Shutdown over arson protest
IT was a protest of unprecedented proportions. On Thursday, October 19, 1989, a oneday stop-work protest was held across the country by Fijians of Indian descent, to protest the burning of their temples in Lautoka. Business activities came to a virtual halt in centres throughout Fiji, including schools, universities, and the markets.
The Fiji Times on Friday, October 20, reported that leaders of five Hindu organisations – the Sanatan Pratindhi Sabha, the Arya Samaj, the Sikh community, TISI Sangam and the Andhra Sangam - called on Hindus not to celebrate Diwali that year as a mark of protest.
Hindus were asked to refrain from lighting up homes, playing with fireworks or firecrackers.
“In the West, from Rakiraki to Sigatoka, business activities and public transport ground to a standstill.
Similar reports were received from Labasa,” reported this newspaper.
“In Suva, most stores were closed except for Morris Hedstrom and Burns Philp. The only stores open throughout the day were RB Patel and Bajpai’s supermarkets. But public transport ran normally. In the West, Indian civil servants mounted an almost 100 per cent stop work and in Suva, about 80 per cent were believed to have stayed away from work.”
“All Indian-run schools were closed and the majority of teachers of Indian descent stayed home. The University of the South Pacific virtually closed for the day when 700 Indian students and all Indian academic staff stayed away from classes-lectures were cancelled and examinations deferred.”
Students also stayed away from their classes at the Fiji School of Medicine and the Fiji School of Nursing.
Sugar cane harvesting throughout the cane districts grounded to a halt affecting crushing at the mills.
All professional offices also closed down as lawyers, doctors, dentists, accountants, and pharmacists joined in the one-day shutdown.
Six cabinet ministers led by the Acting Prime Minister, Josevata Kamikamica, visited the fire-bombed temples, to show the government’s sympathy. They visited the Hare Krishna Temple, the Vishnu Temple, the Sikh Gurudwara and the Lautoka mosque as well as the Wesley Methodist Church which had a fire-bomb thrown at it on Tuesday that week.
While commercial banks in Suva stayed open as usual, in the West several banks had to close early because of low staff attendance. In Ba, all commercial activity halted, including shops owned by non-Indian businessmen.
The protest began after a group of ten men and eight women took to the streets of Lautoka on the night of October 14, 1989, to burn down temples of worship for Hindus. They were arrested after setting fire to the four largest the ISKCON Krishna-Kaliya Temple, the Santan Dharm’s Vishnu Mandir, the Lautoka Sikh Gurdwara, and the Lautoka Mosque. The youngest in the group was only 16 years old.