FIJI
Address
to
the
Fifty-Fifth
Session
of
the
United
Nations General Assembly
by
Mr.
Laisenia Qarase
Prime
Minister
and
Minister
for National Reconciliation and Unity,
Interim
Administration of the Republic of the Fiji Islands
New
York 16
September 2000
President, Secretary
General, Heads and Members of Delegations, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I bring you greetings from the people of the
Fiji Islands.
On their behalf, I
also convey our warm congratulations to you Mr. President, along with the
pledge of my delegation to support you and to closely cooperate with
you, in ensuring the success of this Session.
To our distinguished
Secretary-General, I would like to express to you the sincere gratitude
of the people of Fiji for all that the United Nations family is doing every
day, in every part of the globe, to bring relief to those in need, and to
promote peace, security and development.
I would like to take
this opportunity, Mr. President, to warmly welcome our neighbour and close
friend, Tuvalu, as the newest member of the United Nations. Fiji is very proud
to see the flag of this very important Pacific island country taking its place
alongside the other 188 Members of the United Nations. We look forward to the
admission in the future of more Pacific island States.
Mr. President,
I address this august
Assembly today on behalf of the Interim Administration in Fiji, which I have
been entrusted by our President to lead.
In the wake of the
Coup d'etat in my country on 19th May this year, and the political crisis it
triggered, my Interim Administration has two very important tasks to undertake
within the two-year time frame we have set for ourselves.
Firstly, it is to return Fiji to constitutional
democracy.
And secondly, it is to
stabilize our economy and to lay the foundation for a return to sustained
growth and expansion with increased investment.
I would like to take
this opportunity, Mr. President, to thank all those Governments who have shown
sympathy and understanding, who recognize the complexities of the situation in
Fiji as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country, and who readily
accept that solutions to the present political crisis can be developed within
Fiji, by the people of Fiji themselves, without external interference in any
form.
Mr. President,
With the disappearance
of the Cold War and the dual division it created in World Order, it would seem
that a new form of imperialism has emerged along with its twin-brother,
neo-colonialism. As if the corrosive influence and impact of their mass
culture of consumerism and materialism are not enough, this new form of
domination is being propagated by the "purists" of the Liberal
Democracies, in the name of good governance, human rights, accountability and
transparency. In themselves, these are important general standards to ensure
the integrity of the system of Government in a country, and the just and fair
treatment of its citizens. But what is of concern is that we are being told to
apply these standards and values of liberal democracy strictly according to
their standards, without regard for the particular or complex circumstances in
each country.
Our concern, Mr.
President, is that some of the fundamental principles upon which this unique
World Organization was founded fifty-five years ago, are being eroded and
violated. The principles of respect for national sovereignty and of non-interference
in the internal affairs of an independent State.
We appreciate, Mr.
President, that we now live in a closely inter-linked global community,
and we are all part of one humankind, we are children of one divine Creator. We
must, therefore, be concerned about each other, about our common well being,
and common basic standards of rights and freedoms.
This, however, does
not give a country the right to impose on another, its own standards of
democratic governance, and what it perceives or considers to be right and
acceptable.
If within each of our
countries, we believe and accept that civilized behaviour among the citizenry
can only be one based on mutual respect, mutual understanding, and a
willingness to assist and support each other, why is it that some countries
today should think that these rules of civilized and respectful behaviour
within a country, should not apply in their dealings with other members of the
international community of nations.
I have raised this
point, Mr. President, not only that we here at the United Nations should be
ever watchful of this disturbing negative trend, but also to remind my own
country's friends and neighbours that stridency of political rhetoric, smart
sanctions and threats of more sanctions, will not really assist us in bringing
about a speedy and amicable resolution to our political situation. In fact, the
very opposite is true; they have only served to harden attitudes of one
community against the other. 1, therefore, make a plea to members of the United
Nations to show greater understanding of, and sensitivity to, the complexities
of the situation in Fiji.
