Indian members of Legislative Council of Fiji
Encyclopedia
The number of Fiji Indians that could be elected to the Legislative Council
was fixed over the years as follows:
Legislative Council (Fiji)
The Fijian Legislative Council was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970.-The first Legislative Council:...
was fixed over the years as follows:
- 1916 - 1929 - one nominated member.
- 1929 - 1937 - three elected members.
- 1937 - 1963 - three elected and two nominated members.
- 1963 - 1966 - four elected and two nominated.
- 1966 - 1972 - nine elected from communal constituencies and three from cross-voting constituencies.
List of Indian members
- Badri MaharajBadri MaharajBadri Maharaj was an Indo-Fijian farmer, politician, and philanthropist. He was the first Indian member of the Legislative Council serving for two periods between 1916 to 1923 and 1926 to 1929 as a nominated member but he was not a popular choice for Fiji Indians, who preferred the lawyer, Manilal...
(1916–1923, 1926–1929) was the first Indian member of the Legislative Council in Fiji. He was nominated by the Governor in 1916 and was not very popular with Fiji Indians who wanted Manilal DoctorManilal DoctorManilal Maganlal Doctor was an Indian-born, London educated lawyer and politician, who travelled to numerous countries of the British Empire, including Fiji, Mauritius and Aden, providing legal assistance to the local ethnic Indian population...
to be their representative. Maharaj resigned in 1923 in opposition to a proposed poll taxPoll taxA poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
, but was re-nominated in 1926. He remained a member until 1929 when Indians were elected for the first time. - Vishnu DeoVishnu DeoPandit Vishnu Deo OBE was the first Fiji born and bred leader of the Fiji Indians. From 1929, when he was first elected to the Legislative Council, until his retirement in 1959, he remained the most powerful Fiji Indian political leader in Fiji...
(1929, 1937–1959) was first elected in 1929, but sat in the Council for only 2 weeks before walking out in protest at his proposal for common roll not being accepted. He was ineligible to contest the 1932 election, having been convicted for publishing inappropriate material. He re-entered the Council in 1937 and remained a member, representing the Southern Constituency, until 1959 when he retired due to ill-health. He was elected to the Executive CouncilExecutive Council (Fiji)The colonial Governors of Fiji relied on the Executive Council for advice on proposals for legislation which, after being discussed in the Executive Council meetings, came before the Legislative Council in the form of bills. In this way, the Executive Council was the chief policy-making body and...
in 1956. - James Ramchandar RaoJames Ramchandar RaoJames Ranchandar Rao was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council of Fiji in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives...
(1929) was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council of FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. He won the seat for the Eastern Constituency, defeating his opponent Sahim Khalil by 63 votes to 20. Two weeks after being sworn in he, together with the other two Fiji Indian representatives, resigned when a motion asking for equal political rights for Fiji Indians was defeated. - Parmanand SinghParmanand SinghParmanand Singh was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council of Fiji in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. The other two were Vishnu Deo and James Ramchandar Rao...
(1929) was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council of Fiji in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. He won the seat for the North Western Constituency after defeating his opponent Dr. C. M. Gopalan. Two weeks after being sworn in he, together with the other two Fiji Indian representatives, resigned when a motion asking for equal political rights for Fiji Indians was defeated. - K. B. SinghK. B. SinghKunwar Bachint Singh OBE arrived in Fiji in 1927 as a teacher for the Arya Samaj but his association with Vishnu Deo led him to play an active role in aggressively promoting the Arya Samaj and finally into politics...
(1932–1947) First elected in 1932, with the support of Vishnu Deo to oppose a rebel Indian candidate. He resigned his seat soon under pressure from Vishnu Deo but was subsequently re-elected with an increased majority. He then split with Vishnu Deo and remained in Council until 1937 representing the Southern Constituency. After the 1937 he was chosen as a council member nominated by the Governor, and remained in Council until 1947. In 1946 he was appointed to the Executive Council. - Muniswamy MudaliarMuniswamy MudaliarMuniswamy Mudaliar was a Fiji Indian politician who was a member of the Legislative Council of Fiji from 1932 to 1937. He lost the support of his electorate when he refused to resign from the Legislative Council when the common roll motion was defeated, as had been agreed to before the election. In...
(1932–1937) He was elected to the Council in 1932 from the North Western Constituency, with the support of Vishnu Deo to provide a seconder to the common roll motion. He refused to resign after the motion was defeated and remained in the Council until the next election in 1937. - J B Tularam (1937–1944) was elected from the Eastern Constituency in 1937.
- Chattur SinghChattur SinghChandersen Chattur Singh caused a major sensation in early Fiji Indian politics, when against all odds he defeated A.D. Patel, a well known lawyer and political ally of Vishnu Deo, in the 1937 Legislative Council Election.- Early Political Activities :...
