The recent observation by the former vice president, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, that race relations in Fiji have never been better is an important acknowledgement of unquestionably the Bainimarama Government’s greatest achievement. This is its crusade to bridge the gulf between the races in Fiji and try to draw a line under the entrenched separateness that has always bedeviled the country and retarded its development.
Whatever else it may have done since it seized the reins of power five and half years ago, the attempt to create one Fijian identity has been the most daring of the regime’s initiatives and the most noble. Daring because few people – Grubsheet included – ever expected to see any government adorn every citizen with the moniker of Fijian, which has always applied to indigenous people. Noble because it is a gesture that has already had a profound effect as a unifying force simply by giving non-indigenous Fijians a sense of belonging.
For some people who bore the brunt of the vicious racism that triggered the coups of 1987 and 2000, the change has had a huge emotional impact. Grubsheet knows people – including some Indo-Fijians driven out of the country post ’87 – who can actually see a future for themselves in the new Fiji for the first time. “I’m Fijian!” isn’t merely an advertising slogan. It’s a potent revelation to many that maybe Fiji does have a bright multiracial future after all. Can the dream at independence of everyone working together as one nation finally be realised almost half a century on? It is certainly closer to being fulfilled than at any other time when the Roko Tui Bau – a high chief universally respected as a statesman, lawyer and intellectual – says race relations are better now than they have ever been. Which is why nothing must be allowed to get in the way of that process continuing.
Frank Bainimarama has demonstrated commendable leadership by confronting – head on – the indigenous supremacists who habitually describe non-indigenous citizens as vulagi (visitors). There was no consultation, no opportunity for the forces against him in the Vanua to shout him down. He just did it. “From now on, we are all Fijians, irrespective of race”, he said. Whatever the future holds for the Prime Minister, he has earned a place in the history books for this alone. For he used his position as dictator to railroad through a breathtaking reform that arguably no democratic leader could have achieved. Why? Because we know from polling conducted by the Citizens Constitutional Forum that only 20-per cent of i’Taukei support the use of the term Fijian for everyone. They regard it as theirs, even though it would be inconceivable for any Australian or New Zealander to adopt the same position.
This is why Ratu Joni’s comments last week are so important. Because not only is he a respected figure in the country as a whole, a man all races rightly regard as someone of intelligence and integrity. He has mana in the Vanua and the ability to influence opinion. It’s one thing to simply announce – as the Prime Minister did – that everyone is now Fijian but it’s quite another to win over the 80 per cent of people who oppose the change. Every i’Taukei must be persuaded that this is good for Fiji as a whole. Why? Because creating a common national identity enhances their own position. How? Because Fiji starts to present a face to the world that is united and inclusive, not divided and exclusive to the interests of one race. Singapore is a shining example that containing the racial bogey can take the smallest island nation to the greatest heights. Why else? Because nothing that is involved in this hugely positive step forward has any negative implications for the i’Taukei. It threatens none of their preeminent position in national life, their ownership of more than 80 per cent of the land, and their cultural dominance in the global image of Fiji, which – incidentally – is the pride of everyone. Yes, intensely so.
How many Kai Idia or Kai Valagi are in the national rugby team? None. Does this make any Fiji citizen any less proud of the Flying Fijians? Not in the least. How many Kai Idia or Kai Valagi are in the military? Hardly any. Does this make any Fiji citizen any less proud of the RFMF’s role in helping to keep the peace around the world? Not in the least. The Government’s opponents keep using the racial make-up of the military as evidence of the hollowness of its multiracial agenda. But the salient point isn’t whether other races are in uniform. It’s that they could be if they wanted to be – that the impediment to anyone wanting to be a solider doesn’t exist. It’s one of the many non sequiturs that keep being raised by people desperately clutching at straws as the tide of history moves against them.
As we’ve said before, the First Fijians are first among equals in the eyes of everyone in the country. No-one wants to see them diminished. On the contrary, we all want to see the lives of ordinary i’Taukei enhanced. For them to get better paying jobs, to get better housing, better education for their children. To enhance the rich traditions of their culture and their spiritual lives with some of the material benefits of the modern age – the chance for a better education, to travel, to be citizens of the world as well as their island home.
