Fiji's First Indian Prime Minister Sworn In by the President
May 20, 1999 - 0:0
SUVA Labour Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry was sworn in as Fiji's first Indian prime minister Wednesday and vowed to steer his country away from the racial politics that divided it in the past. He also admitted security was being stepped up to counter the possibility of mischief-making by disgruntled opponents following labour's landslidevictory over a coalition led by Sitiveni Rabuka in Fiji's historic multi-racial elections last week.
Chaudhry said Fiji must put behind it the events of 1987 when the last democratically elected labour government was brought down in a racially-inspired coup. Our emphasis must now shift to that of building a secure multiracial foundation for our country and not on propagating communal politics, he said in a statement to a news conference here after being sworn in by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Indian-dominated Labour Party won an overwhelming mandate from what it said was a multiracial cross-section of voters, giving it 37 of the 71 parliamentary seats.
Its coalition partners, two indigenous Fijian parties, won another 14 seats between them. Although it has a clear majority in its own right, labour stood by its coalition agreement by offering deputy prime ministerships to leaders of the two other parties. Rabuka said in a television address to the nation on Tuesday that Fiji remains a racially-divided nation. The result of the election and especially the orchestrated block voting among the Indian community clearly shows how far apart we still are racially, he said.
Chaudhry told indigenous Fijians, who make up 51 percent of the country's 80,000 population compared to 44 percent Indian: You have nothing to fear from the Fiji Labour Party. Their special rights as an indigenous community were well entrenched in the new constitution, he said. As a multiracial party, the Fiji labour party intends to steer this country away from racially divisive policies and politics.
We will pursue vigorous affirmative action policies to help all our disadvantaged people whether it be in education, commerce or those who are socially disadvantaged. (AFP)
Chaudhry said Fiji must put behind it the events of 1987 when the last democratically elected labour government was brought down in a racially-inspired coup. Our emphasis must now shift to that of building a secure multiracial foundation for our country and not on propagating communal politics, he said in a statement to a news conference here after being sworn in by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Indian-dominated Labour Party won an overwhelming mandate from what it said was a multiracial cross-section of voters, giving it 37 of the 71 parliamentary seats.
Its coalition partners, two indigenous Fijian parties, won another 14 seats between them. Although it has a clear majority in its own right, labour stood by its coalition agreement by offering deputy prime ministerships to leaders of the two other parties. Rabuka said in a television address to the nation on Tuesday that Fiji remains a racially-divided nation. The result of the election and especially the orchestrated block voting among the Indian community clearly shows how far apart we still are racially, he said.
Chaudhry told indigenous Fijians, who make up 51 percent of the country's 80,000 population compared to 44 percent Indian: You have nothing to fear from the Fiji Labour Party. Their special rights as an indigenous community were well entrenched in the new constitution, he said. As a multiracial party, the Fiji labour party intends to steer this country away from racially divisive policies and politics.
We will pursue vigorous affirmative action policies to help all our disadvantaged people whether it be in education, commerce or those who are socially disadvantaged. (AFP)