History of Fiji
Fiji was first settled about 3,500 years ago by the Melanesians and Polynesians. According to Fijian legend, the great chief Lutunasobasoba led his people across the seas to the new land of Fiji. Most authorities agree that people came into the Pacific from Southeast Asia via the Malay Peninsula. Here the Melanesians and the Polynesians mixed to create a highly developed society long before the arrival of the Europeans.
The European discoveries of the Fiji group were accidental. The first of these discoveries was made in 1643 by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and English navigators, including Captain James Cook who sailed through in 1774, and made further explorations in the 18th century. Major credit for the discovery and recording of the islands went to Captain William Bligh who sailed through Fiji after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789.
The first Europeans to land and live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements. Sandalwood traders and missionaries came by the mid-19th century. European traders and missionaries arrived in the first half of the 19th century, and the resulting disruption led to increasingly serious wars among the native Fijian confederacies. One Ratu (chief), Cakobau, gained limited control over the western islands by the 1850s. Cannibalism practiced in Fiji at that time quickly disappeared as missionaries gained influence. When Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in 1854, the rest of the country soon followed and tribal warfare came to an end. Although tribal warfare had ended, there were still many cultural and racial conflicts. The continuing unrest led him and a convention of chiefs to cede Fiji unconditionally to the British in 1874. The offer of cession by the Fijian chiefs was accepted, and Fiji was proclaimed a possession and dependency of the British Crown. The pattern of colonialism in Fiji during the following century was similar to that in many other British possessions: the pacification of the countryside, the spread of plantation agriculture, and the introduction of Indian indentured labor. Many traditional institutions, including the system of communal land ownership, were maintained.
In the 1880s large-scale cultivation of sugarcane began. Over the next 40 years, more than 60,000 indentured laborers from India were brought to the island to work the sugarcane plantations. By 1920, all indentured servitude had ended. After the indentured system was abolished, many stayed on as independent farmers and businessmen.
In April 1970, a constitutional conference in London agreed that Fiji should become a fully sovereign and independent nation within the Commonwealth. Fiji became independent on Oct. 10, 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony. Fiji adopted their current flag which is light blue with the flag of the United Kingdom in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag. The blue coloring of the flag symbolizes the Pacific Ocean and the Union Jack reflects the links with Great Britain. The shield is from Fiji's coat of arms and depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George. The four quarters depict stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove. Fiji also adopted Meda Dau Doka which is God Bless Fiji as the national anthem of Fiji. The lyrics were written by Michael Francis Alexander Prescott and the music was composed by Charles Austin Miles.
Post-independence politics came to be dominated by the Alliance Party of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Indian-led opposition won a majority of House seats in 1977, but failed to form a government out of concern that indigenous Fijians would not accept Indo-Fijian leadership. In April 1987, a coalition led by Dr. Timoci Bavadra, an ethnic Fijian supported by the Indo-Fijian community, won the general election and formed Fiji's first majority Indian government, with Dr. Bavadra serving as Prime Minister. On May 14, 1987, less than a month later, Dr. Bavadra was forcibly removed from power during a military coup led by Lt. Col. Sitiveni Rabuka. After a period of deadlocked negotiations involving the Governor-General, who had denounced the coup, Rabuka staged a second coup on September 25, 1987. This purpose of this coup was to prevent an Indian-dominated coalition party from taking power. The military coup caused an exodus of thousands of Fijians of Indian origin who suffered ethnic discrimination at the hands of the government.
The military government revoked the 1970 constitution and declared Fiji a republic on October 10. This action, coupled with protests by the Government of India, led to Fiji's expulsion from the Commonwealth of Nations and official non-recognition of the Rabuka regime from foreign governments, including Australia and New Zealand. On December 6, 1987, Rabuka resigned as head of state and Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau was appointed the first President of the Fijian Republic. The interim government that governed Fiji from December 1987-1992 was led by former Prime Minister Mara who was reappointed interim Prime Minister, and Rabuka became Minister of Home Affairs.
The new government drafted a new constitution, effective July 1990. Under its terms, majorities were reserved for ethnic Fijians in both houses of the legislature. Previously, in 1989, the government had released statistical information showing that for the first time since 1946, ethnic Fijians were a majority of the population. More than 12,000 Indo-Fijians and other minorities had left the country in the 2 years following the 1987 coups. After resigning from the military, Rabuka became prime minister in 1993 after elections under the new constitution.
