Still no political Opposition, and Fiji

wonders about the next moves

From a Suva correspondent April 1 Politically and industrially, the British crown colony of Fiji is in the balance this week. This is the week when we will know whether the legislature will have an official opposition or nine vacant seats to be filled at a by-election; and this is the week when the industrial scene will get either better or worse (see story, opposite page).

Politically, developments centre around the meeting of the Legislative Council which opened on Friday, March 29. When members filed into their seats on Friday, the nine mem bers of the Federation Party who make up the Opposition were not there.

Failure of a member to take his seat in the council for three succes sive meetings, unless the member has been excused by the speaker, means forfeiture of his seat. This is the third successive meeting the Oppo sition’s eight men and one woman have not attended.

But the meeting is not concluded yet and legally there is still time for them to appear. It seems most un likely they will appear.

Mr. A. D. Patel has been very ill and it is possible he could not appear if he wanted to.

Mr. Patel and his colleagues marched out of the council last Sep tember 1 when the government —the ruling Alliance Party rejected his resolution demanding the scrapping of the new constitution and new elections on a common roll.

"Won't come back"

He vowed the Opposition would not come back until his demands had been met. Although there have been all kinds of rumours, particularly re cently, nothing has been done public ally to indicate that Mr. Patel has had any change of heart. And it is not his way to climb back off a limb once he has publicly climbed out.

However despite Mr. Patel’s views, some members of his party appear to have been wavering, and there has been some bickering.

Meanwhile from an unexpected quarter a voice has been sounded which has been uncomfortable for the Federation. It is the voice of Tun U. T. Sambanthan, Malaysia’s Minister for Works, Posts and Tele communications. An Indian, a good speaker, astute politician and an attractive personality, he is the leader of a three-man Malaysian goodwill mission which has been visiting Fiji.

His advice has been the antithesis of all the Federation Party has been pouring out in its racial propaganda sheets.

Turn Sambanthan has said publicly that the world would be most happy if the immigrant races which had come to Fiji “took that glorious step of watering down their numbers in terms of (political) representation to give the Fijians that feeling of strength which would make them happy in this land, which is, after all, their native land”.

"Sensitive"

He said thai questions affecting different races, problems met with in running a multi-racial country, should be discussed behind closed doors. Multi-racial problems were difficult and sensitive things, he said, and if one side started shouting in public the immediate reaction would be that the opposition side would start shouting too.

“It only takes a few politicians to start shouting to rouse up the people, and once they are roused it is very hard to stop them,” he said.

Speaking at a civic reception given by the Mayor of Lautoka, Cr. Eddie Wong, Tun Sambanthan described

what he had found in Fiji as “mos sombre and menacing, with a reluc tance by the people in general t( recognise that this is the home o the people of Fiji”.

Stressing that a political solutioi must be found in Fiji, he said: “D< you find it by taking the Indian; who are better off than the Fijians and giving them political powe through one-man one-vote? Giv them the whole country to administe and expect the Fijians to becom political slaves?”

He asked if Mahatma Gandh would tell the Indians to press on fo the right of one-man one-vote, whid is a fundamental right of democracy to press on and get it and to hel with Fijians? Gandhi, he said, woul< have described such an act as “im moral and unethical”.

As one of the leaders of a multi racial federation of states, and as ai Indian, Tun Sambanthan’s advice wil have gone deep in many places.

There are signs that the Fiji Gov ernment is beginning to be worriet at the outpourings of racist hate fror the Federation Party’s propagand machine.

Writing in the Alliance Party’s ne\ paper, Ratu Mara expressed regre that “in Fiji today we see increasin;

Members of the Malaysian Mission which visited Fiji in March, with the Governor of Fiji, Sir Derek Jakeway (third from left). First on left is Tun Samban than, leader of the mission, with Enche Ibrahim Bin Adbul Rahman next to him and Tan Toh Hong on the right. Tun Sambanthan had some blunt things to say about racialism and political rights.

irts to create racial discord. These evident in articles full of racial 10m which, unfortunately, are in ne of the newspapers appearing flc after week in Fiji. When all ties are supposed to be dedicated the ideal of racial harmony for benefit of all in Fiji—and, indeed, r e repeatedly avowed this dedica i—the outpouring of such persis t, poisonous, provocative propa da is quite inexplicable. One can y wonder at the source and in ation of such stark racialism”, le followed that up with “it may 1 be that to curb such pernicious paganda, appropriate legislation / have to be introduced here”, dl this is telling against the eration Party. People can hate, majority of Indians and Fijians e little room in their lives for ng, unless it is whipped up con ously and there is always an end )atience under provocation. /ell, what if the Opposition does ;o the elections and wins back its s? The position would still be same, with the Alliance Party ling the government and the sration Party in opposition. Then t? Another boycott? Fiji this k; is wondering about the political re.

Charged With Murder

sonard James Staples, 45, of 1 Howe Island, will appear in a ley court on April 3 charged with ng murdered his 13-weeks-old 'hter, Teremoana Tehina Staples, r. Staples, a well-known yachts and Islands resident, is currently rietor of a Lord Howe Island

thouse, the Polynesian, which

led late last year.