Australian evil for Fiji - continues long after
Girmit
Guest
Writer: Rajendra Prasad, Author: Tears
in Paradise
Prologue
by Thakur Ranjit Singh:
During the dark Girmit (Indenture)
days in Fiji between 1879 and 1916, there existed an AXIS OF EVIL to hide the inhumane, criminal and villainous acts by trio,
comprising Colonial Sugar Refining Company, British Government and AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. They say,
leopards do not change their spots. The evil that Australia was for Fiji,
especially Indo Fijians, in nineteenth century still continues today, as is
exposed by our GUEST WRITER,
Rajendra Prasad.....
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| Rajendra Prasad, author of this article and author of TEARS IN PARADISE-Struggle and Sacrifices of Indians in Fiji-1879-2004 |
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Rajendra
Prasad:
Professor Stephen Howes,
Director of Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University has
made a shocking revelation that the Australian Government had been vetoing
loans to Fiji worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the World Bank and ADB.
He made this revelation in The Australian Newspaper on May 29 and also noted
that Australia, in bizarre twist, had doubled its annual aid to Fiji, since
December 2006, now valued at over $F100 million.
It is interesting to note
that on one hand Australia vetoes World Bank and ADB loans and on the other
hand it doubles its aid to Fiji following the December 6, 2006 military coup.
This Australian approach is a duplicitous act that shows Australia, as a nation
that unashamedly engages in practices that would readily qualify it to join the
rogue nations of the world where morals and ethics are dismissed callously,
embracing the much-maligned adage that means justify the end. Yet, it never
ceases to preach belligerently to island nations on democracy, good governance,
accountability and transparency.
Rightly, most island
nations think of Australia as the big Pacific bully with New Zealand as its
lapdog. Both connive and conspire to promote their agendas and the aid funds
that they provide to island nation works as carrot and the stick is applied
selectively. In achieving its objectives, the Australian Government has shown
that it can even engage in terrorism, as venal as those carried out by Taliban.
In 2007, it organized an
operation to kidnap Dr Julian Moti QC, the Attorney-General of the Solomon
Islands, on trumped up charges of sexual violation, involving a minor in
Vanuatu. Interestingly, he was already acquitted of the charges laid against
him in Vanuatu court in 1999. However, it did not matter, the quarry was
hounded and hunted for years and had to be delivered to the slaughter. In this
sad saga, even Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, an ardent supporter of Dr
Julian Moti, became its unfortunate victim, as he lost in a vote of no
confidence motion passed against him. Australian complicity in this affair is a
logical conclusion.
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| JULIAN MOTI -former Attorney General of Solomon Islands, who had become a thorn for Australia and RAMSI, and had to be removed. He was wrongly framed, charged and kidnapped out of Solomon Islands. He has since been cleared of any wrongdoing, but as usual, Australia has proved that its evil for Indo-Fijians is as fresh today as it was for Indentured Indians. |
His successor, Derek Sikua,
facilitated sacking of Dr Julian Moti QC as Attorney-General and court
processes to swiftly deliver him in the arms of Australia. In the court
proceedings that followed, it was revealed that the Australian Federal Police
had provided substantial financial incentive to the complainant and her family
to elicit conviction of Dr Julian Moti QC. After prolonged court battles,
Australia’s highest court, dismissed the case.
Why was Dr Julian Moti
targeted? He was seen as an impediment to Australian interests in the Solomon
Islands. Though he was an Australian citizen, he was not given the honour and
dignity to which every Australian is entitled. Besides, Dr Julian Moti was no
ordinary citizen, as he was a Queen’s Counsel, an internationally acclaimed law
professor and Attorney-General of the Solomon Islands. However, it did not
matter. His Indian ethnicity may have worked to his disadvantage, as he was
placed in handcuffs and flown and delivered to Australia as a fugitive. What
more, a crime of this magnitude escaped the Australian media and was of no
interest to New Zealand.
There is no doubt that Australia
holds considerable influence in the affairs of the World Bank and ADB because
of its economic might and influence in the region. So to bring down Fiji to its
knees and noting that its smart sanctions were not working; it used its power
and influence to initiate economic sabotage against Fiji. The World Bank and
ADB relented but in a dubious attempt to pacify Fiji and regain its lost ground
(to China) it doubled its aid package. This purported gesture made no difference
to Fiji, as Fiji, the hub of the Pacific, is now China’s protégé in the
Pacific. And to confirm it, China demonstrated it in no small measure, as Prime
Minister Commodore Bainimarama became the first leader in the Pacific to have
the honour of audience with the newly appointed President Xi Jinping. Australia
and New Zealand are not even listed in the queue!
