Between Thailand’s protesters showing the world how political protests should be done and Fiji’s dictatorship style government takeover, there’s been quite the political storm hovering over the Pacific lately.

Compared to the Thai riots, I’ve been following the saga unfolding in Fiji with a sort of nonchalance. You can’t help but roll your eyes at yet another military government seizing power and declaring martial law over it’s people and then trying to convince the world it’s for the country’s own good.

What did pique my interest today though was an article that claimed:

Bainimarama sees Fiji as beset by divisions between the majority indigenous population and the ethnic Indian minority.


If this is truly at the heart of what is going on over there at the moment, is it reasonable to chalk Fiji up alongside the UK, Holland and France as yet another shining example of multiculturalism simply not working?

In the last quarter of a century Fiji has had four coups and one military mutiny, all revolving around conflict between the local indigenous majority and the ethnic Indian minority. This latest episode sees military dictator Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama seize power after a court ruled his forming of government in 2006 was illegal.

In response to the courts ruling President Josefa iloilo “cancelled the constitution, sacked the nation’s judges and reappointed Bainimarama for five more years.

Bainimarama told Radio New Zealand;

“We want changes, we’re going to come up with changes.”

Bainimarama sees Fiji as beset by divisions between the majority indigenous population and the ethnic Indian minority.

He cited a survey that he said showed 64 percent of Fijians wanted to move away from the current system of voting, which reserves parliamentary seats for different ethnic groups.

“This is to do with Fiji and the people of Fiji,” he said.


It is still unclear just what Bainimarama means by “changes” but his motive is clear and if the survey he is citing coupled by the utter lack of protest coming from the Fijians is anything to go by, the bulk of the population seem to be ok with this. The general population seem to be sick of parliament catering to minorities at the expense of the majority.

Here we have multiculturalism falling apart in it’s simplest of forms, duoculturalism.

We’ve already seen multiculturalism fail in Holland, France and the UK. Without international intervention, from the outset it appears Fiji is on the brink of joining the list proving that even on a small scale multiculturalism is a flawed blanket model for societies.

Here in Australia we have a relatively relaxed immigration policy. We need the workers to feed our ageing population and they need the jobs.

Let me just be clear and state this I have no problem with. Whether you’re from the middle east, Asia or Europe or the moon; if you come here to work and be a productive part of society you are welcome with open arms.

Despite this however I can’t help but feel that slowly but surely Australia will join the ranks of the countries before it in declaring multiculturalism a failed experiment. We’ve already seen warning shots fired in instances such as the Cronulla riots, Sydney’s west becoming a law unto itself and the farce of ugly patriotism Australia day has become.

Unfortunately it is for the most part not the skilled migrants tarnishing diversity in Australia but rather our bleeding heart open door policy on accepting those that offer absolutely nothing to the fabric of Australian society.

You only have to go have a look at some housing commission sites to see the segregated closed off societies in motion, draining off the welfare system and contributing nothing to the country.

A more specific soon-t0-be example is the recent events surrounding so-called asylum seekers from Afghanistan who managed to sail halfway across the world bypassing umpteen safe asylums to cherry pick our shores.

Upon being intercepted and escorted to the Christmas Island from Australian waters the people on board the vessel doused their ship in petrol and set it alight.

THIRTY-FOUR suspected asylum-seekers injured in an explosion aboard their boat off the Western Australian northwest coast will be taken to Australian hospitals for treatment.

The boat, believed to have been carrying 49 people from Afghanistan, was doused in petrol and set alight by the asylum-seekers, WA Premier Colin Barnett said earlier today.

Three people died in the blast. Two others are still missing.


Oh wonderful.

So we’ve accepted them onto Australian soil and already begun their welfare initiation by putting them in our hospitals. We can now most likely expect to get sued once they are given legal aid lawyers and then eventually grant them asylum out of bleeding heart guilt.

That and I’m sure the people smugglers in Indonesia have already started printing out millions of ‘Setting your boat on fire: The 100% foolproof method to get onto Australian soil” pamphlets.

Whilst I’m certainly not advocating the escort just sitting there and watching them all drown (although Darwin’s theory noticeably seems to not apply in relation to cherry picking asylum seekers), there has got to be a method put in place for treating them and shipping them back no questions asked. If we weren’t going to accept them prior to them injuring themselves we shouldn’t consider accepting them after treating them either.

What really irks me though,  is that once they are eventually given asylum and released into society what happens then? I certainly do not look forward to the day they move in next door to my house and at the first sign of a dispute over something silly decide to set my house on fire.

Yes, these are the people who will ultimately be responsible for failed multiculturalism in Australia. Maybe it’s time we just admitted to ourselves that no matter how rosy it sounds, people from different cultures aren’t always just going to get along and become synergy of harmony.

1. Oh Dear: Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum claims suspended
2. Why no outcry over Kevin Rudd's 'Indonesian Solution'?
3. Asylum seekers cut costs: "Please come and get us"
4. Australia lowers asylum criteria to accept arsonists