Going back to my roots

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Going back to my roots

POLITICIAN Lisa Singh made headlines in 2010 when she became the first person of South Asian descent to be elected to the Australian Parliament, representing the state of Tasmania as a Labour senator.

She was re-elected for a second term during the 2016 Federal election, securing 20,741 below-the-line votes to overturn the Australian Labour Party’s ticket order and becoming the 10th elected senator for Tasmania.

Senator Singh has built a very colourful career in Australian politics over the years, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Ram Jati Singh, who was an eminent political figure in Fiji in the 1960s.

Despite her many successes and accomplishments in life, Senator Singh has not forgotten her family roots and link to Fiji.

Over the next few days, the senator is expected to embark on a journey of self-discovery and appreciation, tracing her grandfather’s roots in Fiji and reflecting on her Fijian heritage and its influence on her political career in Australia.

Her story is one of family, community and survival and she’s already looking forward to her Fiji visit to learn more about her grandfather’s legacy, how he pushed for change as a politician and in whose footsteps she followed about 40 years later.

Born in Hobart in 1972, Senator Singh is the daughter of Uppi Singh, granddaughter of Ram Jati and great-granddaughter of Laxman Singh, an indentured labourer who left India in 1902 to work on Fiji’s sugarcane plantations.

“My great-grandfather Laxman, was an indentured labourer in Fiji. He left India on a month-long treacherous voyage to chase dreams of economic prosperity,” she said.

“I’ve got a copy of his emigration pass. He signed a ‘girmit’ or agreement with the British Empire to work on Fiji’s sugarcane plantations.

“The British indentured labourer scheme was really a system of forced labour. Over 60,000 Indians like him endured harsh conditions under the indentured scheme, abolished by the British in 1920. The mortality rate for girmitya was very high but my great-grandfather survived. Laxman was determined to give his son, Ram Jati, the opportunity of education.”

In 1929, her grandfather graduated as a schoolteacher from one of the two teacher training schools — Natabua Teachers College in Lautoka. His life in Fiji as a teacher was combined with farming a small parcel of land he tended to with her grandmum, growing vegetables, rearing chickens and selling eggs to get by.

He also sold crops to allied troops in WWII stationed in Fiji.

“My own dad has inherited that green thumb — his home in West Hobart is where I always get my vegetables,” she said.

“The first school Ram Jati taught at in Nausori was completely destroyed in a hurricane and with the help of the local people, my granddad had the school up and running in no time.

“That was his attitude to life — happy to take on any challenge to make a difference -— someone who was ambitious but with purpose and goals to achieve positive change.”

Senator Singh said her grandfather was a passionate advocate for reform and made a substantial contribution to Fiji.

He was eventually honoured in 1984 through the nomination by the then prime minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara with an Order of the British Empire by the Queen of England for his service to the community and people of Fiji.

His drive and dedication, Senator Singh said, were attributes she remembered when she met him in Fiji as a 12-year-old.

“He quickly organised for a coconut to be cut down, pierced a hole in the top and gave me a straw to quench my thirst from the hot and humid Fiji climate,” Senator Singh said, reminiscing the experience from many decades ago.

“I’ve got lots of pictures and documents from my family heritage but travelling to Fiji will bring them to life.”

She said her grandfather had inspired her own political career and she would always remember how hard he worked for the community.

“I am looking forward to gaining the true idea of life in Fiji outside of the big cities and tourist hot spots,” said the mother of two sons.

“I am looking forward to walking in my grandfather’s footsteps, visiting the school he started and the farmland he tended.

“I’ve got a copy of his old passport. It’s got stamps in it from all over the world. He visited the House of Commons in the UK and he met Indira Gandhi, the PM of India to ask for her support for Fiji’s independence.

“I’m really proud of my heritage and what my granddad achieved. Through his work, I’ve seen what a difference you can make. That community spirit is something I’ve always tried to carry with me throughout my political career.

“I think it’s where I get my strong principles and passion for standing up for what’s right.”

Politician in the making

Senator Singh attended St Mary’s College and Elizabeth College and graduated from University of Tasmania with Bachelor of Arts (honours) degree.

She holds a Masters of International Relations from Macquarie University and has lived most of her life in Tasmania.

During her term in the senate, Senator Singh has served front bench positions as the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney-General and the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Water.

According to her official website, Senator Singh is a long-time supporter of human rights and advocate for refugees. She has been outspoken as a senator on the need for Australia to reform its immigration policy, particularly the practice of immigration detention and the treatment of children in detention.

Senator Singh is also a strong advocate for women’s rights, nuclear disarmament, international development and asbestos disease sufferers.

She has made various contributions to the Tasmanian community in the union movement, women’s movement, the NGO sector and public service, and was president of the UN Australia Association (Tasmanian division), president of the YWCA Tasmania and director of the Tasmanian Working Women’s Centre among other notable contributions. In 2004, she was recognised by Hobart City Council as the “Hobart Citizen of the Year” for her peace activism against war in Iraq.

Through her Indian origin and efforts to build Australia’s relationship with India, Senator Singh was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award by the President of India in 2014 for her “exceptional and meritorious public service as a person of Indian heritage in fostering friendly relations between India and Australia”.

Last year, she was seconded to the UN General Assembly in New York as a delegate from the Australian Parliament.

Her vision is for a society that respects diversity and provides an opportunity for every person to achieve their potential.

* Read more about the senator’s trip to Fiji in this week’s The Sunday Times.

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