What's going on in Fiji?

[Soseloshvili]

Okay, as I understand it the Republic of Fiji is currently run by a military dictatorship that's signing deals with Capitalist giants like China. The people are poor as all hell, the military is running a campaign of terror in which at least 2 have died, and it's overall a bad situation.

So someone tell me why I can't seem to find any sort of organization that's resisting this. Please, someone who's Fijian, or someone who knows about Fiji explain the situation to me, to me it seems like the country's on the brink of a revolution but there are no traces of it.

[stella2010]

The people who do something are not in Fiji.
They work very hard in health related areas mainly across oceania.

There is no real strong organisation. Just heaps of hard work and helping hands.

[Soseloshvili]

That's actually depressing.

[this is an invasion]

The water from Fiji is absolutely amazing.

[stella2010]

That's actually depressing.

Its how you think about it

its unfortunate that people have become so dumb
that they cannot lead simple lives.

Absolutely nothing wrong with hard work.

[revolution inaction]

Okay, as I understand it the Republic of Fiji is currently run by a military dictatorship that's signing deals with Capitalist giants like China. The people are poor as all hell, the military is running a campaign of terror in which at least 2 have died, and it's overall a bad situation.

So someone tell me why I can't seem to find any sort of organization that's resisting this. Please, someone who's Fijian, or someone who knows about Fiji explain the situation to me, to me it seems like the country's on the brink of a revolution but there are no traces of it.

what makes you think its on the brink of a revolution?



Its how you think about it

its unfortunate that people have become so dumb
that they cannot lead simple lives.

Absolutely nothing wrong with hard work.

wtf?

[bricolage]

Okay, as I understand it the Republic of Fiji is currently run by a military dictatorship that's signing deals with Capitalist giants like China. The people are poor as all hell, the military is running a campaign of terror in which at least 2 have died, and it's overall a bad situation.

So someone tell me why I can't seem to find any sort of organization that's resisting this.
It's normally quite hard to resist military dictatorships and campaigns of terror.

[bricolage]

Absolutely nothing wrong with hard work.
You better believe there is. Hard work normally means you are working hard because you need to work hard to survive. How about no work?

[Student of Marx]

Here, I found this useful.

An analysis of the current crisis in Fiji (http://www.maorinews.com/karere/fiji/teaiwa.htm)

[Soseloshvili]

Here, I found this useful.

An analysis of the current crisis in Fiji (http://www.maorinews.com/karere/fiji/teaiwa.htm)

Thanks!

[Saorsa]

These articles might interest you. My country is one of the main imperialist forces interfering with Fiji.

http://workersparty.org.nz/2009/03/07/new-zealands-imperialist-attitude-toward-fiji/

http://workersparty.org.nz/2010/08/11/vatukoulas-19-year-miners-strike/

Banimarama, the head of the military and leader of the most recent coup, current de facto head of state, is different to the coup leaders who preceded him. They launched their coups on the basis of a racist agenda to defend the interests of indigenous Fijians against Fijian Indians, whereas Banimarama has launched his on an agenda of reforming the corrupt, gerrymandered electoral system and promoting racial equality and national unity.

In many ways his seizure of power was a continuation of the counter-coup in 2000. When George Speight launched a coup attempt (a racist one), Banimarama was instrumental in blocking it. But when a government which rose after the defeat of that coup was moving to pardon all those involved in it, and after a long period of political turmoil and military threats, Banimarama seized power.

From Wikipedia:


Explaining the coup

The immediate cause of the military coup was Prime Minister Qarase's refusal to withdraw the Qoliqoli Bill. Bainimarama stated that his main reasons for overthrowing the Qarase government were that it was corrupt, and that it was conducting racially discriminatory policies against the country's Indo-Fijian minority. In a speech publicly announcing the coup, he stated that Qarase's policies had "divided the nation now and will have very serious consequences to our future generations". He added that "the passing of the Reconciliation, Qoliqoli and Land Claims [Bills] will undermine the Constitution, will deprive many citizens of their rights as guaranteed under the Constitution and compromise and undermine the integrity of the Constitutional Offices including the Judiciary". He explained that he would amend the race-based electoral rolls, so as to "lead us into peace and prosperity and mend the ever widening racial divide that currently besets our multicultural nation".[23]

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in September 2007, he stated:

"[I]n 1970, Fiji started its journey as a young nation on a rather shaky foundation, with a race-based Constitution, one which rigidly compartmentalised our communities. The 'democracy' which came to be practised in Fiji was marked by divisive, adversarial, inward-looking, race-based politics. The legacy of leadership, at both community and national levels, was a fractured nation. Fiji's people were not allowed to share a common national identity.

