Nature, like politics, plays havoc with the poor

Fiji is now passing through the cyclic season of floods, cyclones and hurricanes.

The hot and humid conditions provide ideal conditions for the formation of low-pressure centers that give birth to cyclones and hurricanes. Each is accompanied by torrential rain that ritually submerges low-lying areas and occasionally inundates towns and homes.

Nature’s fury is a frightening experience that no one should go through; added to this misfortune are the periodic coups that have left an incredible nation bashed and battered. However, its strength lies in its people who can bear the worst and resurrect hope amidst prevailing hopelessness.

Cyclone Mick has blown over Fiji and left damage and destruction in its trail.

No sooner it left, than the people took efforts to rebuild their nests from what could be salvaged. They collected broken timbers and beat twisted irons into shape to make a home. The corrugated pieces of iron formed the roof and the flat sheets were tucked to the timber frames to form the walls.

Once the family nest was ready, the family moved in; happy that they had roof over their heads. This is the typical life of the poor and landless in Fiji.

The land where the poor and landless build is often government-owned, mostly located on the periphery of urban centers, where squatter homes have mushroomed over the years.

Fiji would have the largest squatter population in the Pacific and a majority is Indo-Fijians. Being outside the boundaries of urban centers had the advantage of escaping compliance with the building regulations but this is not to claim that all squatter-settlements in Fiji are outside the boundaries of the urban centers.

Suva alone has thousands of squatter homes that have a significant number of Fijians. When hurricanes or cyclones blow through such settlements, they rip through the hearts of its poor and vulnerable occupants.

However, their hope, courage and resilience could never be destroyed. If they were moved to secure shelters during the period of attack, they returned to their homes at the first opportunity to assess the situation and plan their future posthaste.

They did not wait for handouts from the government or other bodies and moved on, driven by a sincere urge and unflinching determination to restore their lives and pursue their dreams.

In these struggles of families, few realised how it helped raise some great families of struggle, toil and achievement.

One must not be awed by the mountains of adversity, as within it flourish the crops of opportunity, which is available for harvest to those who seek, struggle, strive and achieve. People of Fiji have faced multiple adversities but their resilience, endurance and adjustment to varied conditions, including the coups is simply remarkable.

However, their initial response to the first coup of May 14, 1987 was one of shock, confusion and bewilderment but they adjusted and took in their stride successive coups as a part of the political culture.

In essence, Fiji was exposed to the ravages of Nature’s fury annually but coups, instigated for political reasons, have merely aggravated the pain and suffering of its people. It is a rich agricultural country with great potential but is constantly disabled by both Nature’s wrath and people’s indiscretions. It has a remarkable ability for recovery but has often been victim of failures, largely caused by its errant leaders.

Hopefully, the restoration work proposed and, now in process, will eliminate the coup culture forever, enabling Fiji to have the benefit of leaders who will guide its path, where all its children can march together hand in hand to the destiny that eluded them thus far.

Fiji has not failed its people; its leaders have failed it!

Email: raj.prasad@xtra.co.nz