Eliminating Racial Discrimination

21st March 2012
Eliminating Racial Discrimination
World over, March 21st is set aside to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Citizens’ Constitutional Forum (CCF) is calling on all Fijians to stand up to and help put an end to racism, an issue which has divided our nation.
“Racial intolerance has been the root cause of the political and social conflicts within Fiji and continues to divide our communities. CCF has been conducting civic education to deal with racism and religious intolerance amongst our people and this year we call on the people of Fiji to make a stand to end all forms of racial discrimination, says CCF CEO Reverend Akuila Yabaki.
“As we mark CERD Day, the CCF is putting the final touches to the NGO 2012 Report on ICERD. While we recognize the steps taken by the current Government to introduce policies which create a diverse but united Fiji, these steps fall short of fulfilling our international obligations,” says Reverend Yabaki.
The CCF therefore submits the following 22 points as concrete measures towards eliminating racial discrimination in Fiji:
Enshrine a Bill of Rights in the Constitution after consultation with the communities
Enact legislation which criminalizes discrimination by ethnicity;

Enact legislation to prohibit discrimination and vilification on the ground of religion and to criminalize such activities;
Withdraw all reservations and declarations made with regards to ICERD;
Engage with Civil Society to formulate a plan for community education on the Constitution in all ethnic communities;
Withdraw the Public Order (Amendment) Decree 2012 to allow for true participation and dialogue on elections and the removal of race-based voting;
Remove the Media Industry (Development) Decree 2010;
Revive the Fiji Human Rights Commission and appoint a Director and full-time Commissioners to allow for complaints on ethnic discrimination;
Make a clear statement on the concept of indigenous Fijians and address with the i-Taukei people the dismantling of i-Taukei institutions and the revision of land laws;
Make clear its position on indigenous people in connection with the human rights of other ethnic groups;
Ensure that recruitment processes in the Fiji Military Forces reflects the commitment to end racial discrimination in this institution;
Remove by-laws and institutions which apply to specific sections of the community by ethnicity;
Make public the distribution of development assistance, including scholarships, by ethnicity;
Provide information to the public on the amount, duration of and reason for any special benefit assistance provided by ethnicity or religion;
Ensure that i-Taukei and Hindi languages are taught to all students wherever possible;

Include culture and faith in the school curriculum as a means by which to increase tolerance of other ethnicities and faiths;
Remove restrictions which prevent the Solomon Islands community from using FNPF contributions for rural housing;
Launch an inquiry into the past political events to determine whether race was a factor in the removal of legally-elected legislatures;
Provide adequate, free interpreting and translating services;
Provide information concerning access to the justice system to culturally and linguistically diverse communities, where appropriate in community languages;
Ensure adequate participation and representation of all peoples in decision-making at all levels of government;
Strengthen racial vilification laws and amend to include protections against religious vilification.

Reverend Akuila Yabaki
CEO - CCF
The CCF is a non-government organization that educates and advocates for good governance, human rights and multiculturalism in Fiji. We are not aligned with any political party. The CCF is a non-government organization that educates and advocates for good governance, human rights and multiculturalism in Fiji. We are not aligned with any political party.
Background information.

History of March 21st.

UNESCO decided to mark March 21st as the yearly International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in memory of the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960 in Transvaal, South Africa. It was after a day of demonstrations against laws imposed under the Apartheid system, where a crowd of black protesters far outnumbered the police, the South African police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people.

In December 1960, following incidents of anti-Semitism in several other parts of the world, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning "all manifestations and practices of racial, religious and national hatred" as violations of the United Nations Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ENDS

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