Tensions simmered in 1995-96 over the renewal of land leases and political maneuvering surrounding the mandated 5-year review of the 1990 constitution. A Constitutional Review Commission recommended a new constitution that expanded the size of the legislature, lowered the proportion of seats reserved by ethnic groups, gave to the unelected Council of Chiefs authority to appoint the president and vice president, and opened the position of prime minister to all races. Ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians were allocated communal seats proportional to their numbers in the population at the time. Twenty-five seats were "open" to all. Prime Minister Rabuka and President Mara supported the proposal, while the nationalist indigenous Fijian parties opposed it. The constitution amendment act was unanimously approved by parliamentarians in July 1997. The new constitution mandated the formation of a multi-party cabinet (each party with 10 percent of members of Parliament was entitled to nominate a cabinet minister). Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth. The new constitution, which took effect in July 1998, provided for a multiracial cabinet and raised the prospect of a coalition government. The previous constitution had guaranteed dominance to ethnic Fijians. The first legislative elections held under the new constitution took place in May 1999. Rabuka's coalition was defeated by the Fiji Labor Party (FLP), which formed a coalition, led by Mahendra Chaudhry, with two small Fijian parties. Chaudhry became Fiji's first Indo-Fijian prime minister. In 1999, Fiji's first ethnic Indian Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, took office.
One year later, in May 2000, Chaudhry and most other members of Parliament were taken hostage in the House of Representatives by gunmen led by ethnic Fijian nationalist George Speight. The standoff dragged on for 8 weeks--during which time Chaudhry was removed from office by then-president Mara due to his inability to govern while a hostage. The Republic of Fiji military forces abrogated the constitution, convinced President Mara to resign, and brokered a negotiated end to the situation. Speight was later arrested when he violated the settlement's terms. In July 2000, the military commander Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama and the Great Council of Chiefs appointed former banker Laisenia Qarase interim Prime Minister and head of the interim civilian administration. The Vice President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, was named President. The Court of Appeal in March 2001 reaffirmed the validity of the constitution and ordered the President to recall the elected Parliament. However, the President dissolved the Parliament elected in 2000 and appointed Qarase head of a caretaker government to take Fiji to general elections that were held in August. Qarase's newly formed Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL) party won the elections but did not invite into the cabinet representatives of the FLP as required by the constitution. In February 2002, Speight was convicted of treason and is currently serving a life sentence.
In May 2006, the SDL was re-elected to a majority in the Parliament. Qarase continued as Prime Minister and formed a multi-party cabinet, which included nine members of the FLP. In the lead-up to the May 2006 election and beginning again in September, tensions grew between Commander of the Fiji Military Forces, Commodore Frank Bainimarama and the Qarase government. Bainimarama demanded the Qarase government not pursue certain legislation and policies favorable to the former mutineers and indigenous interests. On December 5, 2006 Bainimarama assumed executive authority, removed elected Prime Minister Qarase from his position, and dissolved Parliament in a military coup. Qarase was exiled to an outer island. On January 4, 2007, Bainimarama reinstated President Iloilo, who stated the military was justified in its behavior and promised them amnesty. The following day Iloilo appointed Bainimarama interim Prime Minister. Over the following weeks Bainimarama formed an "interim government" that included, among others, former Prime Minister Chaudhry and former Republic of Fiji Military Forces heads Epeli Ganilau and Epeli Nailatikau. On January 15, 2007, President Iloilo decreed amnesty to Bainimarama, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), and all those involved in the coup from December 5, 2006 to January 5, 2007, and he claimed to ratify all the actions of Bainimarama and the RFMF.
The coup was widely condemned by regional partners, including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the European Union. In April 2007, the interim government suspended the Great Council of Chiefs after the council declined to appoint the interim government's choice as vice president. In October 2007, the interim government launched a "People's Charter" initiative, ostensibly to remove communal or ethnic voting and improve governance arrangements. There was little progress made toward elections. In October 2008, the High Court ruled that President Iloilo’s January 2007 appointment of Bainimarama as Prime Minister, the granting of amnesty to coup perpetrators, and rule by decree, was not unconstitutional. However, on April 9, 2009, the Court of Appeal ruled that that the 2006 coup had been illegal. The following day President Iloilo abrogated the constitution, and removed all officials appointed under the constitution including all judges and the Governor of the Central Bank. He then reappointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister and imposed a "Public Emergency Regulation" (PER) that allowed press censorship. Since taking power BAINIMARAMA has neutralized his opponents, crippled Fiji's democratic institutions, and initially refused to hold elections. In 2012, he promised to hold elections in 2014.
