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Discrimination against Fiji Indians continuing: Chaudhry
The former Fiji Prime Minister said that the discrimination against ethnic Indians is continuing even after improvement in law enforcement.
Law enforcement in Fiji, a major problem in the South Pacific island since the 2000 coup, has improved considerably, but discrimination against ethnic Indians was continuing, former prime minister Mahendra Pal Chaudhry said on Thursday.
"It is a positive development," Chadhury, an ethnic Indian whose government was overthrown in an armed coup led by a businessman, George Speight, told reporters in New Delhi.
He noted that the High Court of Suva had in August sentenced Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli and four other leading politicians, including the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, to jail terms up to 10 years in a landmark judgement.
Chaudhry, who was in New Delhi on a private visit, was the first ethnic Indian to become prime minister of the island nation.
Ethnic Indians constitute 44 per cent of the population of just over 850,000 and New Delhi has been concerned about attempts to marginalise them in the island's politics.
Chaudhry called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and "updated" them on the developments in Fiji.
He said the Indian government was providing technical assistance to revitalise and review Fiji's ailing sugar industry and this was expected to put this key sector of the economy back on its feet in about three years.
About the situation in Fiji, Chaudhry said: "It is encouraging to see rule of law being re-established. Earlier they had not been doing what they should have been doing."
He attributed this to the appointment of an Australian as the police commissioner and a standoff between the military and the government over the extension of the contract of the army commander who believed in fair play.
While the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase wanted to appoint a new army commander, it had to finally agree to the extension of his contract, Chaudhry said.
But despite these developments, discrimination against ethnic Indians in matters of government employment and education continued, he said.
Chaudhry said that the UN Committee on Racial Discrimination had upheld a report submitted by the Indian community, citing blatant discrimination, and asked the government to take corrective action with regard to 22 complaints.