India-Fiji relations
Encyclopedia
Fiji
's relationship with the Republic of India is often seen by observers against the backdrop of the sometimes tense relations between its indigenous people
and the 44 percent of the population who are of Indian descent. India has used its influence in international forums such as the Commonwealth of Nations
and United Nations
on behalf of ethnic Indians in Fiji, lobbying for sanction
s against Fiji in the wake of the 1987 coups
and the 2000 coup
, both of which removed governments, one dominated and one led, by Indo-Fijians.
had loaned F$86 million for the upgrading of Fiji's sugar mills, which would be completed in time for the 2007-2008 crushing season. This was to enable Fiji to diversify its sugar industry into bio-fuels. Indian High Commissioner
Ajay Singh
said that his country had also offered technical expertise with the restructuring of the industry. He was speaking at the India National Day celebrations in Suva
.
, began a week-long state visit to India on 8 October, to open Fiji's new High Commission (the equivalent of an embassy in Commonwealth
countries) in New Delhi
. The High Commission had hitherto operated out of a hotel. About 50 local businessmen accompanied the Prime Minister.
On 10 October, Qarase and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh
, signed four agreements. The most important is a three-year cooperation agreement in New Delhi
. The agreement, most of which covers development cooperation, can be extended by mutual consent. They also signed a health service partnership agreement, while Tavola and India's Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury signed a tourism
agreement.
Singh urged Fiji to embrace multiculturalism as a permanent part of its identity. Qarase said that Singh had told him he understood the difficulty of forging unity in a multiracial nation, because India was in a similar situation. He said that Singh had denied Opposition Leader
Mahendra Chaudhry
's earlier hint that India would not help Fiji if it passed its controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill
, a claim made by Chaudhry on his return to Fiji in September.
Speaking in Sydney
, Australia
, on 16 October, Qarase judged his just-concluded Indian visit a success. He said that one of the highlights for him was his visit to the Banariaman sugar mill in Mysore. He said that Fiji could learn a great deal from the Indian sugar industry.
in 1971, generated some controversy. The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), a United States
-based non-profit organization with offices in many countries, called on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
to withdraw the invitation to Qarase. Qarase's visit could be viewed as a slap in the face for the Indian community, the organization said, in view of the policies he has implemented since his appointment in the wake of the Indo-Fijian-led government of Mahendra Chaudhry
in 2000. "Ever since he assumed the position of PM and Interim PM before that, (after the 2000 coup), Mr Qarase has been engaged in actions of racial discrimination and has shown minimal tolerance to the Indian community," a GOPIO statement said. The election
scheduled for 2006 was likely to favour Indo-Fijian parties and the Indian government should not undermine their chances, the organization considered. GOPIO president Dr Thomas Abraham
urged to Indian government to withdraw its offer of technical and economic assistance unless the Fijian government withdrew its controversial Unity Bill and reversed its exclusion of the Indo-Fijian dominated Fiji Labour Party
from the Cabinet
. GOPIO said that Qarase could use the visit to score a public relations coup with the Indo-Fijian community, and that the government of India should not be seen to be condoning or granting legitimacy to his government's actions.
endorsed an aid package proposed by Foreign Minister Tavola to assist India and neighbouring Pakistan
with relief efforts in the wake of the Kashmir earthquake
which devastated northern areas of both countries, especially Pakistan, on 8 October. Acting Foreign Minister Pita Nacuva
said that Fiji would donate F$30,000
and F$60,000
to the Indian and Pakistani governments respectively. A Cabinet statement declared, "The earthquake has caused immense loss of lives and damages in the two countries so it is proper that Fiji demonstrates its solidarity to the two Governments and their people in this time of national pain and suffering. The donations are also a way of showing reciprocity as the two Governments have always assisted with our relief efforts in times of natural disasters."
Government-appointed Senator
Hafiz Khan
, who is also President of Fiji's Muslim League, launched a national appeal to raise funds for disaster relief.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
's relationship with the Republic of India is often seen by observers against the backdrop of the sometimes tense relations between its indigenous people
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
and the 44 percent of the population who are of Indian descent. India has used its influence in international forums such as the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
on behalf of ethnic Indians in Fiji, lobbying for sanction
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
s against Fiji in the wake of the 1987 coups
Fiji coups of 1987
The Fiji coups of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji, and in the declaration of a republic...
and the 2000 coup
Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
, both of which removed governments, one dominated and one led, by Indo-Fijians.