All this will flow from the wave of investment that will surely come when Fiji finally gets its political act together. And that will only come when Fiji gets its racial act together. When people start thinking as parts of a whole – Fijian – rather than the racial tribalism that has defined national life to this point. The irony is that one of the factors that has made this revolution possible comes as a direct result of the racially based coups in this first place. They drove so many Indo-Fijians from Fiji that it completely altered the demographic make-up of the country. No longer are Indo-Fijians in the majority. No longer is there any chance of them muscling the i’Taukei out of the way and creating the “little India in the Pacific” that some of their leaders foolishly spoke of before independence. We can now have one person one vote without the threat of upheaval because the i’Taukei, not the Kai Idia, are now in the majority.
This is the indisputable fact that torpedoes the claims of those who still try to sow racial division by fueling the fears of uneducated i’Taukei about threats to their land and their way of life. It simply cannot happen now, even if there was a chance – however remote – that it could have happened before. And this is where the country’s indigenous chiefs have a grave responsibility to lead – to reassure their people that a multiracial future poses no threat and, on the contrary, presents real opportunities. Back in April, one of Ratu Joni’s fellow chiefs, Ro Teimumu Kepa – the Roko Tui Dreketi – sparked a furor when she raised the spectre of “racial calamity” in Fiji in the context of the government abolishing the Great Council of Chiefs ( GCC) and truncating chiefly privileges. She said the chiefs were “a stabilising factor for Fiji and had helped control ethno-nationalism and facilitate conciliation”. If only it were so.
Where was the stabilising hand of the chiefs in 1987 and 2000? Indeed, there were far too many chiefs who were participants in the coups, including some at the apex of the system. They included Ratu Joni’s predecessor as vice president, Ratu Jope Seniloli, who was convicted for treason for his role in the Speight outrage. Far from taking a stand against ethno-national extremism, these chiefs actively encouraged it. And others who should have spoken out remained silent. It was a disgraceful abrogation of leadership for which the country is still paying a heavy price. And yet we still have figures of the statue of Ro Teimumu – the head of one of the three indigenous confederacies, Burebasaqa – attacking the Bainimarama government for its multiracial agenda. In her open letter to him in April, she said: “The obsession to remove racial issues from the governance of this country is short-sighted and ill-conceived, for ethnicity is a fact of life”. Well, yes, it is. But the problem in Fiji is that an obsession with ethnicity has got in the way of the country’s development in a highly damaging way. And too many chiefs – not to mention certain clergymen in the Methodist Church – fuel the fears of the indigenous community about threats to their position when they ought to be calming them. In the case of Ro Teimumu, she also fueled the fears of ethnic minorities by raising the spectre of “racial calamity” without explaining precisely how and why this might be triggered. What are the grounds for racial calamity when indigenous people are in the majority, own more than 80 per cent of the land and have such a commanding place in national life? There are none if those in leadership positions in Fiji patiently explain these irrefutable truths to ordinary people rather than manipulate their fears for their own purposes.
The Roko Tui Bau’s comments last week presented a stark and telling contrast to those of the Roko Tui Dreketi. Rather than warn of racial calamity, he chose to accentuate the positive – the improvement in race relations. Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi attributed this to government policies and an altered mindset among the iTaukei He said Fijians of Indian, European and mixed descent felt more a part of Fijian society because of the policies and actions of the present government. And some of the iTaukei fears about domination by Fijians of Indian descent had been mitigated by the increase in the iTaukei population and continued emigration of Fijians of Indian descent. “Despite some of the perceived egregious actions of the government against iTaukei interests, iTaukei still see a government dominated by them, a military that is still almost entirely iTaukei in composition and the fact that the government does not intrude on their daily lives unless they make waves”, he said.
The former vice president’s comments weren’t all rosy. He said Fiji was still a fractured society because the country had yet to achieve a set of common values. “What are these values? A common identity, a belief in our country, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and other civic beliefs’, he said. The Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, took exception to this remark, saying that the same common values were already present in Fijian society. But theirs was an argument about national values and national identity, not an argument about race. A public discussion based on competing opinions and ideas, not the colour of their skin. And that is the way it should be if Fiji is to ever become “the way the world should be” again.
