Veiqati Vaka Viti and the Fiji Islands elections in 1999

Journal of Pacific History

Volumn 35, Issue 3, 2000, Pages 253-267

  Tuimaleali'Ifano, Morgan ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0004888982     PISSN: 00223344     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/00223340020010553     Document Type: Review

References (53)

1. Rabuka echoed these sentiments after his defeat in the 1999 elections.
2. Since 1970, three, elections have resulted in the return of Indian-dominated parties to power.
3. B. Lal, A Time to Change: The fiji general elections of 1999 (Canberra 1999), 27. The same thought underlines Wadan Narsey's representation of Fijians in his rendering of 'the culture of silence'.
4. Another word often heard is katchi, which is used by adults in a condescending way for young people in general.
5. A. Capell, A New Fijian Dictionary (Suva 1984), 259, 163.
6. D.M. Routledge, Matanitu: the struggle for power in early Fiji (Suva 1985), 80.
7. Exactly how this situation came about is obscure. The division of the province between the two claimants roughly follows the Ba River.
8. Pers. comm., Peceli Lewaravu, 8 Oct. 1999.
9. In Jan. 2000, Tora resigned as party secretary and was replaced by Kolinio Qoro.
10. Fiji TV 1, 21 Oct. 1999;
11. Fiji Times (hereinafter FT), 3 Mar. 1999.
12. The rival claimants were Bulou Eta Vosailagi and Ratu Sakiusa Makutu. See FT, 28 Oct. 1989.
13. Rival claimants were Ratu Inoke Takiveikata and Ratu Loco Qiolevu. See FT, 8 June 1999
14. and Fiji Daily Post (hereinafter FDP), 7 Aug. 1999.
15. Other leading maubers include Jone Dakuvula, Ropate and Salote Qalo.
16. FDP, 20 Oct. 1999. I tokatoka - an enlarged family unit, or group descended from brothers; a unit of eastern Fijian society, with a headman under the head of a mataqali.
17. Also standing in the same constituency under the FAP was Adi Senimili Rokolewasau Tuivanuavou, sister of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
18. Pers. comm., Jone Temo, 2 Sept. 1999. Another matanivanua is called Mai Kavula.
19. Kubuabola easily won with 78.66% votes and subsequently succeeded Rabuka as Parliamentary Party' Leader and Leader of the Opposition.
20. Sunday 'Times, 7 Nov. 1999.
21. Mataiwelagi - the house site of the main line ol descendants ol the Cakobau family, and holder of the Tui Kaba na Vunivalu titles.
22. Ratu Etuate Wainiu's claim to the leadership role was dogged by the allegation of illegitimacy. A major perpetrator of this was G.V. Maxwell on the criteria of church marriage.
23. Deryck Scarr, Ratu Sukuna: soldier, statesman, man of two worlds (London and Basingstoke 1980), 62.
24. R.R. Qalo, Small Business: a study of a Fijian family (Suva 1997), 53. He became Fiji's local Governor General.
25. In the May 1992 elections, Rabuka's SVT Party won 30 of the 37 Fijian communal seats. The Fijian National United Front won five and Independents two seats. The GVP won all five seats. In the. Indian communal seats, the NFP won 14 and the FLP won 13.
26. Naisogolaca - house site of Ratu Sir Edward Cakobau.
27. See K.K.T. Mara, The Pacific Way: a memoir (Honolulu 1997), 63, on the origin of the Alliance Party.
28. Her husband was an officer in the British army.
29. The Tui Nakelo title is also under dispute.
30. Fiji Women's Quarterly, Mar. 1996, pp. 6-7.
31. He had been a career diplomat and held a desk job in Fiji's UN mission in New York.
32. Under it, the 71 member House of Parliament comprises 46 members elected under communal roll (23 Fijians, 19 Indians, one Rotuman and three General Electors) and 25 members elected under open electoral roll.
33. In the Tailevu South Open seat, Fiji Labour Party member Isireli Vuibau eventually won on preferences.
34. The first local commander was Colonel Paul Manueli, of Rotuman/Samoan ancestry.
35. For a discussion on this distinction, see C. Toren, 'All things go in pairs, or the sharks will bite: the antithetical nature of Fijian leadership', Oceania, 64:3 (1994), 199.
36. She got 3,015 votes out of 6,678 needed for a majority. Others excluded were Josefa Vosanibola of VLV with 1,803 and Manilal Patel of NFP with 10.