Indian assistance to Fiji
On 15 August 2005, Prime Minister Qarase said that the Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
had loaned F$86 million for the upgrading of Fiji's sugar mills, which would be completed in time for the 2007-2008 crushing season. This was to enable Fiji to diversify its sugar industry into bio-fuels. Indian High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
Ajay Singh
Ajay Singh
Ajay Singh is the present High Commissioner of India to Fiji, having been appointed to this position on 16 December 2004, succeeding Professor I.S. Chauhan.- Family's link to Fiji :...
said that his country had also offered technical expertise with the restructuring of the industry. He was speaking at the India National Day celebrations in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
.
Qarase's state visit to India, 2005
Qarase and his Foreign Minister, Kaliopate TavolaKaliopate Tavola
Kaliopate Tavola is a Fijian economist, diplomat, and politician, who was his country's Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2006...
, began a week-long state visit to India on 8 October, to open Fiji's new High Commission (the equivalent of an embassy in Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries) in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. The High Commission had hitherto operated out of a hotel. About 50 local businessmen accompanied the Prime Minister.
On 10 October, Qarase and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
, signed four agreements. The most important is a three-year cooperation agreement in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. The agreement, most of which covers development cooperation, can be extended by mutual consent. They also signed a health service partnership agreement, while Tavola and India's Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury signed a tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
agreement.
Singh urged Fiji to embrace multiculturalism as a permanent part of its identity. Qarase said that Singh had told him he understood the difficulty of forging unity in a multiracial nation, because India was in a similar situation. He said that Singh had denied Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Fiji)
The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
's earlier hint that India would not help Fiji if it passed its controversial Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill
Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission is a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 is passed...
, a claim made by Chaudhry on his return to Fiji in September.
Speaking in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on 16 October, Qarase judged his just-concluded Indian visit a success. He said that one of the highlights for him was his visit to the Banariaman sugar mill in Mysore. He said that Fiji could learn a great deal from the Indian sugar industry.
Opposition to the visit
Qarase's visit, the first by a Fijian Prime Minister since Ratu Sir Kamisese MaraKamisese Mara
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
in 1971, generated some controversy. The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based non-profit organization with offices in many countries, called on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
to withdraw the invitation to Qarase. Qarase's visit could be viewed as a slap in the face for the Indian community, the organization said, in view of the policies he has implemented since his appointment in the wake of the Indo-Fijian-led government of Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
in 2000. "Ever since he assumed the position of PM and Interim PM before that, (after the 2000 coup), Mr Qarase has been engaged in actions of racial discrimination and has shown minimal tolerance to the Indian community," a GOPIO statement said. The election
Fiji election of 2006
The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
scheduled for 2006 was likely to favour Indo-Fijian parties and the Indian government should not undermine their chances, the organization considered. GOPIO president Dr Thomas Abraham
Thomas Abraham
Dr. Thomas Abraham is the Founder President and Chairman Emeritus of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin , having previously founded the organization and served as its president. He is also president of Innovative Research and Products, Inc., Stamford, CT, USA-Accomplishments:Dr...
urged to Indian government to withdraw its offer of technical and economic assistance unless the Fijian government withdrew its controversial Unity Bill and reversed its exclusion of the Indo-Fijian dominated Fiji Labour Party
Fiji Labour Party
The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...
from the Cabinet
Cabinet (Fiji)
Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...
. GOPIO said that Qarase could use the visit to score a public relations coup with the Indo-Fijian community, and that the government of India should not be seen to be condoning or granting legitimacy to his government's actions.
Fijian disaster relief to India, Pakistan
On 14 October 2005, the Fijian CabinetCabinet (Fiji)
Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...
endorsed an aid package proposed by Foreign Minister Tavola to assist India and neighbouring Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
with relief efforts in the wake of the Kashmir earthquake
2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir known as Azad Kashmir, near the city of Muzaffarabad, affecting Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It occurred at 08:52:37 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005...
which devastated northern areas of both countries, especially Pakistan, on 8 October. Acting Foreign Minister Pita Nacuva
Pita Nacuva
Pita Kewa Nacuva is a Fijian politician, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from June to December 2006, when a military coup deposed the government and resulted in the dissolution of Parliament...
said that Fiji would donate F$30,000
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
and F$60,000
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
to the Indian and Pakistani governments respectively. A Cabinet statement declared, "The earthquake has caused immense loss of lives and damages in the two countries so it is proper that Fiji demonstrates its solidarity to the two Governments and their people in this time of national pain and suffering. The donations are also a way of showing reciprocity as the two Governments have always assisted with our relief efforts in times of natural disasters."
Government-appointed Senator
Senate (Fiji)
The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...
Hafiz Khan
Hafiz Khan
Hafizud Dean Khan is a Fijian businessman, Senator and president of the Muslim League. Appointed to the Senate on 13 July 2005 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Dr Ahmed Ali, Khan became one of the 9 out of 32 Senators nominated by the Prime Minister...
, who is also President of Fiji's Muslim League, launched a national appeal to raise funds for disaster relief.