Throughout his career, Ratu Joni has done more than most – and certainly more than any i’Taukei chief – to preach racial inclusiveness. He’s repeatedly said that i‘Taukei have nothing to fear from Indo-Fijians because of their inalienable ownership of the land and that indigenous rights don’t take preference over the rights of all citizens. He’s also taken a stand against religious intolerance and strongly opposed the notion of Fiji being declared a Christian state. He’s even criticised the practice of Christian prayers being uttered at public functions where people of other faiths are present. And he’s castigated church leaders for not practicing what they preach, not doing enough to uphold family values and not curbing the excessive consumption of yaqona. On race, he’s acknowledged that social integration between the i’Taukei and Indo-Fijians can’t be forced but both communities need to reach out to each other and “weave connections to the point where they are interwoven and unbreakable”. These are the words of a true chief with mana, a leader of all Fijians who commands respect across every racial grouping. Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi deserves to be heard a lot more in the Vanua, especially among his fellow chiefs, and in the country as a whole.
This article has subsequently appeared in the Fiji Sun.
Ratu Joni was a role model for me in high school and the other was Semi Koroi.
Semi was a great orater and I believe he also represented Marist in the National Quiz team….oh yes and a great soccer player…a left winger who comanded so much respect on and off the field. He was a broadcaster for Radio Fiji in the later years.
Now back to Ratu Joni.
He was a Suva Grammar bloke and I would eagerly wait for that Sunday afternoon to listen to the National Quiz..and would notice that the applause to each of his answers was greater than any other…and if memory serves me right he never missed one.
And that memorable night at the New Lilac Theater….the grand final between Suva Grammar and (I think) Natabua High School.
I was blessed to be there witnessing one of the greatest ever…Ratu Joni.
Yes he was my role model and an inspiration for in the later years I represented my high school….though not as great as him, but I tried.
And where does Semi Koroi fit into this….he taught me the basic skills of ball control in Samabula North and I also learn’t to listen to him…his oratory ability…OMG.
And how does this fit into the bigger scheme of things?
My great father died when we were young and my older brothers were forced to leave school and do any job to put food on the table…I had to look outside the four walls for role models whom I could emulate to take me to greater heights.
And lo…there was Ratu Joni and Semi Koroi…. yes an Indo-fijian looking up to i-Taukeis for leadership and role models….and I thank them for what I am today.
Sotia, my brother..and how did my father die??? He was assaulted by i-taukeis and thrown in the ditch in Waimanu Road..at the corner of Boron Road..that big ditch down there. He died a week later on April 6th 1975….he didn’t deserve to die and I’m sure they did not intend to kill him as well.
And it was the love and affection of strangers…i-Taukeis whom we did not know filled our home with food and would often come and sit with my mother……
Take that BEN Padarath.
I did not allow “race talk” at that early age to take over my life…and to this day, I don’t.
You see Sotia, may be that is why my writing becomes so intense when responding to people with racist agendas or people who double speak…on the surface a goody goody but scratch further, the real self becomes evident…(Komai, you melted my heart in he BEN blog and maybe that is why I didn’t respond….maybe I’m learning being humble from you).
To me, like Ratu Joni and Semi Koroi in my earlier years, this “regime” has presented an opportunity to look you in the eye and say,” You are my brother lets hold hands and move forward”.
And of course, we will better be able to spot VULTURES if we take the spec of race/ethnicity/gender/colour for they are lurking amongst us as well.
Chand, this is terrific and many thanks for sharing the story. What a life you’ve had and I’m so sorry to hear about your father. It’s very inspirational how you weren’t consumed with hatred and still looked for role models among the i’Taukei. Good for you, bro. This is the spirit that will build the New Fiji.
@ Chand
Bula bro. Great post.
Ya, so you Samabula North boy? I lived there for a number of years when young…..Nayau Street. Areh baya, batao!
Yes, you’re right. Semi Koroi lived there too…in the valley below upper Lakeba Street…looking across to Mead Road etc. He had an elder brother by the name of Selau who used to perform Samoan fire & knife dances etc at the Tradewinds. They (Semi & Selau) are part samoan – part Fijian with their Fijian connexion being from up in the hills above Vatukoula, at Nandelei village to be exact.
Sad to hear about your Dad. But that you dont hold grudges says a lot about your character.