37. The rebellious tribe who refused to pay a tax levied upon them by Seru Cakobau in 1871. They were induced by missionaries to surrender. Cakobau, styled as 'Tui Viti', sold them into servitude to any person willing to buy them in order to launch his new government. See R.A. Derrick, A History of Fiji, vol. 1 (Suva 1974 repr.), 201.
38. Unsuccessful candidates included Ram Krishna Reddy of NFP, Joji Bakoso of NVTLP, Josua Tubunavere Uluiviti of VLV and Independent candidate Idris Ali.
39. The new constitution provided for a President from outside parliament, a position to which Rabuka was elected after he formally resigned his parliamentary seat.
40. Another member of the mataqali Tui Kaba, Ratu Isoa Gavidi, was a career diplomat rising to Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 1989. He was also PS for other government departments and director of Fiji's Trade and Investment Board. He was Fiji's Ambassador to Malaysia and is currently Ambassador to Australia.
41. His nomination was twice postponed (and finally declined) pending a court decision over interpretation of the provision regulating the number of appointees to Senate in relation to Opposition parties' number of seats in parliament.
42. Ratu Jope was appointed first as acting president and then confirmed in the position of the SVT party following the resignation of veteran politician Ms Taufa Vakatale.
43. K.K.T. Mara, Selected Speeches by the Right Honourable Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara ([Suva] 1977), 22
44. and The Pacific Way, 15.
45. Mara, The Pacific Way, 122-3.
46. A career diplomat, Adi Koila was elected to parliament in May 1999 as the member for the Lau communal seat as a VLV candidate. She replaced her younger brother, Ratu Finau, who declined in favour of a career in Foreign Affairs. She joined cabinet in the Labour led coalition government. In terms of party support, Finau was a former FAP parliamentary leader and Koila initially campaigned as an independent before joining the Veitokani ni Lewenivaiiua Vakarisito (VLV), otherwise known as the Christian Democratic Alliance Party.
47. Nailatikau was permanent secretary for Foreign Affairs under the Labour-led coalition government. He was demoted to Roving Ambassador to the Pacific region following allegations of wayward professional performance.
48. Adi Litia's mother was Tupoutu'a, of the Veikune family of Vava'u, Tonga.
49. Mara's paternal grandmother (Adi Moce) was granddaughter of Ratu Seru Cakobau, and his great-grandmother (AdiAsenacaKakua) was Cakobau's daughter who married Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba. See Deryck Scarr, The Three Legged Stool, selected writings of Ratu Sukuna (London 1983), for genealogies. Vasu - the relationship of a sister's son, conferring special privileges.
50. C.S. Belshaw, Under the ivi tree: society and economic growth in rural Fiji (Berkeley 1964).
51. See S.A. Saye s, 'Cakaudrove: Ideology and Reality in a Fijian Confederacy', PhD thesis, Australian National University (Canberra 1982), v.
52. See 'The Mara Empire', in Fiji Sun (hereinafter FS), 2 Aug. 1985.
53. For example despite their united stand in ejecting Apisai Tora from PANU, ancient rivalry underlines the relationship between the two Tui Ba titleholders. In a bid to resettle victims of expired ALTA leases (mainly Indian farmers), the Chaudhry government identified native lease land at Vulavula (aka Qara and Bulabula). The large plot of land was seized by the Asset Management Bank after the deceased leaseholder defaulted on repayments. The Bank put the land on tender and a company owned byTui Ba I Bulu, Ratu Sairusi Nagagavoka, won it with a bid of $ 150,000. When funds failed to appear. Prime Minister Chaudhry sought an extension of time but the. Bank refused. Attire same time, Tui Ba, Adi Senimili Cagilaba, stated that the land was under the jurisdiction of her vanua. The lease had seven years left, and she stated that she would not renew; it. This incident revived old feuds over the identity of legitimacy of the Tui Ba title. Ratu Nagagavoka reportedly challenged Adi Cagilaba's tenure of the title in court. She allegedly shirked the challenge, replying that Ratu Nagagavoka's family title wras Tui Momo, and it had been changed by Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna's grandfather's. FT, 3 Jan. 2000.