Heartbreak Islands: Reflections on Fiji in transition

Soziale Sicherung im Spannungsfeld gesellschaftlicher Transformation

“…Zwischen den Jahren der Volkszählung 1986 und 2007 verließen über 80.000 Indo-Fidschianer das Land und ihr Bevölkerungsanteil sank von 48,7% auf 37,5%. Da vor allem die produktivsten Menschen auswandern, die andernorts verhältnismäßig gute Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt haben, schlägt er sich im Mangel an qualifizierten Arbeitskräften, vor allem im Ausbildungs-und Gesundheitssektor des Landes nieder (FIBOS 2008: 3, 17;Lal 2003: 346, Reddy et al 2004: 1450 (Lal 2012).…”

From Sugar Cane to ‘Swords’: Hope and the Extensibility of the Gift in Fiji

“…Few disagreed with his prognosis of the problems facing Fiji, but they disliked the manner in which he articulated them: forthright, testy, even confrontational, he did not appreciate that the Fijian mode of both private and public discourse is allusive and tempered by protocol. In trade union politics everywhere, ends often justify the means, but in national politics, the means, articulated in the glare of intense, unrelenting public scrutiny, are probably just as important as the end, if not more important (Lal 2004: 271, emphasis added).…”

Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands : State, Society and Governance in Melanesia

“…The system of indentured labour ended officially on January 1, 1920. By that time, there was a sizeable free Indian population in Fiji and they were mostly farmers from Punjab, and traders and merchants from Gujarat (Lal 2003). The Gujarati population in Fiji increased from 324 in 1921 to 2,500 by 1936 (Ali and Crocombe 1981).…”

“…Indians succeeded Melanesians as plantation labourers (Connell 1985: 45). Between 1879 and 1916, 60,000 Indian migrants arrived in Fiji and their work helped create the foundations of Fiji's sugar-based economy (Lal 2003). The system of indentured labour ended officially on January 1, 1920.…”

“…However, his observation that chiefly tradition will be a cohesive force, 'giving life and strength to Fijian society in the multicultural complexities of the contemporary state, and the region beyond' appears to have been overly optimistic. Chiefly hegemony has been jeopardised with the divisions between and within confederacies, the vying for power among 'younger' chiefs, widespread disputes over succession to chiefly titles, and the machinations of 'middle-class ' ethnic Fijians who have used affirmative action policies to acquire wealth, power and influence for themselves (see Ratuva 2000Ratuva , 2002Tuimaleali'ifano 2000;Fry 2000;Lal 2003). Non-ethnic Fijian owners of capital remain influential but recognise the uncertainties that arise from the fragmentation among ethnic Fijian elements of the ruling class.…”