(1937–1940) caused a major sensation in Fiji Indian politics when he defeated the favoured A.D. Patel for the North Western seat by 671 votes to 651 in the 1937 election. He is reputed to have won by making the issue in the election to be a contest between India born (Patel) and Fiji born (Singh). - Said HasanSaid HasanSaid Hasan was Fiji Indian member of the Legislative Council of Fiji nominated into the Council by the Governor in 1937....
(1937 - ?) was a nominated member the Council, appointed by the Governor in 1937. - B.D. LakshmanB.D. LakshmanBrahma Dass Lakshman was an Indo-Fijian politician, union leader and businessman, who had a considerable influence on Fiji’s sugar industry.- Education and teaching career :...
(1940–1944, 1959–1963)won the North Western seat in the 1940 election with the support of the Kisan SanghKisan SanghKisan Sangh was the first farmers' union formed in Fiji on 27 November 1937. This was the result of one man's determination to improve the plight of Fiji's Indian cane farmers...
and after spending 15 years in the political wilderness regained his seat in the 1959 election. He tried another comeback in 1977 but made no headway. - A.D. PatelA.D. PatelAmbalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known as A.D. Patel, was a Fiji Indian politician, farmers' leader and founder and leader of the National Federation Party. Patel was uncompromisingly committed to a vision of an independent Fiji, with full racial integration...
(1944–1950, 1963–1969) was not eligible to contest the 1929 elections because of residency requirements. In 1937 he stood for the North Western Constituency and was defeated by Chattur Singh in an upset result. With the support of the farmers union, the Maha SanghMaha SanghAkhil Fiji Krishak Maha Sangh was a sugar cane farmers' union formed on 15 June 1941 in opposition to the existing union, the Kisan Sangh. Supporters of Kisan Sangh tried to stop the formation of the Maha Sangh but were unsuccessful. The people responsible for the formation of a second sugar cane...
, he contested and won the 1944 and 1947 elections. He then suffered two defeats in 1950 and 1953. He returned to politics in 1963 and formed the Federation PartyNational Federation Party (Fiji)The National Federation Party is a Fijian political party founded by A.D. Patel in November 1968, as a merger of the Federation Party and the National Democratic Party...
and remained its leader until his death in 1969. - Ami ChandraAmi ChandraPandit Ami Chandra Vidyalankar came to Fiji, from India in 1927 at the behest of the Arya Samaj, which wanted to improve the education standard of Fiji Indian students and promote Arya Samaj in Fiji. He led a busy life in Fiji, being an educationist, Arya Samaj preacher, labour leader, football...
(1947–1950) was a nominated member of the Legislative Council in 1947. - James MadhavanJames MadhavanJames Madhavan was one of the longest serving politicians in Fiji. He initially was a primary school teacher but when the Maha Sangh was formed in Labasa was one of its earliest members. Unlike, Viti Levu where it was mainly supported by South Indians, the Maha Sangh in Labasa had support from a...
(1947–1972) was first nominated into the Council in 1947 but from 1950 has continuously represented LabasaLabasaLabasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...
in the Council. - M.S. Buksh was a nominated member of the Legislative Council in 1947.
- Tulsi Ram SharmaTulsi Ram SharmaTulsi Ram Sharma was the first Indo-Fijian to qualify as a lawyer. He served one term as member of the Legislative Council and three terms as the President of Fiji Indian Football Association. He was one of the founding members of the Maha Sangh, but his association with farmers' union was short...
(1950–1953) was a one-term member representing the North Western Constituency, when he defeated A.D. Patel in 1950. - Ben Jannif (1950–1953) was a nominated member of the Council.
- Ayodhya PrasadAyodhya PrasadAyodhya Prasad Sharma was an Indo-Fijian farmers’ leader and politician, who formed the most successful farmers’ union in Fiji and forced the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to make concessions to farmers after 60 years of complete control over Fiji’s economy...
(1953–1959) served two terms as the member for North Western Constituency. - K.S. Reddy (1953–1956, 1966–1972) was first nominated into the Council in 1953 and in 1966 won the Western cross-voting seat as an Alliance candidate.
- Andrew DeokiAndrew DeokiAndrew Indar Narayan Deoki was a Fiji Indian statesman who served his community as a social and religious leader, a soccer administrator, a member of the Legislative Council in colonial Fiji, a member of the Senate in independent Fiji and as the Attorney General.- Contribution to Soccer in Fiji...
(1956–1966) was initially appointed as an Indian nominated member from 1956 to 1959. He won the Southern Indian seat in the 1959 and was appointed to the Executive CouncilExecutive Council (Fiji)The colonial Governors of Fiji relied on the Executive Council for advice on proposals for legislation which, after being discussed in the Executive Council meetings, came before the Legislative Council in the form of bills. In this way, the Executive Council was the chief policy-making body and...
. He retained his seat in the 1963 elections but lost to Irene Jai Narayan in 1966. He stood as an independent candidate in a national seat in 1972 but did poorly. From 1979 to 1981 he was appointed to the Senate of independent Fiji, by the Prime MinisterPrime Minister of FijiThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji is the head of government of Fiji. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution....