We are a country of
many communities and many cultures. All have contributed to Fiji's development.
We have all accepted each other as citizens and as communities, and Fiji is our
common and permanent home.
But we also have
peculiar features, which bear directly on inter-communal relationships
within our society.
We have a total
population of around 800,000. Indigenous Fijians and Rotumans make up 52% and
are growing at 1.8% every year. The second major ethnic group is our Indian
community. They make up 43% of the population, but with a low birth rate and emigration,
this is continuing to decrease at 0.3% each year. The other communities in Fiji
are Europeans, Chinese and Pacific Islanders.
Ethnicity is only one
basis of distinction and difference in Fiji. Then there is land ownership. The
Indigenous Fijians and Rotumans own, by custom, 84% of all land in Fiji. Much
of the best of this, however, is on lease for various purposes, residential, commercial
and agricultural, and more than 60% of the tenants are members of our Indian
community. Most of the agricultural leases are sugar cane farming leases, and
more than 75% of these are held by Indian tenants, and most of these tenants
have lived on their leased land for three generations.
In our urban areas,
the situation is the reverse. The majority of property owners, of businesses,
of those in the professions, of those working for a regular income, are
non-Fijians, and mostly Indians.
In religion, more than
57% of the population, the indigenous Fijians and Rotumans, and the other
minority communities, are mostly Christians. On the other hand, the remaining 43%,
the members of the Indian community mostly belong to the Hindu, Muslim and
other faiths.
Then there are our culture and value systems.
Indigenous Fijians and
Rotumans have a hierarchical social structure. Traditional hereditary chiefs
and commoners alike have their place and role in society, and are bound
together by reciprocal obligations of loyalty, obedience, and of sharing with,
and caring for, each other, and everyone in the community. Fijians value their
democratic rights as individuals, but as a community, they know their place in
their traditional society.
With our Indian and
other communities, people are much more individually based. There is,
therefore, greater consciousness and emphasis on one's individual rights and
freedoms - the right to equality, the importance of education, success in
one's professional life, security of property rights.
We all live together
side by side in Fiji, yet we remain apart, separated by our ethnicity, religion
and cultural differences and our value systems. We communicate with each other,
not through the languages of our communities, but through the English language.
And in our general
standards of living, even though indigenous Fijians and Rotumans own 84% of the
land in Fiji, they have, on average, the lowest level of household income, and
they also lag well behind the other communities in almost every aspect of life
in a rapidly expanding market based economy.
I have explained all
this, Mr. President, to highlight the delicate and sensitive nature of our
multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society in Fiji.
The crux of our
political crisis in Fiji is that indigenous Fijian and Rotuman communities felt
threatened by certain policies which the non-indigenous leadership of the
People's Coalition Government had implemented following their decisive victory
in our National Elections in May 1999.
It was this fear and
anxiety about their future as the world's only indigenous Fijian and Rotuman
community of just over 420,000 people that led to mass demonstrations and
ultimately the Coup d'etat on May 19th this year. It manifested
itself also in the mass looting of shops, destruction of property, and threats
to people and their families, and unfortunately and tragically, the victims
were mainly members of our Indian community. It was in this serious and
deteriorating law and order situation that the Fiji Military Forces responded
to a request from our Police to take over direct control of law and order and
the protection of citizens. To facilitate this role, the Fiji Military Forces
abrogated our 1997 Constitution on 29th May.
However, as the
civilian Interim Administration, we have ourselves taken over from the Army
and, as I have said, we are firmly committed to returning Fiji to
constitutional parliamentary democracy. We intend to promulgate the new
constitution in August next year. General elections will then follow within
twelve months. The new Constitution is to be prepared by a Constitution
Commission, which we shall be appointing early next month. It will be
representative of all our communities and it will consult widely throughout the
country giving the public at large every opportunity to submit their advice and
recommendations on the new constitution.
