Fiji continues undismayed

at Opposition walk-out

From a Suva correspondent Although Fiji has been without an official Opposition in the Legislative Council since September 1, the world has not yet noticed it. Nor in fact has the colony.

HE Opposition, of nine members lead by Mr. A. D. Patel, walked of the council the day that Fiji’s listerial system came into opera i (PIM, Oct., p. 19), after an mcing that last year’s constitution, ler which the ministerial system i established, was “undemocratic, [uitious and unjust” and that they e now calling a halt in their sup t of it.

'wo days later, Fiji’s Chief Min r, Ratu K. K. T, Mara, set off a world tour from which he will return until October 9. From ry report sent back to Suva during absence, it has been a success. He •ned something wherever he went, ’here was a failure in the UN, ;n Ratu Mara could not sell Fiji’s it of view to the Committee of which wants to send a delegation inquiry to the colony to see why is not getting its independence, u Mara was unable to convince body that the Fiji public does not it its independence. But he did for himself, apparently, that it sn’t really matter in some UN les what Fiji wants —the corn tee’s pressures were all political.

UN not allowed

dthough the committee has moved a delegation should go to Fiji, > not likely that either Britain or will allow an official visit, his is bad news for some members the Opposition, who, since their kout, have been addressing many r well-attended public meetings to test against the constitution. They e been making house-to-house :s.

Ir. K. C. Ramrakha, tipped as to party leadership, explained licly that the Federation Party had it quite a bit of money getting s of the walkout to the world >s, and radio. t their public meetings the Fed ion Party men have said they want sw constitution, and one-man-one :, and have constantly criticised Alliance Government. In this r have come off badly, because

the government in retaliation has been publishing the detailed history of communications between the Alliance Government and the Fed eration Party over the 10 months since the elections. This bit of shrewd public relations work has done much to lessen the Opposition’s impact.

What will they do?

And what has only now become known, is that the Federation Party had planned the walkout before the Legislative Council sitting. A week, before, the party decided to embark on a campaign of non-co-operation.

What will the homeless Opposition do next? There is talk that some members of the party think the move was badly timed and that they are casting around for a formula which will enable them to go back if the non-co-operation campaign fizzles

out. But there are certainly no signs that they aim to do anything to re turn immediately.

They could stay away for the next two meetings of the council so their seats could be declared vacant and by elections would follow. There is little doubt they could win the by elections and thus triumphantly walk back into the Council Chamber, hav ing made their protest, and having lost no face.

Axiom

An alternative would be to attend the opening of each meeting of the council, have their attendance re corded then walk out again.

Meanwhile, the Alliance Govern ment is hardly likely to be forced into resigning because it hasn’t got an Opposition. It is a political axiom that Oppositions are there to be ignored, and as the Government has already said: “It is regrettable that our friends of the Opposition have walked out, but we will continue to govern without them until they see fit to return.”

The Opposition really could have made its point more usefully by standing firm and battering the Gov ernment and its policies—and the constitution from the Opposition benches. It was, in fact, beginning to make itself felt this way before the events of September 1.