fiji talanoa
pp. 20-21 · Read in the full issue
With Sue Wendt,
in Suva
Fiji, like more affluent countries, is increasingly obsessed with money —the lack of it, the high cost of it and how to stretch it when it isn't there. Fiji people are becoming increasingly be mused by headlines like “Fiji MPs to get $63,000 in back pay” and “Bus fares up 25 per cent”, by news of increased domestic air fares, soaring fuel costs, spiralling food prices and —that familiar bugbear—higher freight charges. there was some dismay when the government announced that more than $350,000 would be spent on the four-day cession centenary celebrations from October 8-12.
Predictable protests came from Opposition politicians, one declar ing that the expenditure was “a sin” and another claiming with some justification that the money could have been spent more use fully on roads, electricity and other amenities in areas which remain as primitive as they were a century ago.
One MP pointed out that last year, $345,720 was allocated for family assistance for the whole of Fiji.
The independence celebrations in October, 1970, were magnifi cent, but the cession centenary celebrations (marking 100 years since the signing of the Deed of Cession at Levuka) looked like being every bit as grand.
One item of expenditure was to be for VIPs —$25,000. It seemed a lot, considering that an ad ditional $17,550 had been ear marked for “official entertainment”.
Not to mention fireworks —at $12,000, a grossly unnecessary extravagance. Overseas missions would cost $12,000 and official cars $lO,OOO. Part of the money would be spent on an $ll,OOO statue of the Fiji statesman Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna and $l,OOO would buy a gift for the royal guest of honour, the Prince of Wales.
A Fiji Times editorial was both moderate and realistic: ‘‘Nobody would deny the par ticularly significant meaning that Cession has. for Fiji,” it said.
“The centenary celebrations will serve as a visible and joyful re minder of the generosity, wisdom and selflessness of a British pre sence which for almost a century strove —and successfully—to bring a uniquely multi-racial nation peacefully to independence.
"It was an enormous achieve ment and should be commemo rated with due ceremony.
“But the essence of Fijian cere mony and celebration is simplicity and restraint —a magnificent and quiet dignity which gives special meaning to oratory and the pre sentation of traditional but not costly gifts.
“People hard hit by inflation are entitled to ask, for example, whether more than $17,000 to be spent on ’official entertainment’ is not altogether too much.”
Many people must have agreed with those sentiments, including, possibly, the Royal visitor. During his visit earlier this year, Prince Charles seemed to enjoy himself the most when the entertainment was spontaneous and unofficial.
Accounts of his visits, to the home and swimming pool of a govern ment minister in Suva certainly make entertaining listening.
Still, by the time this column appears, the celebrations will be over, deemed an enormous suc cess and worth every cent. Per haps even the question of who is to pay the $24,000-plus incurred in getting the 35 members of the Dance Theatre of Fiji to England as a prelude to centenary celebra tions in the UK will have been resolved . . . (The $24,000 is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the real cost of the Dance Theatre’s 2\ month tour. However a report
from London in early October saidj the group had found a way of beating the high cost of Londorr accommodation by moving into the building occupied by the Fiji High Commission. The commission occupies two floors of a building in prestigious Upper Brook Street (rent around £stgB a square foot) and has an option on two more floors previously occupied by other tenants. The group was re portedly camped there, waiting to give a command performance for the Queen on October 17.) . . . Unresolved however will be the plight of numerous families in Fiji who find it increasingly diffi cult to live comfortably. Accordj ing to one charitable group, the Fellowship of St Francis and Si Clare, many Suva people are no longer able to afford bread.
That’s not as far-fetched as il seems. Consider the plight of 8 Fijian domestic worker earning $€ a week and having to clothe anc feed herself and four young chil dren. With coconuts 20 cents each, a string of fish $3.50, eggs $1 a dozen, there’s not much lefl over for bread. (When it’s avail able. Fiji has chronic shortages ol flour and tea and in October was almost out of toilet paper.) The Fellowship of St Francis and St Clare, a voluntary arm o' the Diocese of Polynesia, supplies food to about 700 in 125 destitute families, distributing parcels, ol rice, milk powder, wholemeal bis cuits, sharps, sugar and tinnee fish. A parcel is not enough tc feed a family for a week, but i supplements meagre supplies.
Many thousands of people ir Fiji can be classified as destitute and the government has an nounced that it hopes to imple ment a new family assistance plar early next year. Some already receiving assistance will have t( be reassessed under the nev criteria.
Those who qualify (those whose ombined income from all sources > less than $4O a month) will re eive a basic allowance of $lO, lus $5 for the applicant’s spouse nd $2 for each dependant. Ad itional allowances may be given or essential expenditures such as snt, rates, school fees, water and lectricity.
Application forms will be filled ut at local social welfare offices nd forwarded for consideration to le Social Welfare Department’s ew Family Assistance Unit. Those liqible will receive a book of □uchers, which may be cashed idividually.
This impersonal system of ssessment, say the authorities, ill remove emotional and social ressures from social welfare fficers when deciding for or gainst family assistance. Let’s Dpe it doesn’t also eliminate impassion and humanity.
But a bright spot for shoppers recent weeks was the news that cal supermarkets would lower •ices of some goods, following e Australian and New Zealand Dllar devaluation.
Fiji decided not to devalue and us some goods should be reaper. Not locally - produced )ur, Flour Mills of Fiji Ltd istened to say, because Australia id increased its wheat price by ! per cent (the amount of the de lation).
The cynics among us predicted at similar overseas rises would obably cancel out the effect of valuation on nearly all goods, sspite a government estimate at it would mean an immediate duction of $6 million a year in e national import bill.
Hopefully, the estimate had ken into account an earlier an- Hjncement that orices of con fer goods were likely to rise October as a result of new Jight increases.