Fiji's military strongman has declared the name of his new political party - Fiji First - and set the date for his country's first elections. Newly promoted Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama said his Fiji First party derived its name from his belief that Fiji is "where every Fijian regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, status, colour, gender and creed is considered equal - where every Fijian is put first in relation to our collective progress, success and growth as a nation".
On April 10, 2014 Foreign Minister Murray McCully travelled to Fiji to meet with the country's Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola. His visit marks the first meeting between ministers from the two countries since New Zealand announced last month it would lift travel sanctions against Fiji. Relations with the Pacific nation have thawed recently after Fiji scheduled elections for September 17. It will be the country's first democratic election in eight years.
Fiji’s geography, population and demographics
The Republic of Fiji or more commonly referred to as Fiji, is a group of 332 islands with approximately 110 inhabited islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. The capital is Suva with a population of 174,000. The total land area is about 18,274 sq km, which is about the size of the State of New Jersey, which ranks Fiji as 157th largest country in comparison to the rest of the world. Fiji has 1,129 km of coast line. The terrain is made up of mostly mountains of volcanic origin. Fiji’s lowest point is the Pacific Ocean 0 meters above sea level and the highest point is Mount Tomanivi at 1,324 meters above sea level. They have a tropical marine climate with only slight seasonal temperature variation and cyclonic storms that can occur from November to January. Fiji uses 9.17 percent of their land for arable purposes, 4.65 percent of their land for permanent crops, and the remaining 86.17 percent of their land for other purposes. They have about 30 square kilometers of irrigated land. Some of the current environmental issues include deforestation and soil erosion. Fiji’s natural resources include timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower.
The people of Fiji are known as Fijian(s). Fiji has a population of approximately 903,207. Racial conflict between different ethnic groups has been a central issue in the country’s history. A law passed in 2010 replaced the word 'Fijian' with 'iTuakei' when referring to the original and native settlers of Fiji. The iTaukei, which are people who are predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture, make up approximately 56.8 percent of the people. Indian 37.5 percent of the country’s population, with the Rotuman making up 1.2 percent of the population, and the other 4.5 percent of the population being either European, part European, other Pacific Islanders, or Chinese. Fiji has two official languages which are English and Fijian. Hindustani is also spoken but it is not recognized as an official language. The most predominant religion in Fiji is the Protestant religion with a 45 percent participation rate. The Protestant religion is further broken down by specific religions. The Methodist make up 34.6 percent of the Protest religion, followed by the Assembly of God making up approximately 5.7 percent of the Protestant religion. The Seventh Day Adventist make up3.9 percent of the Protestant religion and with the last .8 percent of the Anglicans making up the last of the overall 45 percent of the Protestant religion. Hindu is the second most predominant religion with a 27.9 percent participation rate. Other Christian religions have a10.4 percent participation rate. Roman Catholicism has a 9.1 percent participation rate. The participation in the religion of Islam is 6.3 percent, with the Sikh religion at a 0.3 percent participation rate. Only .3 percent of the population claim to be of “other” religions and .8 percent said they did not belong to a religion at all.
Fiji is a relatively young nation. The median age of the population is 27.9. Males have a median age of 27.7 years old and females have a median age of 28.1 years of age. Eighty-six percent of the population is age 54 years and younger. Only 11.4 percent of the population is 55 years of age or older. We can further break down the over all ages into specific ranges as follows: people 0-14 years of age make up 28.2 percent of the population, with 130,013 males and 124,423 females, people 15-24 years of age make up 17.1 percent of the population with 78,751 males and 75,358 females, people 25-54 years of age make up 41.1 percent of the population with 190,035 males and 181,268 females, people 55-64 years of age make up 5.8 percent of the population with 35,616 males and 34,920 females, people 65 years of age and over makeup 5.6 percent of the population with 24,282 males and 28,541 females. (Please see Appendix for graph 1.0 and summarized table 1.0).
