Racism issue
FORTY-NINE years since independence and many tragedies later, Fiji faces a multitude of social problems today.
The obvious challenges include high rates of lifestyle diseases, violence against women, sexual offences against children, spike in criminal activities, mysterious murders, and the hard drugs crisis.
But there is one issue that has been the bane of Fijian society. Racism.
We do not like to talk about it as enthusiastically as we do rugby but racism is a fact for the country.
While politicians use race as an instrument to advance their agendas, the people, on the other hand, are left to make out for themselves what it is all about.
In Fiji, there are about 600,000 active internet users.
The bulk of the people who have access to social media use Facebook and Twitter platforms to learn, network and talk about issues that concern them the most.
These platforms have become a prominent feature of Fijian people’s daily lives.
But social media also has a big hand in fuelling discrimination and xenophobia.
When you log on to Facebook or Twitter, they are rife with bigotry and hatred and the Fijian users — Indigenous and those of Indian descent — are at the centre of it all.
If one time it is an Indigenous Fijian attacking an Indo-Fijian with racially inclined overtones for something they have said or done, the next time it would be the other way around.
It has not and does not stop, reinforcing the popular view among the ordinary people that racism is deeply embedded in the mindsets of Fijians.
I would certainly like to believe that it is not the case. However, if the conversations on the social platforms is anything to go by then this issue will, eventually, explode.
As the iTaukei and Fijians of Indian descent, the two major ethnic groups in the country, we have come a long way from the days of the British rule.
Yet, we still cannot have a meaningful conversation about what part we have played in building the Fiji that we have today.
We all rejoice when Fiji wins a rugby match but we are also ready to attack each other over some of the most trivial issues — sometimes political, other times not.
Racial identity is something people hold dear to themselves so the need to hold appropriate discussions about it is essential.
In Fiji, we need to acknowledge that tackling racism is as significant as fighting for climate change. The issue is too sensitive to be ignored outright.
We need an inclusive, rational and ongoing talanoa — from the grassroots to the highest political level — for Fijians of all ethnic backgrounds to understand each other’s differences and appreciate what they contribute to the nation.
It is not happening yet and the harsh reality is that exchanges that take place on social media about race are without boundaries and provide no resolutions.
This is good enough reason for the Government to create enabling spaces by working with civil society and education institutions for people to critically engage in discussions about race.
If the Government’s idea to eradicate racism was to implement the 2013 Constitution and to call everyone a Fijian then it has failed its purpose.
Our differences appear to be more visible today than at any other time in our turbulent past.
I have spent my entire life in Fiji but never have I seen the amount of hate shown online towards each other by the two major ethnic groups.
There are, of course, many who transcend the ethnic boundaries, who condemn racist attitudes and call out those who continue to portray themselves as ignorant in the new media era.
But Fiji’s racism problem will not miraculously sort itself out and social media is not where we will find solutions.
As a country, there are some things that we must have a conversation about as a priority. Racism is one of them.
The question is: are there rational spaces for people to have critical dialogue about race? As far as I know, there are none.
It is not adequate for political leaders to be the only ones making a song about race relations.
We need to provide young people public forums to meaningfully talk about it as well, not just on social media. It would be ideal for the Government to be more responsive and allow Fijians to talk about an issue which can deeply impact the future progress of the country.
They need to play a bigger role to help raise the consciousness of the people so we can talk about race in a civil way to find common grounds and increase mutual understanding.
Smart, strategic and urgent intervention is what we need to tackle Fiji’s racism issue.
Kelvin Anthony is a media and communications scholar at Monash University. Views expressed are his own and not of this newspaper. You can contact him on kelvinsanthony@gmail.com.