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dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
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 Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 5:29 pm Post subject: 150 + years - UK MultiKultural Experiment Still Fails |
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Race issue central to Fiji poll
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Indigenous PM Mr Qarase (L) faces Indian challenger Mr Chaudhry
Fijians are voting in the country's first general election since the post-coup vote in 2001.
The poll pits Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's Fijian-dominated SDL party against the predominantly ethnic Indian Labour party of Mahendra Chaudhry.
Relations between native Fijians and ethnic Indians, who make up almost 40% of the population, have been tense.
This week, the army conducted two days of manoeuvres near the capital, Suva, in case of any violence.
Polls opened at 0700 local time on Saturday (1900 GMT on Friday) and voting will last until 13 May.
During the poll, 2,000 ballot boxes will be distributed to the 100 of Fiji's 320 islands which are inhabited.
Vote-counting is expected to take four days.
Twelve parties are trying to win seats in the 71-member parliament. The SDL and the Labour party are expected to win the majority of the seats between them.
Deep-seated tensions
Fiji has never really recovered from a nationalist uprising six years ago, says the BBC correspondent in Sydney, Phil Mercer.
Q and A: Fiji elections
It highlighted the deep differences between the races that are still apparent. In May 2000, armed gunmen stormed the parliament compound and deposed the country's first ethnic Indian Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry.
He was eventually replaced by Laisenia Qarase, a hardline indigenous leader.
Tensions between the two men are well known and reflect the suspicions that exist between native Fijians and ethnic Indians.
Army chief Voreqe Bainimarama has said the military will back whichever government is elected.
Commodore Bainimarama has been engaged in an angry dispute with Mr Qarase over a controversial amnesty bill that would allow leaders of former coups, such as George Speight who led the 2000 coup, to apply to be released.
Preferential system
Voters cast two ballots - one for an "open" seat and one for a representative of their own community.
Twenty-five seats in the parliament are "open", and the rest are reserved for different ethnic groups. Twenty-three are reserved for indigenous Fijians and 19 for ethnic Indians.
About 51% of Fiji's estimated 906,000 people are indigenous Fijians of Melanesian and Polynesian ancestry.
Ethnic Indians make up about 44%. Their ancestors were brought to the islands as sugar farmers in the 19th century by former colonial power Britain. Other ethnic groups make up 5%.
Foreign observers, including a group from the European Union, will monitor the election.
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Bulsajo
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| 150 + years - UK MultiKultural Experiment Still Fails |
Those stupid Limeys!!! When will they ever learn?
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:48 am Post subject: |
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Hmm.. the UK's multicultural experiment?
It was Fijians who didn't want to work the sugar fields.. so decided to import ethnic Indians to do it so they wouldn't have to.
After there 5 years of indentured service finished.. they were in theory suppose to go back to where they came from. Didn't work out that way. |
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dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:57 am Post subject: |
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| After 150 years they were supposed to mix much more, eliminate the locals and make a racial ubermenschen. They didn't do that. The two groups didn't mix just seem to hate each other. |
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happeningthang
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:01 am Post subject: |
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| dulouz wrote: |
| After 150 years they were supposed to mix much more, eliminate the locals and make a racial ubermenschen. They didn't do that. The two groups didn't mix just seem to hate each other. |
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dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: |
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Aww, thats a nice picture. I don't understand your debate tactics however. Elucidate please. I have seen people ask to have things clarified but I have nevr seen anyone do that to forward a debate.
I think you believe I've stepped over boundaries that are supposed to be untouchable and you reacted in an unbalanced fashion to counter. You seem to say since I am not playing by the rules, you don't have to either. Hence the pancak'd leporid. |
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happeningthang
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:10 am Post subject: |
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| dulouz wrote: |
Aww, thats a nice picture. I don't understand your debate tactics however. Elucidate please. I have seen people ask to have things clarified but I have nevr seen anyone do that to forward a debate.
I think you believe I've stepped over boundaries that are supposed to be untouchable and you reacted in an unbalanced fashion to counter. You seem to say since I am not playing by the rules, you don't have to either. Hence the pancak'd leporid. |
It means..." I don't know what you're talking about" you humorless git. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| dulouz wrote: |
| After 150 years they were supposed to mix much more, eliminate the locals and make a racial ubermenschen. They didn't do that. The two groups didn't mix just seem to hate each other. |
Where did you get that info?
The ethnic Indians were suppose to work the sugar fields and go home after their 5 year contracts. There has never been a point anywhere in Fijian history where the intent was to mix two cultures on native Fijian land and permanantly alter the Fijian people just as some social experiment.
Where are you getting your facts? |
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