The World Bank looks at Fiji

["Workers World, Chicago Bureau" <wwchi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This link is to a 67-page World Bank report on Fiji from 1997 or so.  To
read it, you will need to get the free Adobe Acrobat reader.

http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/offrep/eap/pistakeholder/fiji.pdf

A few unsystematic notes:

- It's a really badly written report in my opinion even from the imperialist
point of view.  If this is a measure of the quality of their "experts," it's
a reason for optimism.

- Nevertheless there is some useful information in there about history,
ethnicity, who dominates what sectors of the economy, and so on.

- The report is absolutely dripping with admiration for the hard-working
Indo-Fijians, and with contempt for the hapless indigenous Fijians, their
antiquated chiefs, their supposed tendency to blame everyone but themselves
for their own failures, and their "racism" toward Indo-Fijians.

Among other unintentionally humorous parts, there is the section where it
says that it's wrong to say that Indo-Fijians dominate the economy; for one
thing, there are many sectors that are dominated by outside interests
[imperialism], and then there are some sectors that are dominated by
indigenous Fijians, like traditional agriculture. [!]  Yes, indigenous
Fijians' 'dominance' of the subsistence farming 'sector' is adduced as
evidence that the Fijians have no real grievances.

- It is now quite clear to me that imperialism has changed its strategy
significantly since the 1987 coup.  The 2000 coup is NOT a re-run of the
1987 coup, and this document proves it.  The causes for this shift probably
have something to do with shifts in strategy by the Fijian Labour Party and
the trade unions, but probably are mainly a result of a global shift in
strategy.  In any case, the shift is clear: where in 1987 imperialism
opposed the FLP and may even have given the coup CIA support, as is commonly
alleged, today they have decided to put their money on the hard-working
Indo-Fijians, and they distance themselves from Rabuka's coup.  At one
point, it cites Rabuka's anti-communist rhetoric in 1987 as just so much
paranoia.

Anybody who still believes that imperialism is siding with these "elite
Fijians", i.e., traditional leaders, should read this document and realize
their error.

Lou Paulsen
member, Workers World Party, Chicago