National Federation Party - Flower faction (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
The Flower Faction was one of the factions of the National Federation Party
(NFP) to contest the September 1977 elections
in Fiji
.
Ever since the death of A.D. Patel
and the elevation to the leadership of Sidiq Koya
, there had been dissent within the NFP. There were accucations of Koya stacking the party hierarchy with his supporters. R.D. Patel
(younger brother of A.D. Patel) was the first to speak out against Koya even though Patel had been made the Speaker
of the House of Representatives
after the 1972 elections
. He eventually resigned from the Party and twice (unsuccessfully) contested elections against the NFP as an independent. K.C. Ramrakha was the next one to openly express displeasure at Koya's style of leadership. He resigned his positions within the Party but later withdrew his resignation.
Efforts were made to placate both sides with the splitting of the roles of the Leader of the party and the President. Koya retained the leadership and Irene Jai Narayan
was made the President. This, instead of healing the rift within the Party, made it worse and in 1976 there was open confrontation between the two sides at public meetings. During the debate for amendments to the Agricultural Landlord and Tenants Act (ALTA), Koya and his supporters opposed the amendments, while the Narayan/Ramrakha faction supported it.
After mediation by S.B. Patel and Jai Ram Reddy
, differences between the two sides were patched over for the March 1977 elections
. The split in Fijian vote handed a surprise win to the NFP. While the NFP took four days to select a leader, the Governor General appointed a minority Alliance Government. It was alleged that some NFP members had asked the Governor General not to appoint Koya as the Prime Minister. The split reappeared after the election but this time with Jai Ram Reddy siding with the anti-Koya faction.
The two sides fielded parallel candidates for the September 1977 election with each claiming to be the official NFP. Both sides tried to use the official NFP symbol, a mango tree, for the election but the Supervisor of Elections refused to let any side use this symbol and finally allocated the dove as the symbol for the Koya faction and the flower symbol for the Narayan/Ramrakha/Reddy faction. In the election the Flower Faction only managed to win 13 seats (with 58.2 per cent of Indian communal votes) with Reddy defeating Koya for the Lautoka Indian communal seat.
During the election campaign, Irene Jai Narayan had promised Jai Ram Reddy the leadership of the Party if he defeated Koya. K.C. Ramrakha refused to accept Reddy's leadership and he and two of his supporters withdrew from the Flower faction and sat in the House as independents. Jai Ram Reddy became the Leader of the Opposition and the two factions again united prior to the 1982 elections
.
Prominent members of the Flower faction were Jai Ram Reddy
, Irene Jai Narayan
, K.C. Ramrakha, Harish Sharma
, Anirudh Kuver, Hargovind Lodhia, Isikeli Nadalo, Sarvan Singh Atunaisa Maitoga and Julian Toganivalu.
National 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...
(NFP) to contest the September 1977 elections
Fiji election of 1977 (September)
Early general elections were held in Fiji between 17 and 24 September 1977, following the impasse of an earlier election that had been held in March...
in Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Ever since the death of A.D. Patel
A.D. Patel
Ambalal 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...
and the elevation to the leadership of Sidiq Koya
Sidiq Koya
Siddiq 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...
, there had been dissent within the NFP. There were accucations of Koya stacking the party hierarchy with his supporters. R.D. Patel
R.D. Patel
Raojibhai 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...
(younger brother of A.D. Patel) was the first to speak out against Koya even though Patel had been made the Speaker
Speaker of the House of Representatives (Fiji)
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Fijian House of Representatives. At its first session following a general election, the House of Representatives elects a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker. With a view to ensuring impartiality, the Speaker is not allowed to be a member of the House, though...
of the House of Representatives
House 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...
after the 1972 elections
Fiji election of 1972
General elections were held in Fiji between 15 and 29 April 1972, the first since independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. They were characterised by the lack of rancour between racial groups, typical of the 1966 general election and the 1968 by-elections.The result was a landslide for the...
. He eventually resigned from the Party and twice (unsuccessfully) contested elections against the NFP as an independent. K.C. Ramrakha was the next one to openly express displeasure at Koya's style of leadership. He resigned his positions within the Party but later withdrew his resignation.
Efforts were made to placate both sides with the splitting of the roles of the Leader of the party and the President. Koya retained the leadership and Irene Jai Narayan
Irene Jai Narayan
Irene 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...
was made the President. This, instead of healing the rift within the Party, made it worse and in 1976 there was open confrontation between the two sides at public meetings. During the debate for amendments to the Agricultural Landlord and Tenants Act (ALTA), Koya and his supporters opposed the amendments, while the Narayan/Ramrakha faction supported it.
After mediation by S.B. Patel and Jai Ram Reddy
Jai Ram Reddy
Jai Ram Reddy is an Indo-Fijian statesman, who has had a distinguished career in both the legislative and judicial branches of the Fijian government...
, differences between the two sides were patched over for the March 1977 elections
Fiji election of 1977 (March)
General elections were held in Fiji between 19 March and 2 April 1977. A split in the ethnic Fijian vote, which saw 25 percent defecting to Fijian Nationalist Party of Sakeasi Butadroka, an extremist organization which advocated the "repatriation" of Indo-Fijians to India, led to the narrow defeat...
. The split in Fijian vote handed a surprise win to the NFP. While the NFP took four days to select a leader, the Governor General appointed a minority Alliance Government. It was alleged that some NFP members had asked the Governor General not to appoint Koya as the Prime Minister. The split reappeared after the election but this time with Jai Ram Reddy siding with the anti-Koya faction.
The two sides fielded parallel candidates for the September 1977 election with each claiming to be the official NFP. Both sides tried to use the official NFP symbol, a mango tree, for the election but the Supervisor of Elections refused to let any side use this symbol and finally allocated the dove as the symbol for the Koya faction and the flower symbol for the Narayan/Ramrakha/Reddy faction. In the election the Flower Faction only managed to win 13 seats (with 58.2 per cent of Indian communal votes) with Reddy defeating Koya for the Lautoka Indian communal seat.
During the election campaign, Irene Jai Narayan had promised Jai Ram Reddy the leadership of the Party if he defeated Koya. K.C. Ramrakha refused to accept Reddy's leadership and he and two of his supporters withdrew from the Flower faction and sat in the House as independents. Jai Ram Reddy became the Leader of the Opposition and the two factions again united prior to the 1982 elections
Fiji election of 1982
General elections were held in Fiji between 10 and 17 July 1982. The paradoxical results were both a triumph and a setback for the Fijian Alliance Party of the Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. The Alliance captured an unprecedented 51.8 percent of the popular vote - the first time that it...
.
Prominent members of the Flower faction were Jai Ram Reddy
Jai Ram Reddy
Jai Ram Reddy is an Indo-Fijian statesman, who has had a distinguished career in both the legislative and judicial branches of the Fijian government...
, Irene Jai Narayan
Irene Jai Narayan
Irene 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...
, K.C. Ramrakha, Harish Sharma
Harish Sharma
Harish Chandra Sharma was a Fiji Indian politician who became the leader of the National Federation Party in 1987 and was the leader of the organisation representing most of the Hindus in Fiji, the Shree Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji.- Early life :...
, Anirudh Kuver, Hargovind Lodhia, Isikeli Nadalo, Sarvan Singh Atunaisa Maitoga and Julian Toganivalu.