The ethnic divisions in Fiji follow a pattern which is being seen in many other parts of the world, particularly since the end of the Cold War. The ethnicisation of politics in Fiji is therefore nothing new. The second feature that Fijian society shares in common with other ethnically divided ones is that it is not the ethnic differences per se that are the cause of hostility. Rather it is the rich-poor gulf that coincides with ethnic boundaries. Had the indigenous Fijian community been on a par with the Indians economically, ethnic tensions in Fiji would be far less than at present.
Economic resentment drives ethnic resentment.
This is not to dismiss ethnic differences as insignificant. In Fiji's case, as well as the obvious racial differences between indigenous people and Indians, there are differences of language, culture and religion. Most Fijians are Christian, most Indians Hindu. These marked differences between the communities become significant one, because there is a natural human instinct to distrust 'the other' and two, because they make integration of the two groups very difficult. Common sense dictates that so long as the wide gulf between native Fijians and Indians remains, hostility will be likely.