Cheers
Semi Koroi was a great guy, a good human being. Spoke Fiji Hindi better than the Indos. Mischievous, wonderful sense of humour. Great guy to be around. We called him James Dutta’s left cherry – he took in good stride.
@ Semi Koroi good role model,
Oh indeed I agree with you that he took things in good stride…that’s the greatness about him.
I recall after a soccer training session he said that there will also be people calling you names, will despise you for what you are and they may be also be sharing the same lunch room with you.
There will be such people…whose actions will be beyond your control….may share the same grog bowl as you but will despise you for who you are.
Annonomity will be their central character and they will fire their vollies hoping no one will catch them.
If I recall, he use to call them LAMU SONA.
Ignore them….and move forward….oh I learnt a great deal….
@ Semi Koroi good role mode ,
Oh and thanks for jogging the memory…
I also remember him saying that long after we have gone and moved on, there will be people left behind counting their own cherries…now I understand what he means….one never stops learning.
Chand,I am sorry to hear about your father too.Youve done well for yourself so keep scaling heights and mountains man.
I also lived for about a year at Nayau Street and used to play touch rugby at the FIT hostel grounds and SPS grounds.At that time Suresh Babulal used to run the Nayau street Shopping center.Yes I agree with Graham people like you are needed in the new Fiji.
Another absorbing article Graham.
I agree with Ratu Jone’s assessment with regard to the ethnic composition of the military. The fact that it is predominantly ethnic Fijian in make up is a stabilising factor in that it helps mollify radical Fijian ethno-nationalism operating on the fringes of indigenous Fijian opinion. And let us not make the mistake of underestimating the strength of ethno-nationalist opinion, fuelled by chiefs of the likes of Teimumu Kepa and others.
People like Baleidrokadroka and his mentor Fraenkel and Brij Lal are quick to point to the ethnic composition of the military as being reflective of Frank’s lack of commitment to a multi-racial Fiji. They miss this very important point that Ratu Joni has pointed out – that an ethnic Fijian military, in the current political context, serves to placate radical Fijian ethno-nationalist opinion in that they can see that at least an important Fijian institution is dominated by them.
It is to Frank’s credit that he has grasped the political significance of this issue and of the need to placate, to a degree, the forces of radical Fijian nationalism that still lurks out there.
The challenge for Frank is to balance these competing interests for the security and stability of the nation. It calls for political judgement of a high order; a judgement that is beyond the capabilitiy of pretenders like Baleidrokadroka, Mara et al who in their rush to score points, fail to grasp the political subtelties inherent in Frank’s position.
As far as Baleidrokadrola and Mara are concerned only a ‘scorched earth’ policy against Fiji will work and they have been encouraging Australia, NZ and Samoa to support such a policy. But the activities and behaviour of these ‘democrats’ is a story for another day.
It takes a man with the intellect and political nouse of Ratu Joni to recognise these subtleties in the diorama of ethnic Fijian politics. I agree with you that people like him are needed in Fiji at this time.
Graham
A wonderful article reflecting the words of a leader who recognises the need for a unified nation. I find myself in agreement with your analysis and commentary and am encouraged by the positive messages coming from Ratu Joni.
Early last year in a letter published by the Fiji Sun, I wrote:
“My participation, as an ex-student from the 1970s era, in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Suva Grammar School was enhanced by the sense of togetherness and camaraderie from all those that I met. No matter what race, colour or creed there was, at least in my view, a strong feeling of belonging, held together by the common thread of having gone to Suva Grammar School. For me it was especially pleasing to see and say hello to a few of my teachers, who to a large extent, shaped the course of my life and the lives of so many others.
There is no doubt in my mind that these Islands and the people of Fiji have a sense of community that is sadly missing in other more wealthy nations. It is present in the day to day life in these Islands rather than only in times of trouble or crisis.
Also, there is no doubt that the sanctions (in my view, wrongfully) imposed on Fiji by other nations have created difficulties for many in these Islands. Those sanctions appear to be a product of the misunderstanding of the motivations and aspirations of the current government in Fiji with a desire to achieve equality and prosperity for all citizens rather than a few. It is to be hoped that, in the not too distant a future, there may be an acknowledgement by those other nations of their error.