I should also mention,
Mr. President, that a new initiative I have taken to deal with the inter-ethnic
crisis in Fiji, is to establish a Ministry of National Reconciliation and
Unity, together with a Council for National Reconciliation and Unity. It is my
sincere hope that this Council will bring together the representatives of the
various communities in our rich multi-cultural society, as well as
representatives of the various sections of the wider community, including
employers, trade unions and civil society, to discuss and make recommendations
on various ways through which we can promote greater inter-communal
understanding and cooperation. What we have realized, Mr. President, is
that it is not enough simply to focus attention on the Constitution as the
framework for our different communities in Fiji to live together peacefully and
harmoniously. We need to do more. We have to build and reinforce foundations
for living together in all aspects of our lives in our multi-ethnic and
multi-cultural society. We are making good progress in education, and
proposals are now under consideration to broaden the curriculum in schools to
include compulsory study of the Fijian language, Fijian culture and the
ethno-history and ethno-geography of Fiji. We also need to encourage and
to promote a more social interaction and cohesion at the neighbourhood and
community level. Most importantly, it is my sincere hope that this Council for
National Reconciliation and Unity will develop a consensus on National
Leadership and power sharing in Fiji. I believe sincerely, Mr. President, that
the most enduring foundation for unity in Fiji is one that is built in a spirit
of give and take, of justice and fairness for all, and of responsibility for
one another.
Mr. President,
Very recently the
United Nations launched a decade for celebrations from January 1995 to December
2004 to commemorate the theme of "Indigenous Peoples: A New
Partnership", which seeks the formation of new relationships, founded on
mutual respect and understanding between indigenous peoples and States and the
United Nations. In the context of Fiji, what we hope to build is a new
partnership between the indigenous Fijian and Rotuman communities, and the
other communities, as the basis of living together in our multi-ethnic and
multi-cultural society, in the 21st Century.
Mr. President,
I again assure the
international community, Mr. President, that within the two years of our
transitional Administration, we shall return Fiji to constitutional democracy.
A new Constitution will address the concerns of Indigenous Fijians and Rotumans
about their future. At the same time, however, it will also maintain and
protect the equal fundamental rights and freedoms of all citizens and groups,
without distinction based on ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, or economic
and social status.
Indeed, as the Interim
Prime Minister in the Transitional Administration in Fiji, I am committed to
building a united Fiji with a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural
society where all the different communities can live together in peace, harmony
and prosperity, where the aspirations of the Fijians and Rotumans are realized
and the paramountcy of their interests is secure, and where the provision of
important social services such as education and health to all our communities,
is a priority, so that the quality of life and standard of living of all our
people are continuously improving.
Mr. President,
Fiji commends and
supports the Brahimi Report on peacekeeping. It is a timely and thoughtful
report which, if implemented, will considerably enhance the United Nations'
ability to discharge its peacekeeping abilities.
On Fiji's continuing
participation in the United Nations' peacekeeping activities, I am pleased to
confirm our positive response to the Secretary-General's request for a
further increase in our troops serving in UNIFFL. Along with that, Mr.
President, I also commend the efforts of all those involved in the Middle East
peace process. Fiji earnestly hopes that these negotiations will be successful
in resolving long standing differences and bring about long term peace in the
region.
Mr. President,
We have been greatly
inspired in Fiji by the positive developments on the Korean peninsula, with the
growing rapprochement between the South and North. We express the hope that the
same spirit of goodwill and readiness to enter into dialogue will also spread
to the great country of China, between the People's Republic of China and
Taiwan. And on the very important country of Japan, I reaffirm Fiji's support,
Mr. President, for Japan's admission as a permanent member of the United
Nations Security Council.
The Secretary‑General's
report, "We the Peoples" has inspired the entire UN community with
its vision for a more humane and more holistic future for our children and our
world. We agree entirely that the United Nations should focus not just on the
relationship between and amongst States but more increasingly on the well being
and development of the peoples of this world.
Mr. President,
Once again, my congratulations
and best wishes to you on a successful Millennium Assembly.