two-thirds); and 4,384 in the general constituencies (less than half). The general roll in cludes Europeans, Chinese, etc.

Thirty-six unofficial members will be elected in the Legislative Council poll.

The Fijians and other Pacific Islanders will elect one member in each of nine Fijian constituencies.

The Indians will elect one member in each of nine Indian constituencies.

And the Europeans, Chinese, etc., will elect two members for the West Viti Levu constituency, one member for the Northern Constituency, one for the Eastern and Central Con stituency, and three for the Suva Constituency—seven members in all.

In addition, two Fijian members will be elected by the Council of Chiefs, and nine members will be elected from three cross-voting con stituencies.

To be elected in a cross-voting constituency a candidate will have to gain the support of people of all races.

Ratu K. K. T. Mara

Women volunteers act as witnessing officers in one of Suva's main streets in March during the Fiji-wide cam paign to register electors for the general elections later this year.

Photo: Stan Whippy.