The aspirations of the people of Fiji as laid out in the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress can become a reality only through the acceptance, tolerance and respect of, and for, each other, our respective religions and cultural values. Words on a piece of paper mean nothing if the values they represent are not accepted in our hearts and minds.
The wealth of these Islands is to be found in its people, in their generous nature, in their resilience, with an enduring capacity to remain positive; finding happiness in the simplicity of life as it is found here. The difficult challenges and struggles of all people in these Islands can only be overcome by ALL people, regardless of race, religion or colour, working together. The achievement of equality and prosperity for all is not just a function of government but a function of the collective efforts of all the people of Fiji.”
During my last visit to Fiji earlier this year I sensed a growing optimism for a better future. I agree with Komai and others that the contribution of Ratu Joni and others of his ilk are much needed if Fiji is to find its place in the world as a unified nation .
Since first being referred to Grubsheet several months ago, I have felt profoundly shaken reading in the comments to your site the level of hatred some contributors hold toward Prime Minister Bainimarama personally. At the same time I feel justly proud that Frank Bainimarama has stood his ground and moved our country forward despite the unjustified nonsense from detractors and the Australian and New Zealand governments, which, in my view, have in recent years maintained opposition to Bainimarama’s regime for their own domestic political considerations with less regard for the needs of the people of Fiji.
To hold the Bainimarama government to deleterious sanctions for not meeting Australian standards of ‘democracy’ is woeful politics by the Australian government. And the Australian Leader of the Opposition is equally culpable with his silence on support for the Fiji regime.
I completely agree with you, Graham, that the attempt by Prime Minister Bainimarama “to create one Fijian identity has been the most daring of the regime’s initiatives and the most noble”.
Like you, I was born in Fiji – a 3rd generation Fijian. Whilst my grandfather was born in the UK he spent most of his life in Fiji and began, with his father-in-law, one of the most successful companies still in existence in Fiji today, which still bears his name. My father was born in Suva and served in the Royal Fiji Military Forces in World War II alongside his fellow Fijians. He supported Fiji cricket and rugby, and helped many Fijians throughout his life. For some years I have been working towards returning to live and work in Fiji, the place I call home. Being known as ‘kai valagi’ has never been a problem for me – but now being known as ‘Fijian’ is even better. Why?
Because during the 12 years I lived in Singapore I always had goose bumps every time I watched the National Day Parade each year on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore’s independence from Malaysia in 1965. It is a massively popular event in the lives of every Singaporean. It’s on a scale worthy of all races, as they come together in celebration of their heritage as citizens of Singapore. It binds Singaporeans to a common goal – the achievement of a successful and prosperous nation for everyone, regardless of race or religion. As I watched these spectacles, I realized that I had never experienced anything like this in Fiji and that was sad, as Fiji has been so divided along race lines, including the political groupings.
When I visited Fiji for the Royal Suva Yacht Club 75th Anniversary in 2007 I had the opportunity to ask Prime Minister Bainimarama personally if it were true that he was going to make it possible for former citizens like me to take up Fiji Citizen again. He told me quite forthrightly that it was already being formulated. He is a man of his word – I am proud to say that earlier this year I once again applied for and became a Fiji Citizen. That we are now all ‘Fijian’ is a seminal step in the journey back to a successful and prosperous future for us all. And let’s have a huge celebration each October 10th Independence Day to reinforce our one Fijian Identity.
On another visit back home in 2010, to celebrate the Suva Grammar School 50th Jubilee, I travelled on a bus from Nadi to Suva. I sat next to an elder iTaukei gentleman who, as it happened, had known my deceased father. We chatted all the way and spoke of the changes going on in the country; in particular the sugar fields we passed that were lying fallow. He assured me that things were in play that would address these issues. But I saved my most daring question for him as we pulled up opposite Government Buildings in Suva, as I did not know how he would react.
I asked him, “What percentage of people did he feel supported Bainimarama?” His answer: “When Bainimarama came to power in 2006, 95% of the population was against him. Now, 95% of the people are for him.” “And why do you think this is so?” I asked. “Because people are getting the services they require from government, which they failed to get for so many years under previous governments.” Let’s give Prime Minister Bainimarama an A+ for uplifting the general level of happiness and functioning of government in Fiji! It is plain for all to see, especially the registration of electors for the forthcoming 2014 elections. And let’s give him an A++ for bringing us together as one people, one nation with huge resources and potential to make a difference in peoples’ lives.