The population of Fiji is increasing very slowly at approximately 1.7 percent, making them the 145th fastest growing country in the world. This could be because of the net immigration rate which is at - 6.86 migrant(s) per 1,000 people. This means that there are more people leaving the country than moving to it. Fiji’s fertility rate is moderate. There are approximately 2.51 children born per woman. This ranks Fiji as 81st in the world for fertility. There are approximately 19.86 births per every 1,000 people making Fiji 87th in the world for births. Life expectancy at birth is 72.15 years overall ranking Fiji 139th when compared to the rest of the world. The maternal mortality rate is 26 deaths per every 100,000 live births that occur, ranking Fiji 130th in the comparison to the rest of the world. The infant mortality rate is 10.2 deaths per every 1,000 live births raking Fiji 139th in the world for infant mortality. Approximately 11.24 male infant deaths and 9.1 female infant deaths occur per ever occur for every 1,000 live births.
The life expectancy for males at birth is 69.53 years. The life expectancy for females at birth is 74.91 years of age. The ratio of gender by age range is as follows: at birth there are 1.05 males per each female, from age 0 to age 14 there are 1.05 males per each female, from age 15 to age 24 there are 1.05 males per each female, from age 25 to age 54 there 1.05 males per each female, from age 54 to age 64 there are 1.03 males per each female, and age 65 years and over there are .85 males per each female. (Please see Appendix for summarized table 1.1) There are 6 deaths per every 1,000 people making Fiji 165th in the world for deaths.
As mentioned above Fiji’s history has been one of racial conflicts and unstable government rule which has lead to people leaving Fiji because of racial inequality in the government sector. More than 12,000 Indo-Fijians and other minorities had left the country in the 2 years following the 1987 coups. Fiji now has a republic form of government and follows a common law system based on the English model. They have three branches of government which are the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
The executive branch is headed by the chief of state which is currently President Ratu Epeli NAILATIKAU who was appointed by Chief Justice Anthony GATES. Under the constitution the president is elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term and was eligible for a second term. In 2007, the Great Council of Chiefs was suspended from its role in electing the president. The head of the government is Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Although QARASE is still the legal prime minister, he has been confined to his home island. The former President ILOILOVATU appointed Commodore Voreqe "Frank" BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under the military regime. The cabinet, which is appointed by the prime minister, is selected from the members of Parliament and responsible to Parliament. The coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA appointed the interim cabinet. The prime minister is appointed by the president.
The legislative branch is a bicameral Parliament which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The senate consists of 32 seats. Fourteen members are appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs. Nine members are appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister. Eight members are appointed on the advice of the opposition leader, and one is appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma. The House of Representatives consists of 71 seats. Twenty-three seats are reserved for ethnic Fijians. Nineteen seats are reserved for ethnic Indians. Three seats are reserved for all other ethnic groups. One seat is reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji. There are twenty-five open seats. The members of the House of Representatives serve five-year terms. The last election for the House of Representatives was held in May of 2006. The next election is scheduled to take place on September 17, 2014. The Judicial branch is composed of three courts. The highest court is the Supreme Court which consists of the chief justice, all justices of the Court of Appeal, and judges appointed specifically as Supreme Court judge. The Court of Appeals consists of the court president, all puisne judges of the High Court, and judges specifically appointed to the Court of Appeal. The High Court is chaired by the chief justice and includes a minimum of 10 puisne judges. The High Court is organized into civil, criminal, family, employment, and tax divisions. There is also a Magistrates' Court organized into civil, criminal, juvenile, and small claims divisions. In 1987, the Supreme Court assumed functions formerly performed by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
The Chief Justice is appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition. Judges of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Appeals, the justices of the Court of Appeals, and Puisne Judges of the High Court are appointed by the president of Fiji as well, upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission, after consulting with the cabinet minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice. The chief justice, Supreme Court judges, and justices of the Court of Appeals are generally required to retire at age 70, but may be waived for one or more sessions of the court. Puisine judges are appointed for a minimum of 4 years and a maximum 7 years with mandatory retirement at age 65.