Of the two major communities, indigenous Fijians were instilled with fear of dominance and dispossession by Indo-Fijians, and they desired protection of their status as the indigenous people. Indo-Fijians, on the other hand, felt alienated and marginalised, as second-class citizens in their own country, the country of their birth, Fiji. [...]

Fiji's overall situation by 2006 had deteriorated sharply, heightened by massive corruption and lawlessness [...].

[P]olicies which promote racial supremacy [...] must be removed once and for all. [...] Fiji will look at making the necessary legal changes in the area of electoral reform, to ensure true equality at the polls. [...] [E]very person will be given the right to vote for only one candidate, irrespective of race or religion."[24]

This was to be achieved, he declared, through a People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress, the stated aim of which was to "rebuild Fiji into a non-racial, culturally-vibrant and united, well-governed, truly democratic nation that seeks progress, and prosperity through merit-based equality of opportunity, and peace".[25]

In April 2009, he told The Australian's Graham Davis:

"My vision for Fiji is one that's free of racism. That's the biggest problem we've had in the last 20 years and it needs to be taken out. It's the lies that are being fed to indigenous Fijians that are causing this, especially from our chiefs who are the dominating factor in our lives. And the politicians take advantage of that. We need to change direction in a dramatic way. We need to get rid of Qarase and everything associated with the 2000 coup and begin entirely on a new path."[26]

Now the guy is no revolutionary. He's not even on the level of a Thomas Sankara, a military coup leader and progressive nationalist using Marxist rhetoric. But I can tell you pretty confidently that (at least at the moment) there is no 'reign of terror' in Fiji. The coup and the subsequent rule by Banimarama have been pretty much bloodless. There has been repression and it's ongoing, but Fiji is much less oppressive than most bourgeois states. Compare Fiji to nearby Tonga where the people are still ruled by an autocratic monarchy, and where the pro-democratic uprising of 2006 was crushed with the aid of Australian and New Zealand police... why don't we we hear about this? Because Tonga toes the line. Tonga's monarchs do what their told. And as long as it stays that way, they'll be propped up by imperialism.

Banimarama is similar to a Mugabe figure in many ways. He's under attack from imperialist forces, suffering sanctions etc, because he refuses to toe the line and obey orders from Canberra, Wellington and Washington. He's built links with China and under his rule Fiji is pursuing an independent path.

The workers of Fiji are capable of overthrowing him and when they're ready to do so they should. But let's not get it twisted. This guy is actually a fairly progressive nationalist and is a better leader than half the corrupt, so-called 'democratic' leaders in the Pacific Islands.

He doesn't deserve our support as a political figure. But imperialist attacks and sanctions on Fiji should be totally opposed.

[Saorsa]

For the record, Fiji is nowhere near the brink of revolution.

[RedStarOverChina]

Banimarama, the head of the military and leader of the most recent coup, current de facto head of state, is different to the coup leaders who preceded him. They launched their coups on the basis of a racist agenda to defend the interests of indigenous Fijians against Fijian Indians, whereas Banimarama has launched his on an agenda of reforming the corrupt, gerrymandered electoral system and promoting racial equality and national unity.

Thank you. I was too lazy to have typed that myself.

Let's not take media propaganda too seriously here, folks.

[Soseloshvili]

Thanks for all the info. Seems my first attempt at understanding the situation was way off.

To the person above, I started this thread to get an opinion other than that of the corporate media.

[stella2010]

For the record, Fiji is nowhere near the brink of revolution.

Thats the sort of thing I was trying to point out.

Difficult when Anarchist children ruin things.