The recent capitulation by the Australian and New Zealand governments to engage again with the Fijian government is further evidence that the political nonsense of recent years is finally over and the people of Fiji – the Fijians – can really take their place in the world, alongside Singaporeans, Australians, New Zealanders and other regimes who each espouse different perceptions of democracy and how it should function in their own cultural context.
Congratulations on this article and many other fine pieces of reporting on Grubsheet and for the courage you have shown on behalf of many of us who have remained quiet in the background but are wilfully willing you on. Thank you for taking on the detractors and clearly, succinctly and honestly reporting on the true situation in Fiji to help make Fiji again – the way the world should be!
My father too fought in the jungles of the Solomons in WW2 as part of Fiji’s First Infantry – the First Battalion, Nai Matai as they are forever known. His and my mother’s Fijian mothers were my “bubus” grandmothers and I was very proud of them. They were very different to my European grandfathers. I grew up loving both cultures and both of these cultures have molded me into what I am today.
So out of the greatest respect for my Fijian heritage I would never call myself a Fijian, because I know what a Fijian is.
Whether the name “Fijian” was created and given by a kai valagi or not, the term refers to the natives of Fiji, the indigenous, those who were here before others arrived.
There are about 400,000 Fijians in the world today and their genetic reserves are fast decreasing. When we live in a time when all decent people recognize the importance of preserving and safe guarding the depleting population of indigenous people around the world, why are we in Fiji hijacking the name “Fijian” to establish a common national identity?
Take Great Britain for example. All citizens are holders of a British passport and they are therefore called “British”. But ask someone from Wales “what are you?” the answer will be “I’m Welsh” and ask someone from Scotland and Northern Ireland the same question.
Pakistanis, Indians, West Indians, Africans etc. holding a British passport would never call themselves English, they are British. Ask any Fijian holding a British, US, Australian etc. passport “what are you?” he/she will say “I’m Fijian”
For hundreds of years the indigenous people of Great Britain have been able to maintain their racial and cultural identity.
I remain disturbed that in our search for a national identity that we are so readily accepting that we should be called “Fijians” when we are not!
Like Great Britain, Fiji is an ancient civilization. It does not fit into new world “melting pot” countries like America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Citizens of these countries can happily call themselves Americans, Australians etc.
The minority, the 400,000 Fijians who are either living in Fiji or overseas are making a mark in the world today and we should allow them to do that. People around the world know what a Fijian looks like when they watch international rugby. So lets not steal their thunder. Let the world know and understand what a Fijian is.
The term “iTaukei” is unknown to the world and will only contribute to maginalising an already depleting indigenous people.
And as far as a national identity goes? Indians, Chinese, Europeans etc of Fiji, are you really comfortable with being called a Fijian? I think not. I’d be happier to be called a Fiji Islander.
“Mona Midnight”, I used to feel precisely like you about this and that the name Fijian ought to be reserved for indigenous people. For a long time, I felt very uncomfortable about the change, regarding it as an exercise in social engineering. But I have to tell you that I’ve since changed my mind.
I disagree with you that there is any threat whatsoever to the indigenous people of Fiji and especially their identity and culture. In fact, there are few places in the world where the indigenous presence and hold on the national character is so strong. I’taukei customs and language influence us all and dominate national life. Our daily conversation is sprinkled with Fijian words or phrases. So I think you are wrong to say there is any chance at all of it being diluted just because one English language word – Fijian – starts being used to describe every citizen.
Secondly, I think there’s a strong case to mount that if you are from the country called Fiji, you ought to be Fijian, just as if you’re from Australia, you’re Australian or from Kenya, you’re a Kenyan. It’s logical and practical and removes the confusion that has always existed around the world about what to call someone from Fiji. They’re not Indians or Europeans because they’re not from India or Europe.
