Failed leadership in Fiji: Mahendra Chaudhry
Guest Post by Rajendra Prasad (Author: Tears in Paradise: Suffering and Struggles of Indians in Fiji 1879 - 2004)
Cover of the historical book, Tears in Paradise: Suffering and Struggles of Indians in Fiji 1879 - 2004, that Rajendra Prasad wrote after seven years of research.
[This article
initially appeared in The Fiji Times on 17 September, 2008.
Fiji has had the misfortune of a
silent and a selfish intelligentsia, including the academic fraternities who
have opted, barring a few, not to advise, inform and guide the nation, using
the various forums. They have, if anything, been more interested in securing
their own nests while the nation burnt.
In doing so, they have abrogated their moral obligation
to share their knowledge and wisdom to transform a beleaguered nation.
Meanwhile, the people silently acquiesce to change without adding their voices
to it. The educated and informed virtually spawned a nation that relied on the
voice of politicians many of who were not fit even for election to the Rural
Advisory Councils in Fiji.
Yet they made it into Parliament, turning it into a den of unemployed,
unemployable and misfits. The Indian political sector witnessed grave
degeneration of quality of leaders, selected to represent them in the
Parliament. The Fiji Labour Party (FLP), in contemporary politics, is viewed as
representing Indian interests. It replaced NFP that was the voice of Indians
until 1999 when it was routed from the Parliament when FLP won all the Indian
communal seats.
Historically, the life of the pioneer generation was
violently consumed on the altar of girmit and subsequently, the Colonial rule
treated them with contempt and facilitated massive exploitation of the Indian sugar cane farmers by the CSR Company. The Colonial Government, in a bid to keep
them divided, discreetly promoted racism to keep the two major communities
divided. When it left, Indians could never escape its consequences. Racism
continues to simmer and occasionally fanned into flames and Indians are its
worst victims. Sadly, Indians are now the victims of their own leader, Mahendra
Pal Chaudhry. He has done nothing to destroy the edifice of racism in Fiji. Through
his belligerence and arrogance he helps fuel it into conflagration from time to
time.
The FLP leader transformed the party into an
authoritarian organisation. He is the darling of simple and gullible sugar cane farmers of Fiji.
They see him as their champion and to them he speaks like one, saying exactly
what they want to hear. He wields a powerful sword that has left many headless
bodies in his trail. Statistical analysis has shown that most of these
unfortunate souls were educated, articulate and resisted or were a threat to
his dominion. Nationally, he projects himself, as a great advocate of democracy
but is bankrupt in practising it. He has trampled upon it and jubilantly joined
those who slaughtered it.
Chaudhry's choice of parliamentary colleagues has clearly
shown his utter contempt for meritocracy. Indeed, meritocracy is the soul of
democracy. The academics, intellectuals and those who could be a threat to his
position have effectively been silenced and systematically disabled. It is largely
because of the degenerate culture of Indian politics that such people do not
want to soil their names. He is the master tactician in the art of playing
gutter politics. In two decades, he achieved the pinnacle of success, becoming
the undisputed leader of the Indian community but not without chaos and
controversy. Chaudhry and controversy remain inseparable.
Rajendra Prasad delivering his talk during Girmit Remembrance Day in Auckland on May 20, 2012 in Auckland
Chaudhry may have succeeded in achieving his ultimate
crown in becoming the undisputed leader of the Indian community but the
community paid a very heavy price for their choice. Major issues like land,
sugar industry, unemployment and poverty remain unresolved. With his
confrontational and aggressive approach, he is not likely to make any positive
impact in resolving these issues. Meanwhile, those who are suffering, as a
result, continue to suffer with no hope of sun ever shining on their lives.
Suicide rate among Indians is among the highest in the world thanks to their
leader!
To his credit, Chaudhry does attend a lot of funerals but
does not realise that some of these unfortunate lives were lost because he
failed them. For the families it is a time of great sorrow but for him it is an
opportunity for a speech and shake hands with his victims and delude them
further that he is not a villain but a saviour. In this vicious cycle of Indian
politics, lives have been lost, families needlessly separated and destroyed and
yet they faithfully relied on the wisdom, honesty and integrity of a leader who
betrayed them ruthlessly.
Fijians intensely dislike him. In 20 years, Chaudhry has
only been able to befriend Tui Ba, a chief with big title but limited influence
and beyond him he cannot represent the concerns of his community with other
Fijian chiefs and Fijian leaders and get sympathetic audience. He operates with
a serious handicap and he cannot deliver and does not give a damn. Since his
ascension as the leader of the Indian community, race-relations in Fiji
has just ebbed away. What more he has never been able to unite his distressed
community and, in fact, keeps them divided so that there is no threat to his
domination. Chaudhry has absolutely no understanding of the harm and pain he
has caused, as a result, to his community and the nation of Fiji.
