An open bit of racism against Fiji
Gujarati (25 Nov. 2014)
(added to 27 Nov)
(added to 27 Nov)
Professor Wadan Narsey
Yesterday (24 November 2014), I received an email from a -,
evidently an Indo-Fijian, now living in Australia. He did not attempt to hide
his identity and Australian work address, which is at the bottom of his emails
which I quote verbatim, in red.
“I have been following your articles since 1985 and you never
pinpoint of the Gujiratis evading tax in Fiji and building empires overseas.
Read my article and if Baini and Khaiyum set up a taskforce to recoup all the
money from 1970 onwards of all gujiarati businesses it is going to raise at
least $500 million dollars and maybe considerably many more dollars. No one
knows how much tax Vinod Patel, Punja, Motibhai, R B Patel, Lodhias, Bhika
Bhai, R C Manubhai, C P Patel, all the maichod Ba and Western Viti Levu
Gujiratis etc owe to the Fiji Government.
U should not even comment about Fijis economy because you
Gujiratis did not come to Fiji as indentured labourers and did not work 16 hour
days on sugar plantation.
You gujiratis have been the main reason for the hatred of the
entire Indian Community by the Fijians and you Gujiratis have treated us like
Dogs in the 100 plus year history of Fiji. I witnessed where Vinod Patel and
Motibhai never allowed their housemaids to eat in the kitchen of their house but
sit outside in the balcony in the blazing sun to have their lunch in Varadoli
Ba. I was a neighbour of all these families in Ba. That is how bad and filthy
your race of Gujiratis are in Fiji. I can proudly say as a true North Indian of
very highly morals that I hate each and very Gujirati family of Fiji. U are all
dogs and worse than filthy jews.
There are many Indians like myself who wish that all the
Gujiratis are deported to India and all their assets frozen and handed to poor
Indian families. They should be all deported to Gujirat in India naked on the
plane from Fiji.”
-
Senior HR Advisor
Human Resources
T 74330 / M 0438425454 / F 49438693
P O Box 2
Operations Centre, Gurnett Road, Sarina, Qld 4737
-.Kumar@-.com.au / -.com.au
Later that day, I received another email from the same person.
Dear Wadan,
Today is one of the most happiest and celebrate’’’ days for us
the True Girmit Fourth Generation Fiji Indians that the Biggest Chamcha of Ratu
Mara and the biggest MaiChod Gujirati is now fuckon going to Jail. He probably
never paid a single dollar of tax in Fiji that Mahend Maichod.
Many Ba Indian families will be celebrating tonight with few
beers and hot curry.
You should now think of packing your bags and go and live in
Gujarat where you belong with the rest of the Gujiratis from Fiji.
-
- was celebrating the Fiji court’s decision to jail for one
year, one of Fiji’s prominent tycoons, Mac Motibhai Patel (Chairman of Post
Fiji and originally from Ba) for apparently extending the contract of Post CEO
Peni Mau, without referring the matter to the Board of Post Fiji.
In my dismay at this unwarranted attack on me personally and
Gujarati in general, I circulated -’s emails to Fiji Parliamentarian and
National Federation Party Leader, Professor Biman Prasad (and to some other
friends), to warn him know about this particular set of sentiments prevailing
in the Indo-Fijian community.
To my relief (and saving me the unpleasant task), Professor
Prasad, himself a descendant of the girmitiya (indentured laborers) wrote to -:
“-,
I have read both your emails to Professor Wadan Narsey. I am
absolutely disgusted and disturbed by the way you have insulted Professor
Narsey. You claim to have read Professor Narsey’s articles since 1985. If you
have actually done so, then I am very surprised that you have the audacity to
accuse Professor Narsey of not addressing many of the issues facing this
country over the last 40 odd years. Your generalisations are not only without
any substance but also very vulgar. Professor Narsey is never known to have
been partial in his views on issues of integrity and honesty. To him it does
not matter who belongs to what race, caste etc. He has always been forthright
and honest in his writings.
I know Professor Narsey from 1985 when he taught me at the
University. He was the finest teacher I had in my entire uiversity studies both
in Fiji and abroad. Professor Narsey is the finest and most respected
economists in the Pacific region. He is a man of absolute integrity, honesty,
and bravery. Many would not have dared to take on those who ursurped power in
Fiji in 1987, 2000 and 2006. Professor Narsey has consistently writen on almost
every issue facing Fiji over the last 40 years. You talk about indentured
labourers and girmit. You should read Professor Narsey’s 1979 article on the
sugar industry, Indians and the colonial rule. You will then understand him
better.