The examples you use about the British identifying themselves as Welsh or English are regional appellations. They also apply in Fiji when someone calls themselves a Lauan or say they’re from Nadroga. We’re talking about a common name – in the global community – for people from Fiji and Fijian now seems to me the most sensible and apt. There’s a problem with Fiji Islander in that, yes it’s an island nation. But that is a description of place – the Fiji Islands – rather than of identity, of belonging to the nation of Fiji. That’s also what makes Fijian more appropriate.
“Fiji” is not an indigenous word. The i’Taukei word is Viti. So no-one is hijacking a Fijian word to describe anyone. In fact, the Fijian identity is being reinforced, not diluted, by describing the indigenous population as i’Taukei. Even the word itself has another layer of identity, of belonging, because it has a meaning far beyond Fijian. It means custodian or owner and gives full recognition to the fact that most of the land surface in Fiji – more than 80 per cent – is in i’Taukei hands. They look after it for themselves and the whole country which gives them their special place in national life beyond the rest of us. Which naturally implies that the First Fijians are special and that however equal we are as citizens they have a special place in national life and are first among equals as the First Fijians.
If you are the dominant culture in any society and own the land, you cannot be marginalised or dispossessed, as you seem to be suggesting. I cannot see any risk at all to the i’Taukei in any shape or form in taking one English word that applied to them in the past and using it to create a common identity that every citizen can present to the world. And indeed I think there are a lot of positives in that it takes everyone else out of the netherworld they’ve always inhabited as non-indigenous citizens and creates a common identity for individuals of different racial and cultural backgrounds working together as one nation.
@ Mona
You have presented very well the position of the SDL party on the issue of a common name. Seems to have been lifted straight out of the SDL submission to the Constitutional Commission.
You must be an SDL party member
@ Mona Midnite
My father too fought in World War 2 91939-45). My grandfather also fought in France & Belgium as part of the Fiji Contingent in World War 1 (1914-1918). As for myself, I too have served in various missions around the world (Southeast Asia, Middle East) serving Queen and country.
Wherever these soldiers went they were referred to as ‘Fijians’ regardless of their ethnic make up. Ask Mike Gosling and he will tell you that about his father. Also ask Peter Thompson whose father also served in the Solomons. My late grandfather who was decorated by the British in the trenches of France in 1917, as well as my father who served with Ian Thompson and others in the Solomns, consider themselves as being a
kai Viti’ (Fijian). Those taukei, Indo-Fijians, kai lomas etc currently in the British Army weill tell you the same thing ie they are all ‘Fijians’.
When a Corporal Vidya Sagar of Labasa became the first Indo-Fijian to be killed in action in Lebanon on 3 Feb 1979, he was referred to as a ‘Fijian’.
On the Roll of Honour listing all Fiji’s war dead, Sagar is listed as being from Macuata in Vanua Levu.
Why?
I mean, he was Indo-Fijian and if we go by the sensitivities and reservations people like you hold, Sagar should not be referred to as being ‘Fijian’ and that he should be listed as being from India! (for heavens sake!)
Allow me to go back to the question: why?
Because the taukei Fijian soldiers from Macuata who were in the battle that he was killed, claimed him as one of their own!!!!
When the body of this brave Indo-Fijian lad was taken back to Fiji the people of Macuata wrapped his casket in tapa cloth and gave him all the traditional burial rights reserved for a true warrior!
I make this point to reinforce one simple and sad fact; that given the current biases, prejudices and sensitivities that people currently have towards the name ‘Fijian’, it is only in the finality of death can men (and women) of different ethnic backgrounds in Fiji, find solace and ultimately, claim that final prize that has always eluded them in life, universal recognition that they a true ‘Fijian’.
What a sad world we in Fiji live in when we allow our political sensitivities to withold recognition of a certain group of people simply on the semantics of the world ‘Fijian’.
Brilliant posting, Komai, and hugely inspirational. The story of Corporal Vidyar Sagar deserves to be told again and again. The whole point of the Government’s multiracial program is to make Fiji a country fit for a Fijian hero like this. Vinaka!
@ komai,
Yes my brother a Samabula Kid and we may have sat together and grogged as well….and you may also know of Bob’s electrical in Ono street…..the grog outlet…we will come to that later….
..and always great to read your blogs…fair and balanced and believe me this site has a very big following…..
