Commonwealth? there’s

no rush, says Ratu Mara

AFTER being kicked out of the Commonwealth in 1987, Fiji is now not too eager to re-enter the organisation. “There is no urgency for Fiji to enter an organisation which kicked us out for no reason said Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara whose interim administration has led Fiji into economic boom three years after two military coups. The 70-year-old leader pointed out that Fiji had been able to survive “surprisingly well” without the commonwea l t h.

“I don’t think that the initiative (for re-entry) will come from Fiji,” Ratu Sir Kasmisese said at a press conference at

the end of a six-day official visit to Mal aysia. The Com

monwealth question

was among topics discussed with Mal aysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad, who chaired the Com monwealth Summit in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Fiji was expelled from the Common wealth at the Com monwealth Heads of Government meet ing in Vancouver in 1987 after the Fiji army ousted the

month-old, Indian-dominated govern ment of Dr Timoci Bavadra at gunpoint in May of the same year. Malaysia was one of the countries which tried to prevent Fiji’s expulsion from the group

ing of former British colonies.

The coup also disrupted Fiji’s tra ditional lines of supplies, mainly from New Zealand and Australia, and forced the new republic to seek new markets in South-East Asia. Malaysia is being sought as an alternative source for food and equipment currently imported from Australia and New Zealand. Ratu Sir Kamisese said Malaysia possessed all the goods Fiji imported from the two countries. “The quality is just as good, if not better. It’s just the distance that is greater,” he said.

As a start, Fiji was keen on entering

into an agree ment with Mal aysia for the supply of 10,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Fiji of ficials have dis cussed with Malaysia’s state oil company, Petronas, a pro posal to import Malaysia’s

Tapis crude.

Fiji currently imports most of its oil needs from Australia.

Malaysia has raised its oil pro duction to

650,000 bpd currently from 590,000 bpd before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, following requests for imports by several countries, including Pakistan.

Ratu Sir Kamisese said Fiji also

hoped to open up shipping ties with Malaysia in addition to the air services agreement signed during the visit.

Fiji, which has given political domi nance to ethnic Fijians, wants to restructure its economy to ensure they gain a larger slice of the Pacific Islands’ economy, Ratu Sir Kamisese said. “I see the opportunity far better now in this constitution than in the previous consti tution,” he said.

Fiji promulgated its constitution last July, guaranteeing political dominance to ethnic Fijians who are assured of 37 of 70 seats in the new parliament.

General election is due next year.

Indigenous Fijians slightly outnumber ethnic indians in the 727,000 popu lation.

Said Ratu Sir Kamisese: “What we’ve seen here is that it is not only the constitution which will restructure the economy. Acts have to be followed and we will be able to do the objective,”. He said Fiji had not set any proportion of economic wealth that should go into the hands of ethnic Fijians, who own 83 per cent of the land but have only 10 per cent of the real wealth of the sugar

exporting country.

Asked if Fijians would eventually take over the Indian-dominated economy, Ratu Sir Kamisese said: “I think that is a good objective. Whether it will be realised is another matter.” But he said Fiji would like to follow in the footsteps of Malaysia which has similar racial,

political and economic problems.

Following riots between Malays and Chinese in May 1969, which left hun dreds dead, Malaysia introduced a 20-year new economic policy to give Malays a 30 per cent stake in the Chinese-dominated economy.

Politically-dominant Malays also re ceive priority in education and jobs.D