May I comment on the concept of affirmative action policy and the plan by the unelected Interim Government to abolish it, given their public statements over the years against it.

Race, or should I say culture, is a fact of life. It involves thousands of years of embedded tradition and values that dictate social relationships and roles.

These are nurtured from childhood and determine our preferences and choices. de Bruin and Dupuis (2003) refer to these factors as social capital and they must be acknowledged in a market economy in order to correctly anticipate customer aspirations to the entrepreneurs advantage.

One of the reasons for the lack of a gender balance model throughout the world today is due to this basic deficiency in market differentiation for relevant policy targets. The same goes for men as well in some industries and professions.

Moreover, the market metrics data provides the basis to begin changing relationships from power to empowerment dynamics, and win win trust relationships that underwrite sustainable market relationships for any business unit, private or public, big or small, profit and not for profit.

Affirmative action as a vision for Fiji has been around a long time, but it was not processed into a customised results-oriented system until the SDL Party legislated for it with the 50/50 by 20/20 development plan under the Social Justice Act 2001. These policies targeted not only the indigenous Fijians, but also all disadvantaged groups according to their demographic market profile.

As a marketeer interested in universal success factors, may I briefly explain the wisdom behind the affirmative action policy for indigenous Fijians and Rotumans.

Today, we live in a market economy where information is now considered to be a form of capital, driven as it is by Information Communication Technology (ICT). This means that we all need to change because the masses now have access to information, the new raw material for making their own decisions and thus empowering themselves.

Consequently, both Capitalism and Socialism (the two philosophical bases of SDL and the FLP respectively) must now include a higher purpose and calling in life to integrate this new dynamics or risk irrelevance.

To do this requires market research, to measure market needs, barriers and constraints so as to design policies that can target them to allow the values in each particular market to manifest and sustain long-term benefits and cash flows'. Failure to do so is market ignorance consistent with the industrial World view of one size fits all' championed by the likes of Hitler, Mao, and Lenin.

The status of Fijian development today is at crisis point and unless affirmative action policies target this deplorable status quo, our under-development' will continue.

The proportion of indigenous Fijians in the following sample populations are as follows: Prison Report 2004 at 76% (85% if you include CSO's); Health Report 2004 Gonorrhea 87%; Syphilis 84%; HIV 84%; infant deaths by race for Fijians had risen from 58% in 1994 to 69.8%, in 2003.

Furthermore, almost 90% of these infant deaths were preventable. Add the Fijian failure rates at school the Fijian market as a collectivist culture has much to offer the social "ecosystem" in Fiji, but it must be empowered by appropriate policies to contribute its values.

This process of decision-making cannot be imposed as was done in the past. In the 21st century market economy of international entrepreneurship, culture and ethnicity is a success factor measured by education level in the business plan with an exit strategy.

So yes, I agree with the Fijian Teachers Association's Maika Namudu when he said that to remove affirmative action policies would drastically disadvantage Fijians as an ethnic group, since those policies were designed to meet their special needs of development and modernisation.

I disagree with the Minister of Education and the Shree Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha that affirmative action is discriminatory in a bad or arbitrary way. This view is shallow because from a market perspective, a Fiji Indian risk benefit trade-off' equilibrium cannot be applied to a Fijian worldview of values.

The former is individualist, which is incongruent with the latter of group sharing and caring. Both are success factors, but each group must have the freedom and identities to chose their own way, and not have this imposed upon them by others who do not share their particular worldview.

Survival of the Fijian race is not about political domination of the elite now being systemised by the National Alliance Party and the Fiji Labour Party-dominated unelected Interim Government.

Comments (11)

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CONCERNED CITIZEN said:

The article is quite good from the outset but it falls short of genuincy simply because the author at the end reverts to "Poltical Bickering"that I believe greatly undermines what she may have tried to highlight.A person's Life is worth much more than a loaf of bread from the author's chain of bread shop,butit seems the author equates most aspects of her theory to marketing.In marketing,what you project is what you get,hence Fijians reliance on handouts from government such as Blue Print etc,is what Fijians themselves are projecting to other societies in the country.We hardworking Fijians do not need handouts,we rather struggle as other races,we don't want to be called "dole bluggers",we've seen what the Aussies are have done to Abos;which I believe the author got a taste of,NO...way...the only way for fijians to learn is the hard way,there is no easy way in life,because life is not a commodity,its God's gift to mankind.TO EQUATE LIFE TO MONEY makes life for simple fijians unbearable,you don't have to become financially well off,educated,own a business and speak english to enjoy life. That is what I assume what a happy life is for the author;A simple Fijian just needs land to grow his crop,a strong and vibrant extended family and freedom to use his qoliqoli,thats what he needs.

