1 week Ago By FijiTimes
STORES in Suva shut their doors at 3:35pm on Tuesday, July 19, 1977, as about 3000 people took to the streets to protest against foreign interference in Fiji’s internal affairs during the dock strike crisis. A placard-waving crowd took part in the march organised by Liebling Marlow and a committee of 13. According to the article published by The Fiji Times on Wednesday, July 20, 1977, the protesting crowd was led by Mrs Marlow and one of the founders of the trade union movement in Fiji, BD Lakshman, in a wheelchair.
Outside the Phoenix Theatre, a singing but serious crowd gathered with children and placards. Most of the marchers were women, including nuns, housewives, store employees and politicians’ wives. There were also ex-servicemen wearing their medals who carried the Fiji flag, school children and community leaders.
Among those at the start of the march were the minister of Finance Charles Stinson, minister for Commerce, Industry and Co-operatives Edward Beddoes and the retiring Attorney-General John Falvey. The report said a good-natured crowd lined the entire route, and staff of business houses showed their support by applauding as the marchers passed. While the Government film unit and New Zealand television team filmed, the placard-bearing demonstrators walked slowly along Rodwell Rd and Victoria Pde.
They were led by a banner which said ‘Fiji for Fiji’ and others read ‘Keep the Kiwis out’, ‘Stand by your country’, ‘Right on Ratu Mara’, ‘Hands off Fiji’ and ‘Fiji first, no outside interference’. The police stopped and rerouted traffic during the 45-minute march past tightly closed shops. Burns Philp (South Seas) Co Ltd was the only large store to remain open, but the shop was clear of customers and most of the staff were on the streets.
Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara met the protesters on the street and talked to a crowd of about 6000 people gathered on the waterfront. In an emotional speech, Mrs Marlow told Ratu Mara that when she sent an angry letter to The Fiji Times because she was sick of strikes crippling Fiji’s development, she had no idea that it would lead to this. “This march showed that we are united in our stand to make the future brighter for generations to come, that we are united as a sovereign state, and that we did not get our independence to be told what to do by the outside world,” she said.
Mr Lakshman, who founded trade unionism in Fiji, and had always stood against outside interference, said the march was not against unionism, but to uphold law and order. Ratu Mara said the march was a spontaneous and encouraging demonstration of support for the Government’s policy in dealing with the dock strike. “It will be a sad day if we have achieved independence from political colonialists, if we are beginning to free ourselves from commercial colonialists only to suffer from the colonialism of foreign trade unions,” he said.
He said foreign unions had besieged Fiji on the scantiest of information, wrong information, or none at all. The then leader of the Opposition, Siddiq Koya, described the march as an Alliance Party gimmick..
