Over 200,000 people have departed Fiji over the years because of issues like political instability.
This was highlighted by University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Professor Vijay Naidu while delivering his keynote address at the Reimagining Democracy panel discussion on Monday.
Prof Naidu spoke about Fiji’s emergence post-independence and the highs and lows the nation had gone through over the past 50 odd years. Four Constitutions and four coups later, Prof Naidu said Fiji had become a transnational and globalised society.
Now, Fiji was also a remittance dependent society.
“We have diasporas all over the world, particularly in the rim countries, who provide the remittances, who are very important markets,” Prof Naidu said.
Prof Naidu highlighted these included being source markets for products such as Fiji kava and tourism.
Members of this diaspora had also become potential investors, and Prof Naidu also pointed out that one of the positive things done by the FijiFirst government was to allow multiple citizenships.
Thus, he said people came from abroad to invest in Fiji.
“Also very importantly, the diaspora turns up to all these rugby sevens tournaments to support Fiji, the national team. So, a very positive element.
“But that diaspora is more than 20 per cent of the people population and is a product of the instability and perceived insecurity of people.
“So more than 200,000 people have left this country because of all the problems that we have, in terms of political stability.”
