Monday, August 16, 2010

Fascinating Omission

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the world's negative reaction to the military government in Fiji, its impact on Fiji's economy, and the political and economic implications for the region's island nations. The article is even more interesting because of what the author, Neil Sands, leaves out.

He leaves out why Fiji has a military government; why there is "racism" on the island. Brace yourself, here comes some condensed Fijian history from the CIA's World Fact Book:
Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987 caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority.
Inasmuch as the Indians were Fiji's entrepreneurial class, the resulting "economic difficulties" are understandable. Since 1997 there have been coups, elections, and more coups. Essentially what drives all of this unrest is the tension between the remaining Indians who have most of the money and the Fijians who control the military and government.

This tension in Fiji is not unlike those between the Chinese entrepreneurial class and the indigenous peoples in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and elsewhere in Asia. These are things about which it is isn't polite to speak, but they are political realities nonetheless.