May 14, what does Sitiveni Rabuka plan to celebrate?
The leader of The People’s Alliance says he would have a public holiday to celebrate the arrival of girmitiyas to Fiji. But would we be celebrating May 14, 1879 or May 14, 1987? The arrival of girmitiyas or the events which took place to classify descendants of the same girmitiyas as second class citizens in the country of their birth?
This is his penance? A public holiday?
The week leading up to the Girmit celebrations this year has been nothing less than dramatic. Mr Rabuka said his coup of 1987 gave girmit descendants the opportunity to leave for greener pastures. This is a really tone deaf statement on his part. He says no one was forced to leave the country.
But, as Education Minister Premila Kumar stated in Parliament on Friday, a lot was done to force them out of the country.
As told in Rabuka’s own words, concerted efforts were being made to make life difficult for those who Rabuka considered as outsiders.
This was Rabuka’s narrative from 1987 which Ms Kumar read out in Parliament: “the Hindus and Muslims are pagans who must be converted to Christianity. It will be a big challenge for us to convert all Indians (meaning Indo-Fijians). Those who do not choose to become Christians can continue to live here but they will probably find that it is a difficult place to live in. We are trying to make this place perfect for the Fijian (meaning i-taukei) people, and if it is not perfect for others then that is too bad. They will have to go”.
Doesn’t sound very welcoming, does it.
And in all of this, the National Federation Party’s marriage of convenience with Rabuka is yet another reminder of how political ambitions of few are being used in an attempt to rewrite our history.
May 14, what will we celebrate? 1879 or 1987?.