Your generalisations about the Gujarati community in Fiji is
highly regrettable. You forget that many of them started in Fiji with small
businesses at a time when colonial settlers and their descendants controlled
the business sector. You also forget that one of the most respected Indian
leaders in Fiji was the late AD Patel. It was Mr Patel who negotiated the
Denning Award which got the Indian sugar farmers out of almost a slavery-like
condition.
I am also surprised and disgusted with your use of foul
language. It is incredibly immature and unprofessional for you to use your work
email and send such a derogatory email. I am sure you would not want others to
use the same language against you.
I hope you will have the decency to apologise to Professor
Narsey.
Biman Prasad”
Mr - immediately warned Professor Biman Prasad:
“Do not send me any correspondence to me from now onwards.
Otherwise I will report the matter to the Australian Federal Police of
harassment”. (sic)
While I have received many sympathetic and supportive emails
expressing disgust at -’s racist outburst against me personally, and against
Gujarati in general, it would seem that there are Indo-Fijians in high places
in Fiji, totally sympathetic to the views of -.
One extremely influential person who is the head of a place of
higher learning, and also a former student of mine, wrote to me in relation to -’s
email:
My take: Wadan and - are in the same league, except that one
abuses boldly directly on the basis of facts, the other subtly but without
knowing the facts. Sad that discourse has descended to such gutter levels.
He wrote again to me:
“Dear Wadan, Over the past few years, you have steadily
descended to peddling filth which only bitter people are capable of. I expected
much more from my gurus. Unfortunately, you have – progressively – disappointed
me with the venoms you regularly spew out, for me to place you in the same
league as -… You are no different, guruji.
And after one of my friends had complained to -’s employers,
whose logo was used in his racially abusiive email to me, the same head of
higher learning wrote to me again, but now accusing me of bigotry, :
“And if the employer is asked to bully an employee for
expressing his views which we many not share, where does one go to complain
when a free lancer like wadan, makes bigoted comments?”
A continuing problem
It is unfortunately true that such racist views do prevail
within the Indo-Fijian community, despite the Bainimarama Government’s rhetoric
of racial equality between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, and should be
confronted by our social leaders.
A few months ago, in relation to the MIDA Chairman’s reaction at
the alleged hate speech of Ratu Tim Vesikula, I had pointed out the many
internal racisms amongst Indo-Fijians themselves, including that between
Gujarati and Hindustani Indo-Fijians.
I had also referred previously to the Hindustani racism against
Gujarati when posting a 1974 article on my blog site, interestingly on the
plight of cane farmers who were the descendants of girmitiya, whose leases were
expiring in Koronubu, Ba.
The same descendants of girmitiya, who - claims to be
representing in asking Gujarati like me to be repatriated to India.
The irony is that in many of my articles I have criticized the
lack of ethics and principles of Fiji’s prominent business houses, not just
Gujarati (who I have named), but of all ethnicities, and none of them would
consider me a “friend”.
The majority of Gujarati are not business people, and there are
many Gujarati businesses who are honest and contribute their fair share of
employment and taxes in Fiji, like most other businesses of other ethnicities.
Mr -’s views, while extremely disturbing to me personally as a
Gujarati whose ethnicity does not influence his views as an economist and
public commentator, is nevertheless totally understandable as one of the
results of the nasty Indo-Fijian politics that has gone on in Fiji over the
last forty years. - was apparently a strong Fiji Labor Party supporter
according to one of his academic supervisors at USP.
It is a pity that previous Indo-Fijian social leaders have not
ever publicly confronted these racist attitudes, either among the Hindustani or
the Gujarati, and their ill effects fester on, hopefully less and less,
especially with the rise of progressive political leaders like Professor Biman
Prasad.
It has not been a good month for me, with attacks on me
personally by some journalists from the Fiji Sun, ironically owned by a
Gujarati businessmen (CJ Patel) who is one of many in cahoots with the
Bainimarama Government, which is paradoxically also supported by the same -.
Another former student has taken out an advertisement threatening to sue me for
asking further questions about her company, based on the revelations in the
Auditor General’s Reports.
Fiji is full of paradoxes.
Wardan
Narsey
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