Fijians good nature to be tested

We Fijians need to get angry.

Our good nature is something that the military regime has taken advantage of. We are too busy putting food on the table to look elsewhere or to be bothered enough to take bold action against the regime that has stripped us of our rights to freely elect our own leaders, to speak, to think and to determine our own future.

To help us along the way, finally some resolve. Thank you, vinaka to the UN for putting the money where their mouth is.

Fijian soldiers - not all of them - but the ones that have proven they can damage a whole nation and generations of children, need to learn when enough is enough and the bad behaviour has to stop.

Sa yala eke.

When the good nature of the ordinary Fijian is tested, when the ordinary Fijian goes hungry is when we get angry. This will be the tipping point for Fiji.

It seems this needs to happen, or we will just sit here day after day lamenting our bad fortunes and wringing our hands but not doing anything about it. It seems we need to get hungry.

The military regime is in it for the power, the glory and what money they can get their hands on to fatten their own troughs. Lets be honest, the coup was never about anything else.

Now it is time for overseas tourists to start thinking about ethical travel as the taxed tourist dollar is one of the last treasure troves the military can dive into to perpetuate their illegal and criminal reign.

Please don't even think the tourist dollar will be helping us the subjugated people of Fiji, who without international tourist dollars would surely starve?

Tourism operators have laid off so many of us and/or put us on reduced hours that only a guaranteed safe political climate can resurrect the whole industry now.

Your tourist dollar at this the 11th hour, is NOT going to raise our pitiful wages ($1-$2 an hour); is NOT going to raise our spirits; and is certainly NOT going to assist us in the LONG term. By spending your tourist dollar in Fiji, you are not only supporting this regime, you are perpetuating our suffering.

Anyway the tourist resort with the lovely beach and swim pool is hardly Fiji. Who takes tours to the real villages and to the squatter settlements where most of the resort workers stay?

I can hear all the usual arguments now - sanctions etc .... but what I am saying is this is a necessary sacrifice - the world needs to help us bring this regime to their knees. Cut off this regime's purse strings. Channel the necessary aid via the reputable NGO's in this country not through the regime.

It is quite simple: dictators oppress the people, silence the poor and control the media. And how is clamping down on civil liberties, freedom of speech and removing a fair justice system - all by force - acceptable in this day and age?

But then again because we are all given free will at the end of the day your decision will be based on personal political principles and I wish you well in your inner deliberations. While you are at it, consider this - the beauty of a democratic society is that you can and do criticise your goverment - enjoy this freedom while you can.

PS - please support the black armband silent protest campaign that the Fiji Youths United Movement have begun today.