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20 January, 2007
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Le Mode Fiji. said:

Samisoni also advocates the Fijian to continue to rely on such handouts. With her marketing accumen or lack thereof, Mere Samisoni should be ashamed of suporting such excessive state expenditure like seen in the Agricultural Scam. Or be remotely be associated with it. Samisoni has also failed to give back to society by sharing her knowledge and thus empowering the average Fijian citizen to succeed in entrepeurialship. Samisoni writing displays a format that is neither a paper or opinion article and often forgets who her audience is. This process of decision-making cannot be imposed as was done in the past. In the 21st century market economy of international entrepreneurship, culture and ethnicity is a success factor measured by education level in the business plan with an exit strategy. The above paragraph reflects such scattershot approach and successfully fails to address in depth, those areas or even explain the context and correlation with Fiji's affirmative action. In fact, the paragraph actually contradicts her support for affirmative action. If affirmative action represented the 'decision-making of the past' in Fiji then, Mere Samisoni may need another argurement.

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21 January, 2007
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Moses Caqimaiwai said:

Can someone please explain to me what MS is trying to say ??I am a form 10 student of the bush cutter confederacy ....[grassroot level] and all this fancy talk is giving me a headach. ms wrote................................ Affirmative action as a vision for Fiji has been around a long time, but it was not processed into a customised results-oriented system until the SDL Party legislated for it with the 50/50 by 20/20 development plan under the Social Justice Act 2001. These policies targeted not only the indigenous Fijians, but also all disadvantaged groups according to their demographic market profile. my thoughts on this are that just like Hitler m Mao m Lenon ..you are trying to change the fijian people into something he dos'nt want to be??? and by doing so you only make matters worse.with our mantality we will say ..OK if you want me to change ..give me that , and , this.and once I'v got it ....you can go to hell.. see where Im comming from??? We will always want something for nothing ...SO PLEASE STOP GIVING US HANDOUTS!.

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22 January, 2007
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Steve Hallacy said:

Affirmative action is about removing barriers that prevent qualified people to enter and compete in the world arena, not erecting fences to exclude people solely on ethnicity. AA met with limited success in the USA where Federal funding created corrupt departments run by minority elitists, particularly in the department housing & urban development (HUD). Mere should stick the school house where academic drivel is rewarded by more letters next to one's name.

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23 January, 2007
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Kaiviti said:

I believe some form of affirmative action is needed to help bring up Fijians economically to the level of other races that live in Fiji. However, I think that the main beneficiaries of the affirmative action policies have been a select and elite few. A good review of the policy should be taken and an audit be done and published of who really benefited from the policy. I'm sure it would really wake up our poor innocent Fijians.

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24 January, 2007
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green coconut said:

	Kaiviti said: However, I think that the main beneficiaries of the affirmative action policies have been a select and elite few. An example of a select few receiving the benefits of AA: Sending 10 students overseas on FAB scholarships that could have seen over a 100 through USP. Worse, if you go through the scholarship list, you're bound to recognise a few surnames. The rich feeding off the poor.
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26 January, 2007
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CONCERNED CITIZEN said:

On scholarships,is it based on merit or finacial status? I get confused at times as to what the criteria needs to be? :- I know a number of Fijian students whose parents are well off but are given scholarships because they gained the required points for the scholarship.I am of the view that scholarships be given to those of merit as an incentive to foster the hardworking attitude required for our kids tomorrow.Affirmative action in the education system should focus on this,instead of coming up with the fancy coined tags such as "Centre of Excellence".

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29 January, 2007
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green coconut said:

The scholarships are based on merit, but wealthy 'city' Fijians are much more likely to get them, thereby widening the gap between rich and poor Fijians. I reckon it should remain on merit, but also not allow the scholarship to any child who's parent's combined income exceeds $40,000 per year. Reason being that at that income rate, they would have enough FNPF funds to cover all university expenses very easily.

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30 January, 2007
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Max said:

It is simple for us Fijians to get on level with other races. Just get out of our backsides and work the land and stop fighting over it with our own mataqali members and NLTB. Secondly, please no more grog and smoke everyday. BTW, the aricle above by Mere Samisoni is the most stupidest reasoning to justify the affirmative action policy. For goodness sake, get rid of it because it has no benefit whatsoever.

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15 April, 2007
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EMOSI VEREBASAGA said:

	The idea was great..BUT...no research was done to determine who should be receiving what and how many...in fact no study was done...was there a feasibility study done?...in fact I am of the view that the Qarase government employed a lousy bunch of analysts who should be blamed for the fall of his government!
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15 June, 2007
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Ian M. Simpson said:

We have squandered over a hundred million dollars on supposed agricultural endeavours that were in fact vote buying schemes. There is absolutely nothing to show for this expenditure, I know, I am in agriculture. THINK........ how this money could have benefited Fiji and all its citizens if it was utilized for an education loan system without predjudice. All citizens need to be registered from birth with FNPF. All citizens should be able to utilize "education loans" whether for University, Trade Schools, Private Schools, short courses for academic or trade skills.. This will have the immediate effect of creating a " knowledge industry" that will employ hundreds if not thousands in providing education, it will democratize education so that every body can benefit. These loans will taken with the understanding that they will be paid back, thus creating a revolving fund. The government then has only to be "Gurantor" to provide insurance whilst FNPF provides the funds. So all those thousands of students who do not get scholarships because of lack of funds or not being able to meet entry requirements can find a trade not requiring high standards of academic achievment. Demand for trades will drive delivery of the same on a purely economic basis. So win-win.....jobs created and every person who desires education can get an education. In due course this could create a thriving education industry that would infact create foreign exchange.

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05 September, 2007
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