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May 14, 1987. The Apr. 1987 general election; economic and international dimensions of the coup.

Since Fiji became an independent state in 1970 it has experienced three coups against elected governments. On each occasion, intervention has been justified on the grounds that the rights and interests of indigenous Fijians have been under threat from a government controlled by Indo-Fijians, the country's second largest ethnic group. The story of nationalism versus constitutionalism in Fiji is one in which all the efforts of institutional designers seem to have been consistently trumped by the successful manipulation of ethnic identity, especially (although not exclusively) by Fijian nationalists. But it also suggests that there is more the problems of stability in Fiji than the fact of ethnic difference. The article also critically assesses arguments which favor the develoopment of a new form of constitutionalism which dispenses with the liberal 'rule of uniformity' in favor of principles and practices that give explicit recognition to cultural difference. (Nations and Nationalism, ECMI)

Examines the political situation, focusing on the ethnonationalism of indigenous Melanesians (ethnic Fijians); some focus on the country's history and ethnic groups, including the relationship between ethnic Fijians (who make up a slight majority of the population) and Indo-Fijians (the largest minority).

Fiji is currently under criticism for instituting a racially discriminatory constitution and for shaping a regime to Melanesian rule. The author inquires if there is any real hope for a rapid change in the unstable condition with special reference to the background of the coups in May and September 1977, campaign for the election to be held in the middle of 1992, ethnic tensions, the tribal role in recent developments and Fiji's external relations. (DÜI-Sen)

The author believes that the first Fiji coup in May 1987 sought to reinstall a feudal aristocracy which had been severely threatened by a narrow defeat in the elections of the previous month. He sees the origins of this coup in class conflict and associated internal colonialism. Backgrounds of this coup and the second coup in September 1987 are scrutinized in this study. (DÜI-Sen)