The massive eviction of Indian farmers, following the expiry
of land leases, was not because the landowners needed the land but because of
their support for an insensitive and inconsiderate leader. Chaudhry came from a
trade union background into politics and remained like a bull in a china shop
demolishing and destroying everything of value. Proudly dubbed the Robin Hood
of Fiji by Commodore Bainimarama when he was appointed as Finance Minister in
the interim administration, it eventually came to light that indeed he got from
the rich but failed to share with the poor! However, he has not changed his
tune, continuing to project himself as the champion of the poor and
dispossessed in Fiji.
Even in the realm of FLP, democracy does not exist. The
master's voice is always projected as a collective voice of the FLP. It is the
ultimate refuge for the master from where he recuperates when mauled or
launches his missiles on his adversaries. His weapons are provocation,
confrontation, deceit, distortions and lies weapons that have failed to improve
the plight of Indians in Fiji.
As a leader of the Indian community he has done incalculable harm to their
image and race relations in Fiji,
behaving with arrogance and complete insensitivity towards others.
Chaudhry also cannot work under others, with others and,
those under him usually look for the nearest exit. A serious setback? You would
think so. He does not think so; as long as he wields power it does not matter.
He joined the NFP in 1987 and formed a grand coalition and shafted it, he
joined the Qarase Coalition in 2006 and was on the point of derailing it when
the military executed the coup. He joined the interim administration and
clearly showed he is not a team player but a wayward member who just cannot and
must never be trusted. As secretary of Public Servants Association he
contributed to the growth of a body disproportionate to its need and wanting in
productivity. However, when he became the interim Finance Minister he turned
around and claimed that the civil service was too big and too lazy! Hypocrisy?
It is an understatement!
Today, Indians' future in Fiji remains critical. Poverty,
insecurity and despair hound the community, while their champion has been able
to establish a personal economic empire that will remain an elusive dream for
many. What Indians need is a leader who can demolish the walls of racism and
promote multiracialism, establish harmonious relations with Fijians and gain
respect and trust of Fijian leaders. There is no place for politics of
aggression, confrontation and provocation in Fiji but politics of cooperation,
conciliation and consensus. In this regard, Chaudhry is a perfect
contradiction, operating without conscience or compassion. In two decades,
Chaudhry has not mastered the basics in dispensing his services as the leader
of the Indians and there is no hope that he can or will change.
Admittedly, any person noted for his arrogance,
belligerence, aggression and provocative approach can never receive sympathetic
response from Fijians. In the Fijian culture, respect, humility and modesty
remain revered virtues that must be observed when interacting with them.
Ignorance of these communal values on the part of Chaudhry, as the leader of
the Indian community, has been the reason for Indians being subjected to
hostile and retaliatory measures from Fijians. Relevant to this, a close friend
of mine made a pertinent comment that in two decades, Chaudhry was not been
able to re-negotiate and restore a single terminated lease of an Indian farmer
but he contributed, directly or indirectly, to the termination of leases of
hundreds of farmers that displaced thousands of Indians from their land and
homes. A majority now lives in the squatter settlements around the country.
Comparatively, observance of basic values had endeared
Jai Ram Reddy to Fijians and he had, in co-operation with Prime Minister Rabuka
achieved resounding success within a very short period of time, giving the
nation the much-lauded 1997 Constitution that was unanimously approved by the
Great Council of Chiefs, the Senate and the Parliament. Yet, the same
Constitution was repudiated by the so-called champion of the Indians, Chaudhry,
claiming that Reddy had sold the interests of the Indians and, yet on his own
he was not capable of achieving anything except accelerating the eviction of
his supporters from land that they leased from Fijian landowners for several
decades!
Sadly, Indians believed Chaudhry's despicable lies and
voted for him en masse in the 1999 elections, resulting in Indians and Fiji
losing Jai Ram Reddy, now a judge of the International Court of Justice, a
respected leader who had the potential to work with Fijian leaders, unite a
divided Fiji and help make it the most dynamic nation in the Pacific. There is
no political leader now in sight who can resurrect the dream, unite the peoples
of Fiji
and fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the silent majority.
The hostile reaction that Chaudhry received on a recent
radio talk-back show is indicative that Indians have awakened to his villainy
and will react with wisdom and courage to face someone who betrayed them
mercilessly. It is for Indians now to arise, awake and send Chaudhry into the
political wilderness (or to Australia!)
and pray that he never returns and there is also peace there! Chaudhry will go
down in Indian history as the most controversial leader who failed his people
and the nation of Fiji!
[Rajendra Prasad is the former town clerk of the Ba Town Council and the
author of book "Tears in Paradise - Suffering and Struggles of Indians in
Fiji 1879-2004". The views expressed are of the author and not necessarily
of Fiji Pundit blogsite.]
