Balance and ethnic conflict in Fiji

Using the slogan, ‘Fiji for Fijians’, on 14 May 1987 the military justified the overthrow of the political order that brought stability for nearly two decades to Fiji’s multi-ethnic society. Despite international pressure, the coup-makers oversaw the promulgation of a new constitution which assigned disproportionately higher representation to ethnic Fijians over other groups. Specifically, Fijians constituting about 46 per cent of the population were allocated thirty-seven (53.6 per cent) of the seats in the seventy-person House of Representatives. ¹ Further, in all major areas such as taxation, civil service appointments, recognition of religion, Fijians were accorded preferential treatment. Only a Fijian can become prime minister or president. At least 50 per cent of all public-service posts must be allocated to Fijians. In a democratic world of individual human rights, these inegalitarian provisions are bound to supply the incendiary raw materials for both internally and externally-derived designs for destabilisation.