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| Frank Bainimarama has always been shown in bad light by Australia , New Zealand and their blinkered media which fail to appreciate the fundamental problems Fiji has. The sham of democracy that have been displayed to the world by successive racist and nationalist Fijian Governments failed to grant social justice to almost half of Fiji's population. Australia and New Zealand had turned a blind eye to this blind-spot of democracy in Fiji |
Both Australia and New
Zealand habitually malign Commodore Bainimarama and his Government and if they
care to analyse and compare it with the previous democratically elected
Governments since independence, they will find that only validation they had was
the elective process but the core value of each was to discriminate against its
Indo-Fijian citizens. They were discriminated, alienated and marginalized. For
example, the Rabuka Government introduced positive discrimination against them and
its successor, the Qarase Government pursued it as affirmative action. In
essence, the intent was same only label was changed to hide the lethal intend
and content.
Following Qarase Government’s
accession, there was a massive eviction of Indo-Fijians from land that they
leased from indigenous landowners. It was a Government-initiated plan to persecute
Indo-Fijians for their support to their own ethnic party (1999 elections) that
displaced them. Hundreds of families were routed from their farms and homes, as
village after village emptied. Eviction
of Indo-Fijian farmers was nothing but oppression of a race for exercising its
democratic rights. It did not matter to the Government for the damage it caused
to the sugar industry or to the Fijian economy, as it derived pleasure in
destroying the lives of innocent citizens.
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| Laisenia Qarase-an ethno-nationalist and racist wolf in democratic sheeps clothing. Australia and New Zealand tolerated his abuse of democratic principles and lack of fairness and social justice. They kept quite on him disinheriting Fiji's Indo Fijians and introducing racists policies that displaced many Indo Fijian cane farmers. . When he failed to heed the warnings of Bainimarama, only then he was displaced. Many feel Bainimarama's military rule is miles better than his wanting democratic rule. |
Both Australia and New
Zealand knew about the Government’s criminal intent and also saw thousands of
Indo-Fijians made destitute. It did nothing to assuage their pain and
suffering, presumably for reasons that the actions were perpetrated by a
Government that was democratically elected! They kept quiet as if it was
justified. Or is it because the victims were ethnic Indians who do not attract
same consideration or sympathy as those that are born with a fairer skin? Theoretically,
both advocate adherence to democratic precepts but apply it selectively. For example, they do not give their great
message of democracy to China that is an authoritarian regime and ritually
engages in violation of human rights.
Today, Australia harbours those who were
behind the 2000 coup and had categorically condemned the 1997 Constitution and
asked for its abrogation because it failed to protect the political hegemony of
the indigenous oligarchy. But when they got back into power in a subsequent
election through corruption and rigged voting, they embraced the same
Constitution and lauded it as just and fair! From this, a logical question
follows - is Australian intelligence so naïve that it cannot distinguish
between those who are true advocates of democracy and those who are
opportunists? No, Australia is not naïve. Australian politics is not grounded
on principles but on sheer opportunism.
It is to Fiji’s credit that
it has a strong Government that has stood toe-to-toe with the regional bullies.
Australia assumed that by denying Fiji loans through the World Bank and ADB,
Fiji would become economically insolvent, forcing it to look to Australia for
rescue. In such event, it felt that it would be able to reassert its power and
position in the Pacific, which is now lost forever. Now the Chinese dragon is going to protect,
promote and defend the Fijian shores by proxy and Australia and New Zealand better
maintain their distance lest the dragon spits fire from its citadel in the
Pacific.
Even the Russian bear has
opened its door to Fiji, as Prime Minister Commodore Bainimarama was scheduled
to meet President Putin after meeting the Chinese President Xi Jinping. When
all's said and done the kangaroo and the kiwi are no match to the dragon and
the bear. Indeed, the Pacific had become the battle ground of a cold war that
has been decisively won by China. The Australian Government policy towards
Fiji, dictated by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, will come to haunt
Australia. Any country that allows trade unions to dictate its agenda is doomed
and in the forthcoming Australian elections in September, change of Government
is a foregone conclusion.
(*Rajendra Prasad is the
author of Tears in Paradise – suffering and Struggles of Indians in Fiji
1879-2004).
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