Current Issues in Fiji
Fiji spends approximately 3.8 percent of their GDP on health care which ranks them 169th out of 231 countries. Fiji does not have many doctors. There is only 0.43 physicians for every 1,000 people. There are only 2.1 beds for every 1,000 people. Fiji ranks 25th in the world for obesity, with 30.6 percent of the population overweight. The quality of health services varies significantly in Fiji. In the outer islands health care is not easily accessible and the nearest clinics often involve an expensive sea journey. There are poor sanitation systems and a lack of fresh water supplies can be a cause of severe sickness. According to the Asian Development Bank, only 50 percent of the population in Fiji has access to safe water and proper sanitation. The level of access to sanitation is 75 percent in urban areas, but only 12 percent in rural areas.
Another issue in Fiji is poverty. For the majority of tourists vacationing in Fiji, the underlying issues of hardship for local people are not immediately visible. It is not until tourists see beyond the palm trees and beaches that the extent of poverty in Fiji becomes clear. In a destination more synonymous with luxury honeymoons than deprivation, the harsh truth is that in the rural villages, roughly one third of Fiji's population live in poverty. Many communities are heavily disadvantaged, many children are denied the basic opportunities in life and many families struggle to meet their daily needs. Approximately 5.3 percent of children are underweight in Fiji. More than 250,000 people in the Fiji islands live in poverty and many more live on or just above the poverty line. With the coups, the population dispersed over a multiple of islands, efficient delivery of health care, education and other social services is incredibly difficult. Fijian communities, especially those in rural area suffer the most extreme consequences of this poverty.
Education
Fiji spends approximately 4.2 percent of the GDP on education. Many schools are in poor condition and devoid of basic materials. Poverty forces many children to drop out of education and many do not continue beyond primary school level. The school life expectancy of children is 16 years. Ninety-four percent of the population in Fiji is literate, with 95.5 percent of all males and 91.9 percent of all females over the age of 15 and have the ability to read and write.
There is a very limited access to kindergarten schools and educational programs for pre-school infants. Away from the classroom, there is a severe lack of extracurricular activities. Children in rural communities are often forced into a future of limited education and opportunity. Children, especially in the outer islands have no access to sporting clubs, sports equipment or resources, and a lack of sports structure and development within schools and communities.
Youth
There have been increases in youth crime and drug abuse in Fiji due to lack of work opportunities, limited positive role models and an absence of organized youth schemes and extra-curricular activities. Within Fijian society both women and young adults face additional hurdles. Women are less likely to receive tertiary education or gain access to jobs. Youth unemployment and urban drift are increasing in Fiji, with rural communities left with a severe lack of skills, training, support and available income.
Vital local infrastructure
There is a severe absence of basic infrastructure in rural areas, including sanitation facilities, schools, clinics, community centers, kindergarten classrooms, electricity, road access, river/stream access, sea wall defences and jetties and a limited supply of effective pumped systems to provide fresh water to rural communities.

Specific development issues
Think Pacific's projects follow Community Needs Assessments that have been conducted by our local partners at the Fijian Ministry. These assessments form long term holistic objectives to raise the standard of basic services, health, education, sports and opportunity and support sustainable development in the rural communities. This is the basis for all of Think Pacific's expeditions in Fiji. http://www.3news.co.nz/McCully-flies-to-Fiji-for-election-talks/tabid/1607/articleID/339552/Default.aspx#ixzz2yRCg9vt0 http://www.fijihighcommission.org.uk/about_1.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fj.html http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/fiji/history http://www.infoplease.com/country/fiji.html http://www.3news.co.nz/McCully-flies-to-Fiji-for-election-talks/tabid/1607/articleID/339552/Default.aspx http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/9887441/Fijis-election-date-set-for-September http://www.thinkpacific.com/pages/aims-in-fiji/poverty-issues-in-fiji

Age Range | Percent of the Population | Number of Males | Number of Females | 0-14 years: | 28.2 | 130,013 | 124,423 | 15-24 years: | 17.1 | 78,751 | 75,358 | 25-54 years: | 41.1 | 190,035 | 181,268 | 55-64 years: | 5.8 | 35,616 | 34,920 | 65 years and over: | 5.6 | 24,282 | 28,541 |

Age Range | Males per females | At Birth | 1.05 | 0-14 years: | 1.05 | 15-24 years: | 1.05 | 25-54 years: | 1.05 | 55-64 years: | 1.03 |