...And Rotuma’s Fighting Mad

Islanders’ freedom bid inspires Fijian “overkill”.

UNTIL A few weeks ago the tiny island of Rotuma, 400 kilometres north of Suva, was known by the relatively few who had heard of it for two things: the beauty of its inhabitants and the size of its coconuts.

Suddenly, it has been thrust into the bizarre world of the new Republic of Fiji by a brave and doomed attempt to declare its independence from a territory it has always seen as a neighbour, not a ruler. Molmohau clan “king” Gagaj Sau Lagfatmaro (otherwise known as Henry Gibson, a grand master of martial arts and usually resident in New Zealand) declared Rotuma independent of Fiji last October, saying the islands 4000-odd inhabitants did not accept the Fijian Republic, and that the further 8000 Rotumans living and working in Fiji would henceforth be citizens of a separate nation.

Few took the declaration of independence seriously, though Rotuma had been ceded to British rule independently of Fiji and has never enjoyed full electoral privileges. Dissatisfaction with representation has continued since Fiji’s independence in 1970 significantly, perhaps, the island was represented by Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara as part of the Lau/Rotuma constiluency until 1972, and many of its inhabitants resent the island's use as an election tool by the Alliance Party.

But it is on humanitarian and demo-

cratic grounds that Rotuma’s own inde pendence was announced, with Gagaj Lagfatmaro criticising human rights vio lations in Fiji and asking New Zealand (which seems to have gained control of the moral high ground in the South Pacific) to take charge of Rotuma as a dependency, The islanders have taken the serious step of hiring a Suva lawyer, Mr Tevita Fa, to draw up a constitution for an independent nation, and demonstrations against events in Fiji have drawn a response that has been categorised as “pure buffoonery” by ob servers in Suva.

Buffoonery or not, Fiji’s reaction has shown a willingness to resort to violence that has been greeted with dismay by Ro tuma’s inhabitants. The Fijian District Officer blasted the flag of the putative Re public of Rotuma with a shotgun; an action that was followed rapidly by the arrival of a 13-man all-Rotuman military team, re portedly to help control a sudden out break of “extensive damage to food crop plantations” by wild pigs, according to the Fiji Ministry of Information, Major Tim Malo, leader of the squad, is believed to have taken over as the is land’s new District Officer while his trig ger-happy predecessor has returned to Suva. Rotuman sources say the soldiers are a “peace-keeping” force on an island that has been free of violence since the 19th century. □