If you think there's no good reason for the continuation of PERS (the public emergency regulations) -- with its restrictions on the media and public meetings -- probably until the end of the year, have a look at some of the anti-government blogs, Solivakasamablog for starters -- and then think again.
"The time is here Voreqe you are no use to us !.. Pass this to all freedom loving Fijians in all places, especially those in the villages and islands, in Fiji so Voreqe and his illegal regime can be brought to its knees once and for all. CURRENT LEADERSHIP YOUR TIME IS NOW UP. YOU HAVE 3 DAYS TO GIVE UP AND HAND OVER NOW TO THE CIVILIAN RULE OR YOU WILL BE BURN." -- SWM.
"You are going to burn in hell Voreqe" -- Jese.
"Bainimarama no longer commands the respect of his men and I think the same can be said of Teleni ... it is just a matter of time, before the floodgates open. Bainimarama [and co.]... should read carefully the writing on the wall because the Methodist Church is the only institution ... which can still save them from the wrath of the Fijian population. If they continue to prosecute the only institution which can actually save them, then they have destroyed their last chance of hope and their blood is upon their own hands." -- Na Vosa.
Should the threats be taken seriously? I don't know. But these are the words of very angry (and therefore not very clear thinking) ethnic Fijians who, one suspects, thought Fiji was hunky-dory under Qarase and his SDL Government. They would have approved Fiji's first three supposedly "pro-Fijian" coups, mistakenly thinking they were to protect Fijian "rights" against the voracious Indians. It's unlikely that anything anyone can say will make them change their minds, not one iota. Racism does not respond to reason.
4 comments:
I am of two minds about this. Yes, these are completely inflammatory, idiotic (and in many countries, illegal)remarks. But I object to equating them with the continuation of the PERS, which were ostensibly meant to limit criticism in public of the abrogation of the constitution and to somehow keep the media “pro-Fiji.” Surely they were not created to worry about the rantings of writers who most likely quietly reside abroad.
The problem underscoring these comments is not free speech. It is the complete dysfunctional form of public discourse in Fiji, a country where members of one race have been referred to as “cockroaches” on the Parliament floor and ‘off with their head’ is a debate tool.
My point is that while the government has proven itself to be more conciliatory to its neighbors and critics since its PIF suspension, Bainimarama & co. still has a long way to go to creating an atmosphere where people can respectfully debate and disagree with one another.
These PERS may keep down dissent in the short term, but they will never be able to legislate rational thought and good manners.
The threats should be taken seriously. They have always existed since 2000/2001; they were on-going in fact but many of us chose not to notice. Where we we? Pretending this had all 'gone away'? Well, it hadn't. More fools us. Moor foolish our neighbours who gave considerable comfort to these hoods and hoodlums. They think they follow in the shoes of Michael and Malcolm X and that they may hold us all hostage to outrageous claims. Time to grow up and go home to plant dalo.
You have failed to think about what has brought on this "racism".
In fact, this is a classic case of how racism perpetuates itself in the human mind in the first place. It starts with an idea like "green people are different - I am not comfortable with them". That leads to you treat them differently, which eventually leads to them react to that, which leads to more judgmentalism and defensiveness, and so on up into possible open hostility, persecution, and finally even violence.
You have come in and taken a last minute snap-shot of the current Fiji situation, and written it all off to racism. But increased racism is a consequence of the current crisis - not a cause of it. By contrast, there are also many non-racist SDL, FLP and UPP supporters who also oppose this coup and PER. But they are all carpet-bombed anyway in the Regime's unfocussed obsession to risk everything else in bloody-minded pursuit of a problem which experts say cannot be solved by any illegitimate and imposed Charter process in the first place.
Meanwhile, any experienced politician knows that unemployment or persecution or instability is an aggravator of anger, discontent and racism in many human beings.
That is why the nations of the world are putting so much effort into stabilizing the political and economic situations in Afghanistan and Palestine and Iraq and Somalia etc. ie. they do not want these to become a breeding ground for discontent or failed states.
Meanwhile Fiji is heading in the opposite direction. Our situation is by no means comparable to those other places mentioned - yet! But as you can see we are inexorably, and unnecessarily, heading in that direction. And that despite all the fine talk about a better Fiji and a non racial future.
The cause of this is clear - people react badly when they feel they are being persecuted or ill-treated, or denied their rights. In an environment of restricted information, under a regime that is well known for misleading the people and breaking its commitments, many people will naturally come up with their own conspiracy theories to explain this.
Such has happened on the Fiji freedom blogs
The reasons given for the coups, and delayed elections, and the PERs, are all unconvincing. So far, they are all just talk that has produced no results.
To blame those who are getting angry about that is like blaming a rape victim for getting angry at her rapist. It doesn't matter that the rape victim is a racist, or a communist, or a muslim. She does not deserve to be raped - full stop!! Let alone be blamed for the rape!
So before you make comments like these again, I think you may even have you own prejudice issues to get over first. At the very least, you need to get a little perspective on what is causing all this, and how best to dial it back.
What you have here is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Any inferences you might then draw out of it are therefore basically invalid.
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