I was at a funeral last Friday and as always politics and media comes naturally and I was surprised as to how many of them use Grubsheet as a medium to get a balanced report on Fiji.
So good on ye mate keep posting….good stuff.
@ Chand
Yes, Bob Electrical at the corner down the row of chops at the top end of Ono St. My younger bro is a grog addict used to drive from Nabua to buy his ‘supply’ from there for his ‘baby mixes’. I think Bob got his grog from Kadavu?
Graham and Komai, thank you for your responses. It’s good food for thought!
@ Mona
Thank you for your response. We are all here to exchange ideas on very important issues that we need to overcome as we try to rebuild Fiji. And it is important we engage and share with each other in a respectful manner. I am sure we come from similar backgrounds; the mention of your Dad’s military service which you should be rightfully proud of, your ‘bubu’s’ etc – I am thinking we could be closer than you think.
One more thing I feel I should point out. Frank and the rest of the military up in QEB are aware of the sacrifice people like Vidya Sagar have made. If you examine Fiji’s Roll of Honour listing all of Fiji’s war dead, you will note important fact that escapes most people – kai valagi’s and kai loma’s outnumber any other ethnic group on that list. In other words, more kai valagi’s and kai loma’s gave their lives for Fiji than any other ethnic group!! I will come back to this in a few moments.
I am sorry to have the break the list down into ethnic groups but that is what the debate on being ‘Fijian’ has been reduced to i.e. it turns on the issue of ethnicity which demonstrates how deeply ethnic poliitics has been entrenched into Fiji’s national psyche. So deep that it shapes our response to almost every issue and challenge that are before us.
When we are challenged with new ideas we immediatley retreat into the ethnic ‘in the box’ thinking that we have been accustomed to. Throughout Fiji’s history every time issue of a common national name and the issue of dual citizenship etc crops up, politicians quickly politicize the issue with all sorts of explanations to justify their position against a common identity. Time and again the politics of fear have been used to thwart any rational debate on this issue. So we have the likes of the late Senator Kovana Vakalabure, Mere Samisoni etc etc claiming that the English word ‘Fijian’ should be reserved for the taukei population. In your original posting above on this issue you present all the popular arguments against a common name that we have heard from politicians both past and present who exploit the issue for narrow political purposes.
OK, lets go back to the Roll of Honour. Let me just quickly say that next time you are in Suva make a point of going down the War Memorial site in Veiuto and look at the names on that list. You will see what I mean.
Frank and all the soldiers up at QEB are aware of the sacrifice made by people of all races in Fiji. In casting their eyes over the World War 1 list they will see the 130 or so ‘kai valagi’s’, kai lomas (a few taukei Fijians are listed too), they will also see the names of the taukei and non-taukei who died in World War 2 and in Malaya as well as Lebanon etc – the Lebanon list is where Sagar is listed.
Although during their overseas service they were considered ‘Fijian’, ethnic politics in Fiji denies them the ultimate prize and recognition these men served and died for i.e. to be considered a true son of Fiji, a ‘kai Viti’, a ‘Fijian’.
And Frank and the Military Council would have seen that the politcians who deny these men the ultimate accolade of being called ‘Fijian”, have never seen overseas military service. As I said in my response above, even in death are these men from different ethnic backgrounds denied acceptance and recognition that they are ‘Fijian’.
I find it insulting to the memory of these men that they are denied so by politicians who have never put their bodies on the line in battle. So too do the soldiers who have served find it insulting. It insults their sense of honour as military men that politicians should lay wreaths at the graves of these men in public acts of sorrow, yet deny them the ultimate recognition they sought – simply to recognised as being a ‘kai Viti’ a true son of Fiji, a ‘Fijian’.
That is the cry of the brave Indo-Fijian lad, CPL Vidya Sagar and his cohorts throughout our history who lost their lives in foreign fields.
Spare a thought for them the next time you engage in an argument on the issue of a common name for the people of Fiji. Also spare a thought for those who helped build Fiji and who have now passed on, whether it be in the Indo-Fijian cane farmer or businessman, the doctors and nurses, those who have sweated in the workshops in the sugar mills etc.
In the new Fiji that we are crafting these people should also be recognised as ‘kai Viti’s’ or to use the English word – “Fijian’
Stay blessed.