[ABOUT FIJI’S NEW CONSTITUTION, AND THE NEW ERA THAT IS DAWNING - Cameron Slater ] The best thing Bainmarama did was disband the corrupted Great Council of Chiefs. People forget that Fiji…for the first time when they hold elections this year will have a proper democratic vote of one person, one vote, one value. Calls by the left-wing, New Zealand and Australia to return to the previous constitution is a call to return to unequal democracy. When Fiji holds their elections they will actually be able to point at New Zealand and accuse us of hypocrisy with the retention of race-based seats and the extension of race based politics into local body politics. They have disbanded such racist and divisive measures. The 1970, 1990 and 1999 Constitutions retained ethnic voting, entrenching institutional racism to flourish. The new Fijian Constitution is revolutionary both in intent and content and is expected to take Fiji on a new path that will enhance racial integration. It alone has initiated a pride in Fijian citizenship that was not felt by everyone in the past. Unfortunately, such a noble move did not come from any of the democratically Governments. And those constitutions are what successive NZ governments have wanted Fiji to return to…racist, divisive and ineffective. [
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:30:34 +0000
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