From Paradise to Pariah: Apartheid FijiPowered by CYBER DIVER News Network
by STANFORD SUZUKILike many other tropical archipelagos around the world, Fiji is astonishingly beautiful and potentially, a diver's paradise. Potentially. What prevents Fiji from fulfilling its promise as an island paradise is its people. Unlike many beautiful island destinations in other parts of the world that tempt travelers with exotic and colorful images of natural beauty and friendly natives, Fiji is politically, socially and ethnically divided. Long before Indians arrived in Fiji, intertribal warfare prompted Fijian chiefs to request British annexation. In 1874, Fiji was unconditionally ceded to Great Britain by Fijian king Cakobau to stop bloodshed between ethnic Fijians. To fully develop Fiji's economic potential, the British brought in Indians to work the plantations. The traditional British class system divided and separated people according to race, property and education. The tragic result was that British colonialists, Indo-Fijians and so-called ethnic Fijians rarely mixed. Ethnic strife between indigenous Fijians and descendants of Indian migrants has been Fiji's tragic legacy ever since. By contrast, Hawaii, Brazil and other parts of the world where migrant workers were also brought in to work plantations evolved along very different lines. It took time but gradually, over several generations, people from different racial and cultural backgrounds came together, intermarried and established what we now call "melting pot" societies. In Hawaii, people now boast about their ethnic and cultural diversity and the Fijian concept of racial exclusivity is absolutely unthinkable and morally repugnant. In this sense, at least, Hawaii has earned and deserves its reputation as paradise. Since 1970 when Fiji gained independence, tension and hostility between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians has periodically escalated into violence. Ethnic Fijians resent the success of Indo-Fijians who dominate commerce, not by inheritance or preferential treatment, but by the sweat and toil of their own hard work. They have come up the hard way from the plantation fields and they deserve equality and respect. They are, after all, Fijians. Fiji stands at a crossroads that will determine its future over at least the next 20-30 years. Although the military has finally cracked down on violence and lawlessness, Fiji's prospects look bleak due to an ethnic-based administration that has declared an end to multiracial democracy and a commitment to rewriting a constitution according to the racist agenda of the terrorists who are now being prosecuted for treason. Fiji's problem as a tourist and dive travel destination is not about alleviating fears of violence and lawlessness. It's not about blaming the economic collapse on the press. It's not about marketing gimmicks that tell people they are safer in Fiji than watching the ball game back home. It's about rebuilding a society to reflect the needs of every Fijian, no matter where they originally came from and when they arrived. Without that multiethnic and multicultural foundation, the rehabilitation of Fiji's tourist industry will be utterly impossible. The choice is simple. Fiji can stumble back into tribalism and racism and suffer the inevitable consequences that a thousand tourist bureaus will never overcome. Or it can reject George Speight's racist agenda, encourage and celebrate the richness of its own ethnic and cultural diversity, and get back on the path to equality, acceptance and prosperity for all Fijians. Anything less will leave an ugly cloud hanging over Fiji's white sand beaches, swaying palms and "happy" native dancers. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORKComments? Go to SCUBA FORUMS | 