, Ratu MaraKamisese MaraRatu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...
, and was a member of the cabinet as the Attorney General. - A.R. Manu (1956–1959) was an Indian nominated member.
- Vijay R. SinghVijay R. SinghSir Vijay Raghubar Singh, KBE was an Indo-Fijian lawyer and politician who held Cabinet office in the 1960s and 1970s. Vijay Singh served in Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's government in a variety of positions, including Attorney-General, and was President of the Indian Alliance, a...
(1966–1972) was first elected to the Council as an independent candidate in 1959. He was one of the founding members of the Alliance Party and won the Vanua LevuVanua LevuVanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...
/LauLau IslandsThe Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...
cross-voting constituency for the party in the 1966 election. He continued to serve in the parliament of Fiji after independence - in the House of RepresentativesHouse of Representatives (Fiji)The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation...
from 1972 to 1977 and in the SenateSenate (Fiji)The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. It is the less powerful of the two chambers; it may not initiate legislation, but may amend or veto it. The Senate's powers over financial bills are more restricted: it may veto them in their entirety, but may not amend them...
from 1977 to 1979. He held a number of senior ministerial positions. - Sathi NarainSathi NarainSir Sathi Narain was a Fiji Indian businessman who built up his construction and shipping business through his own hard work.- Family background :His parents had arrived in Fiji as indentured labourers abroad the S.S...
(1959–1963) was a nominated member of the Council. - A.H. Sahu Khan (1959–1963) was a nominated member of the Council.
- Sidiq KoyaSidiq KoyaSiddiq Moidin Koya was a Fijian Indian politician and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party on the death of the party's founder, A.D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977...
(1963–1972) was the first Muslim to be elected to the Legislative Council. He became leader of the NFP following the death of A.D. Patel in 1969. He was the first Leader of the OppositionLeader of the Opposition (Fiji)The post of Leader of the Opposition is a political office common in countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. It did not originate in Fiji but has a long tradition; in British constitutional theory, the Leader of the Opposition must pose a formal alternative to the government, ready...
of independent Fiji but lost the 1977 election after the NFP split into two factions. He was returned in 1982 in a reunited NFP and served as leader again from 1984 to 1987. - C.P. Singh (1963–1966) was a nominated member of the Council.
- C.A. Shah (1963–1972) was nominated to the Council in 1963. He aligned himself with the Federation Party and won the 1966 election as an NFP candidate. He won the 1968 by-election with an increased majority.
- Irene Jai NarayanIrene Jai NarayanIrene Jai Narayan, was an Indian born teacher and politician, who had a significant influence on politics in Fiji. She came to Fiji, in 1959, after marrying Jai Narayan, a well known school Principal in Suva, and began her career as a teacher...
(1966–1972) was the first Fiji Indian woman to be elected to the Council when she won the SuvaSuvaSuva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
Indian seat for the NFP in 1966. She won the 1968 by-election with an increased majority. She remained a member of independent Fiji's House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987 winning the 1972, 1977 (March), 1977 (September) and the 1982 elections. In 1987 she joined the Alliance Party when lost it the Suva National seat and the Government. She served in the transitional government (of Sitiveni RabukaSitiveni RabukaMajor-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, MSD, OStJ, is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. He was later democratically elected the third Prime Minister, serving from 1992 to 1999...
) between 1987 and 1992 as Minister for Indian Affairs. She was a Government appointed Senator from 1994 to 1999. - K.C. Ramrakha (1966–1972) was first elected on the NFP ticket in 1966. He returned with an increased majority in the 1968 by-election. After independence he served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1982.
- M.T. Khan (1966–1968) was elected on NFP tisket in 1966 but changed sides and contested the 1968 by-election for the Alliance Party and lost. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 and served as a Minister.
- Ram Jati SinghRam Jati SinghRam Jati Singh, OBE was a Fiji Indian politician and landlord who was elected to the Legislative Council in the 1966 general elections on the National Federation Party ticket. He was re-elected in the 1968 by-election with an increased majority....
(1966–1972) was first elected on the NFP ticket in 1966. He was returned with an increased majority in the 1968 by-election. - R.D. PatelR.D. PatelRaojibhai Dahyabhai Patel was an Indo-Fijian lawyer and politician, who was better known as the younger brother of A.D. Patel. To distinguish between the two, he was generally referred to as R.D. Although he lacked his brother's charisma and oratorical skills, he was much loved and admired by...
(1966–1972) was first elected on the NFP ticket in 1966. He was returned with an increased majority in the 1968 by-election. In 1972 he was elected to the House of Representatives and served as Deputy Speaker. - Abdul Lateef (1966–1972) was elected to the Council in 1966 on the Alliance ticket representing the Southern Indian cross-voting constituency.
- Ujagar SinghUjagar SinghUjagar Singh was a Fiji Indian politician who was elected to the Legislative Council in the 1968 by-election from the Nasinu Indian Communal Constituency....
(1968–1972) was first elected on the NFP ticket in 1968.