[revolution inaction]

Difficult when Anarchist children ruin things.

what do you mean by that?

[stella2010]

It means what it means.

[Magón]

It means what it means.

In other words, it means nothing. You're just shooting your mouth off again, right?

[stella2010]

I could shoot off more than that.

[Reznov]

I could shoot off more than that.

You have lost me.

[stella2010]

Then get lost.
or
Refine ur messy office. I bet it is.
$10 AUS that ur office needs a clean. Any takers or just wimps.

[Reznov]

Then get lost.
or
Refine ur messy office. I bet it is.
$10 AUS that ur office needs a clean. Any takers or just wimps.

Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?

Why do you keep adding on to whatever im saying?

[stella2010]

Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?

Why do you keep adding on to whatever im saying?

Do not talk me down.

Right now you are a lowly fucking recruit. I am your punisher boy, I am your punisher.

Now...stop talking me back. Thats a fuken order.

[Reznov]

Do not talk me down.

Right now you are a lowly fucking recruit. I am your punisher boy, I am your punisher.

Now...stop talking me back. Thats a fuken order.

Lowly recruit and your my punisher?

How old are you? Are you trolling right now, or do you actually talk like this?

[Soseloshvili]

Why is that any thread on this website degenerates into a fight between two factions after about 5 posts.

[Imposter Marxist]

Why is that any thread on this website degenerates into a fight between two factions after about 5 posts.

Because we have 50 tendencies, all of which had killed each other at some point in history, all sharing threads.

[Soseloshvili]

Because we have 50 tendencies, all of which had killed each other at some point in history, all sharing threads.

I know, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not averse to cooperating with Anarchists, Trotskyists, Maoists or anyone, none of those groups ever did anything to me.

I mean, the Marxist-Anarchist split happened 140 years ago. Yet we still continually rip open that wound again and again. I just don't get it.

Not to mention that it's been 70 years since Trotsky died, and 60 or so since Stalin died. Like why do we continually argue things that stopped being relevant decades ago?

[Saorsa]

Can an admin purge all the stupid posts in this thread? Hand out some infractions?

[Reznov]

Because we have 50 tendencies, all of which had killed each other at some point in history, all sharing threads.

Then its time for people to stop trying to bring up old beef and realize times have changed and its time for the world to turn to the everyday workers.

[WeAreReborn]

Do not talk me down.

Right now you are a lowly fucking recruit. I am your punisher boy, I am your punisher.

Now...stop talking me back. Thats a fuken order.
I assume you mean don't talk down to me.. Also obvious troll is obvious. Go back to /b/ loser.

[stella2010]

I assume you mean don't talk down to me.. Also obvious troll is obvious. Go back to /b/ loser.

I assume you need rebirth in everyday colloquial discourse.
I meant every word of it.

ANARCHY is not in alignment with overall goals and objectives.
YOU make things worse.

[WeAreReborn]

I assume you need rebirth in everyday colloquial discourse.
I meant every word of it.

ANARCHY is not in alignment with overall goals and objectives.
YOU make things worse.
Overall goals and objectives? For what? In terms of improvement of life and equality it is in alignment. In terms of saying random shit maybe not.

[stella2010]

Overall goals and objectives? For what? In terms of improvement of life and equality it is in alignment. In terms of saying random shit maybe not.

In terms of quality of life.

Even for the capitalist.

Especially for equality.

I am a very profound sensational equalist.
I want nothing but equality.

Anarchists are not helping.

[WeAreReborn]

In terms of quality of life.

Even for the capitalist.

Especially for equality.

I am a very profound sensational equalist.
I want nothing but equality.

Anarchists are not helping.
Well if there are ideas are put into place they would be helping immensely, by your tag it seems you are for a social contract? Maybe not but all that is, is metaphysical nonsense because describing the ideal human is amazingly Utopian and not realistic at all.

[stella2010]

Then there will never become a utopia. We must constantly negotiate ourselves relative to our social endowment by whatever ontological arrangements we follow.
Through contract we can decide ourselves. It is more of a condition for living rather, that a metaphysical discourse.

[stella2010]

i win