DATE=6/9/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=PARADISE LOST
NUMBER=5-46469
BYLINE=ALISHA RYU
DATELINE=HONG KONG
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Asian and Pacific nations are watching
anxiously as ethnic rivalries flare into violence and
political instability in the South Pacific. As Alisha
Ryu reports from Hong Kong, there are striking
similarities in the conflicts.
TEXT: The attempted coup in the Solomon Islands June
5th by the Malaitan Eagle rebels was the second attack
on an elected government in the South Pacific in
recent weeks. On May 19th, Fijian armed rebels, led
by businessman George Speight, took the country's
ethnic Indian prime minister and more than 30 other
people hostage.
Regional analysts say events in Fiji probably inspired
the coup in the Solomon Islands. The director of the
Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific at the
University of Sydney, Stephanie Fahey, speculates the
timing of Malaitan rebel decision to seize Fiji's
prime minister, Bartholomew Ulufa'alu (pronounced Ooh-
loo-fa-ah'-lu), also had to do with the impact of the
Internet and satellite technology in broadcasting
these events to the people of the South Pacific.
/// FIRST FAHEY ACT ///
I think what happened in Fiji acted as a
catalyst for the fairly rapid copy-cat action we
saw in the Solomons. I think the role of the
media propels these sorts of changes. In the
past, people in the Solomons might not have
known the detail of what was happening in Fiji.
But now they know instantaneously. So, I think
the tendency for copy-cat action is greater.
/// END ACT ///
In both Fiji and the Solomons, economics lie at the
heart of the ethnic tension.
In Fiji, indigenous Fijians resent Indians, many of
whom are descendants of settlers brought to the
islands as laborers to work in the sugar fields during
British colonial rule. The Indians now make up 44
percent of the population and dominate the economy,
breeding resentment among the poorer indigenous
people.
In the Solomon Islands, the feud is between the
indigenous people of Guadalcanal Island and the people
from neighboring Malaita Island. The feud dates back
to World War Two. Guadalcanal islanders have been
trying to evict the Malaitans from Guadalcanal because
they see the Malaitans as unwanted immigrants who
dominate local commerce and the civil service.
The head of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid,
Janet Hunt, says many indigenous Fijians and Malaitans
do have a number of genuine concerns. But she
believes their concerns highlight more socio-economic
problems than ethnic divisions.
/// FIRST HUNT ACT ///
I think one of the common features has to do
with the exploitation of the natural
environment. Development in the Solomon Islands
has led to a number of things. The modern
economy has grown around both the capital and
around the plantations and mineral resource
development and logging. It tends to generate
quite a lot of wealth but not necessarily for
people of those areas. It quite frequently
leads to land disputes.
/// END ACT ///
She says populations in the Pacific are growing
quickly, which adds to pressure on the land and
creates a drift to urban areas. Slums sprouting
around city perimeters are fast becoming breeding
grounds for trouble.
/// SECOND HUNT ACT ///
People, particularly young men with no role.
Their traditional roles have perhaps been lost
in a modern economy - restless young people who
could easily be mobilized for this kind of
activity.
/// END ACT ///
Stephanie Fahey at the University of Sydney agrees
more uprisings are possible in the South Pacific.
Having recently gained their independence, Ms. Fahey
says countries like Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Papua
New Guinea, and Vanuatu face a difficult battle to be
modern and democratic while preserving their ethnic
identities and traditions.
/// SECOND FAHEY ACT ///
These countries are very young and the party
system, particularly for people coming from a
British heritage, does not function very well
and I am not sure it ever will. Political
action is not based on policy. It is based on
ethnic coalitions.
/// END ACT ///
Ms. Fahey says the current turmoil in Fiji and the
Solomons is a reminder that roots of loyalty to chief
and clan will always run deeper than traditions of
democracy imposed by colonial powers. (Signed)
NEB/HK/AR/JO/KL
09-Jun-2000 10:11 AM EDT (09-Jun-2000 1411 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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