Fiji's 'no-show'Opposition appears

headed for the ballot box

From a Suva correspondent Fiji Legislative Council’s Budget session in December was not so much a meeting as a shadow boxing display. Wildly swapping punches with an invisible opponent—the absent Opposition—the backbenchers succeeded only in jabbing their own Government in the breadbasket.

As a parade of the Government’s achievements through the year, it was a good meeting. The Budget, produced by the Minister of Finance, Mr. H. P. Ritchie, was also a good one.

RAnana <rhpirip rollancpc oanana scneme conapses By some it had been called a “standstill Budget”, a phrase which annoyed some of the ministers, who pointed out that it was anything but “standstill”. Certainly from the point of view of progress, of the implementation of plans, it was a very active Budget more roadworks, more hospitals, more classrooms, better water supplies and the glimmerings of ideas to tackle the housing problem.

For the taxpayer, however, it was a standstill Budget. There were no new taxes.

The meeting lasted a week, or rather it was held each day from Monday to Friday. On two after noons members went off to see for themselves what was what in the Rewa Valley, where new water supplies are being installed or planned; or they were out among the farmSj notably the Lomaivuna settie ment, where the scheme to produce almost all the colony’s banana exports has all but collapsed, In the council chamber there was no atmosphere, no drama, and the nine empty seats shouted loudest of all. They have been vacant since September 1, the day that Fiji’s full ministerial system came into effect, Opposition Leader A. D. Patel con demned the new constitution as “unjust” and led the walk out. The Opposition hasn’t been back, That doesn’t mean that the nine absentees were such a valuable

Suva keeps on growing despite Fiji's current political troubles. Here is a recent bird's-eye view of central Suva, with the new Town Hall under construction in the foreground. At the extreme right is the Suva Sea Baths. Left of the hall is Sukuna Park. Photo: Rob Wright.

Unprecedented feelings of racialism

' adjunct that the council can’t function without them. It can and it is. But an Opposition infuses life into a parliament, and in December most of the debates lacked lustre.

This led the backbenchers into error. They decided there ought to be an Opposition, and some of them tried to provide one, and made a sorry mess of it.

"Ham-handed"

They criticised the Government on points the answers of which they knew full well, but pressed home their chimerical attacks until the Chief Minister, Ratu Kamisese Mara, his patience worn thin, delivered a rebuke.

He told the shadow boxers that the Government resented the “ham handed” attempts of some of the Government backbenchers to take on the role of an Opposition.

They knew perfectly well, he pointed out, that on the majority of points brought up they could have obtained an answer from any of the ministers without bringing them up in the council meeting.

After that rebuke, members con fined themselves to the more sensible attitude of orthodox backbenchers, who in such debates usually press the claims of their own constituents for a bigger share of the cake than the planned spending gives them.

Meanwhile, outside the council chamber what is the Opposition— the Federation Party—doing?

It has held meetings in various places, hinting about by-elections.

Headed for by-elections?

As forecast here some time ago, they are working for by-elections for the nine Indian constituencies. If they miss the next meeting their seats will be declared vacant. There will then be by-elections, and they are hoping to win them all again. And then what?

They might follow the example of the Sinn Feiners, the Irish MP’s who refused to take their seats in the House of Commons because they wanted a free Ireland.

On the other hand they might, if they win their seats back, return in triumph, without loss of face.

Already criticism is growing over their boycott and some of their own supporters are questioning the wisdom of it.

There are other alternatives. Will the Government sit idly by and see them make a monkey out of the con

stitution? Constitutions can be changed, electoral regulations can be changed, and someone could come out with a sword to cut Mr. Patel’s Gordion Knot.

Perhaps some leader of the Indian community could appear and unite those who feel that a council boycott, plus Mr. Patel’s anti-European campaign, are no answer to the difficulties, the hopes and the aspira tions of the Indians.

There's a report that some in fluential Indian women are planning to produce their own candidates in any by-elections which might be held, and if so it wouldn’t be the first time that the women of the world have weighted the political scales!

Want Governor recalled

The silliest move of the missing Opposition has been for it to send a demand to London for the recall of the Governor, Sir Derek Jakeway, and for the removal of the Chief Secretary, Mr. G. P. Lloyd and the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jack Hackett.

To date, the Governor and Messrs.

Lloyd and Hackett are still at their desks, and every week the Federation Party puts out more propaganda, as a hate exercise directed against the Europeans.

The “Ex-patriates” the Federation Party has dubbed them, as if all had come to Fiji to make a fortune and then leave. The Government they call the Expatriate Alliance Govern ment.

To listen to the Federation Party, one would think that every member of the Government had come from overseas, whereas, there are few true expatriates in the Government.

Mr. Patel, leader of the Federa tion Party, was himself born in India, but Pacific Review, Mr. Patel’s own local paper, is week by week becoming more virulent in the language it uses against other ex patriates.

Letter after letter refers to “white masters” and “black slaves” and today one hears in the streets, as never before, “Our white bosses”, “We poor black servants”. It’s reminiscent of some of Britain’s former colonies before they dissolved in holocausts of hatred.

There has never been racialism in Fiji as there is now. Somewhere in the Fiji constitution there is some thing about it being an offence to incite to racial hatred. Somebody should get round to invoking it.