Fiji on path to political stability: minister
Nov 20, 2006 - 10:45:09 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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He said Indian culture was very much prevalent in his country.
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By Indo Asian News Service,
[RxPG] New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) Fiji is on its path to political stability with a new coalition government in place, Fijian Labour Minister Krishna Datt said Monday.
'Our multi-party government is unique among many forms of government and we are well on our path to stability,' Datt said at an interactive session organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) here.
Fiji's new multi-party government includes the two major political parties in that country - the indigenous Fijian-based Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL and the Fiji Labour Party or FLP led by former Indo-Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
Datt, a person of Indian origin, is a member of the FLP.
Ethnic Indians, most of them descendants of people who had gone from India in the 19th and early 20th centuries, comprise around 38 percent of the country's total population of around 800,000.
In the years gone by, the country has been witness to racial tensions between the indigenous Fijians and the Indo-Fijians. There have been three coups and a mutiny since 1987. A government led by Mahendra Chaudhry was ousted after only a year in power in 2000 in a military coup.
Only recently, the situation in the country had verged on instability with the army chief calling for the resignation of the government in power.
'Today, our government is working amidst cooperation from different parties and the situation has improved,' said Datt, who is part of a trade delegation from that Pacific nation now in India.
He added the multi-party government in his country has been formed within the Westminster system of government.
The minister said he is 'one of remnants' of the panel that had brought in a constitutional amendment in 1996-97 that entitled any party, which won 10 percent of the seats in parliament, to be invited to be part of the government.
In the elections this year, the SDL won 36 seats in the 71-member House of Representatives while the FDL bagged 31. The SDL had then invited FDL to be a part of the government allocating a number of cabinet berths to the smaller party.
He said Indian culture was very much prevalent in his country.
'We have tried hard to preserve our Indian heritage,' Datt, who made his introductory remarks at the interactive session in Hindi, said.
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