Melbourne: Former Fijian Prime Minister of Indian-origin Mahendra P Chaudhry has appealed to the Indian diaspora to guard against being deluded by certain success stories and thinking that "all's well everywhere". Chaudhry's comments came while he was delivering a keynote address at the Seventh Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) in Sydney yesterday. "Indian diaspora is by no means a homogeneous entity. Let us not be deluded by the success stories of some sectors into thinking that all's well everywhere," he said.
He said an Indian diaspora conclave like PBD Sydney was a welcome opportunity to connect with other people of Indian heritage in the region and to meet and intermingle with delegates from India and elsewhere to discuss issues of mutual concern. "It also reflects an awareness of our region's growing importance and, hopefully, signals that India is keen to strengthen and expand her presence in the Pacific. As a power bloc in the Asia Pacific region, India's appeal lies in her long tradition of non-alignment, her democratic governance and her adherence to values that uphold human dignity and liberty," Chaudhry said.
On trade and commerce, the Fijian politician said that "small as Fiji is, several of our own businesses have of late begun investing in India as joint venture partners. Conversely, an Indian bank, two insurance companies and a paint manufacturing company have long been established in Fiji". India's exports to Fiji last year totalled around 70 million Fijian dollars compared to Fiji's exports of around 10 million Fijian dollars, he said.
"We are small - less than a million, viewed against the 25 million or so, that make up the Indian diaspora today. Nonetheless, we have our own uniqueness," he said, adding that the Indo-Fijian community comprises migrants who left India post independence in search of greater opportunities in the more developed societies of Australia and New Zealand. He further sought aggressive trade and investment strategy on India's front to bridge the huge trade imbalance with Australia and New Zealand. "With Australia alone, it had a trade deficit of nearly 12 billion Australian dollars last year. Obviously, a more aggressive trade and investment strategy on India's part is warranted if the gap is to be narrowed," he said.
