Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
The Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (NVTLP) is a Fiji
an political party which champions Fijian
ethnic nationalism
. It is currently led by Iliesa Duvuloco
, while Viliame Savu serves as the party's President.
's Fijian Nationalist Party
and Iliesa Duvuloco's Vanua Tako Lavo Party
. Both leaders strongly opposed the adoption of the present constitution
, which they publicly burnt when Parliament passed it. The party campaigned on a platform of "Fiji for the Fijians and that their rights at all times should be preserved," as Butadroka put it.
In April 2006, party secretary Viliame Savu announced that the NVTLP was dropping its demand for the expulsion of ethnic Indians who were born in Fiji. "We no longer share that view now because if you Indian or European born here, you will be still a Fiji citizen," he told the Fiji Sun
. The party would continue to fight for indigenous rights, however, and would continue to campaign for Christianity
to be established as the official religion of Fiji.
and have served prison sentences. On 21 September 2005, Maciu Navakasuasua
, a former NVTLP stalwart who was imprisoned for three years for his role in the coup, went public with allegations that the coup was actually planned by the NVTLP and that George Speight
, who fronted the rebellion, was only a spokesman who usurped its leadership. Duvuloco refused to comment on the allegations, saying that he thought the country should look forward rather than backward. However, the party President, Viliame Savu, supported Navakasuasua's version of events, saying that he was admitting the party's role in the coup in order to clear his conscience.
In August 2005, the NVTLP joined the Grand Coalition Initiative Group, an electoral coalition
of five political parties led and supported mostly by indigenous Fijians, to contest the election
due in 2006. All parties participating in the coalition would share "preferences" under Fiji's instant run-off voting system, which allows votes to be transferred from low-polling candidates to higher polling-candidates, according to a ranking of "preferences" specified by the candidates, though voters may customize the ranking. The party has expressed confidence that the election will unite the people of Fiji. Konataci said that some candidates of the NVTLP would probably be women.
Party leader Iliesa Duvuloco complained on 12 April that some 30 NVTLP candidates had been disqualified because they could not afford to pay the F$500
deposit required by the Elections Office, in lieu of the 250 signatures from electors they had failed to collect. Claiming that most indigenous Fijians were poor, Duvuloco was quoted in the Fiji Sun
as saying that the required deposit was an injustice.
quoted Duvuloco as calling for all freehold
land to be restored to indigenous landowners. He also condemned the present Constitution
, which he called a betrayal of the Fijian people. In a separate report, the Daily Post
newspaper quoted him as saying that former Vice-President
Ratu
Jope Seniloli
should be appointed President
, at the Great Council of Chiefs
meeting on 8 March. He saw Seniloli, who resigned the Vice-Presidency in November 2004 in disgrace following his conviction on coup-related offences, as providing the "good strong leadership" which Fiji needed.
.
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...
an political party which champions Fijian
Fijian people
Fijian people are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live in an area informally called Melanesia. The Fijian people are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago, though the exact origins of the Fijian people are unknown...
ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism is a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity. Whatever specific ethnicity is involved, ethnic nationalism always includes some element of descent from previous generations and the implied claim of ethnic essentialism, i.e...
. It is currently led by Iliesa Duvuloco
Iliesa Duvuloco
Iliesa Duvuloco is a Fijian politician who leads the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party, which formed in 1999 through a merger of his own Vanua Tako Lavo Party and Sakeasi Butadroka's Fijian Nationalist Party, both of which championed ethnic nationalism and indigenous Fijian political...
, while Viliame Savu serves as the party's President.
Founding and ideology
The party was founded in the late 1990s by a merger of Sakeasi ButadrokaSakeasi Butadroka
Sakeasi Butadroka was a Fijian politician noted for his strident ethnic nationalism. Originally elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the ruling Fijian Alliance in the parliamentary election of 1972, he was expelled from the Alliance for his public attacks against the presence of...
's Fijian Nationalist Party
Fijian Nationalist Party
The Fijian Nationalist Party was a political party in Fiji, founded in 1975 by Sakeasi Butadroka, a parliamentarian who defected from the then-ruling Fijian Alliance, on a "Fiji for the Fijians!" platform. Its support peaked in the parliamentary election of March 1977, when it took 24.4 percent...
and Iliesa Duvuloco's Vanua Tako Lavo Party
Vanua Tako Lavo Party (Fiji)
The Vanua Tako Lavo Party was a strongly nationalistic political party in Fiji, which was led by Iliesa Duvuloco. It advocated institutionalized political supremacy for indigenous Fijians. In the late 1990s, it merged with Sakeasi Butadroka's Fijian Nationalist Party to form the Nationalist Vanua...
. Both leaders strongly opposed the adoption of the present constitution
Constitution of Fiji
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....
, which they publicly burnt when Parliament passed it. The party campaigned on a platform of "Fiji for the Fijians and that their rights at all times should be preserved," as Butadroka put it.
In April 2006, party secretary Viliame Savu announced that the NVTLP was dropping its demand for the expulsion of ethnic Indians who were born in Fiji. "We no longer share that view now because if you Indian or European born here, you will be still a Fiji citizen," he told the Fiji Sun
Fiji Sun
The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....
. The party would continue to fight for indigenous rights, however, and would continue to campaign for Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to be established as the official religion of Fiji.
The Fiji coup of 2000
A number of senior figures from the NVTLP, including Duvuloco and the party executive, Samuela Konataci, have been convicted of offenses related to the Fiji coup of 2000Fiji coup of 2000
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of a non-native Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and...
and have served prison sentences. On 21 September 2005, Maciu Navakasuasua
Maciu Navakasuasua
Maciu Navakasuasua is a Fijian public figure and former political organizer. An explosives expert, Navakasuasua said that on behalf of the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party, an extremist party which advocated the "repatriation" to India of Indo-Fijians, two prominent businessmen had tried to hire...
, a former NVTLP stalwart who was imprisoned for three years for his role in the coup, went public with allegations that the coup was actually planned by the NVTLP and that George Speight
George Speight
George Speight , occasionally known as Ilikimi Naitini, was the principal instigator of the Fiji coup of 2000, in which he kidnapped thirty-six government officials and held them from May 19, 2000 to July 13, 2000...
, who fronted the rebellion, was only a spokesman who usurped its leadership. Duvuloco refused to comment on the allegations, saying that he thought the country should look forward rather than backward. However, the party President, Viliame Savu, supported Navakasuasua's version of events, saying that he was admitting the party's role in the coup in order to clear his conscience.
Towards 2006
- See main article: Fiji election of 2006Fiji election of 2006The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
.
In August 2005, the NVTLP joined the Grand Coalition Initiative Group, an electoral coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
of five political parties led and supported mostly by indigenous Fijians, to contest the election
Fiji election of 2006
The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
due in 2006. All parties participating in the coalition would share "preferences" under Fiji's instant run-off voting system, which allows votes to be transferred from low-polling candidates to higher polling-candidates, according to a ranking of "preferences" specified by the candidates, though voters may customize the ranking. The party has expressed confidence that the election will unite the people of Fiji. Konataci said that some candidates of the NVTLP would probably be women.
Party leader Iliesa Duvuloco complained on 12 April that some 30 NVTLP candidates had been disqualified because they could not afford to pay the F$500
Fijian dollar
The dollar has been the currency of Fiji since 1969 and was also the currency between 1867 and 1873. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively FJ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
deposit required by the Elections Office, in lieu of the 250 signatures from electors they had failed to collect. Claiming that most indigenous Fijians were poor, Duvuloco was quoted in the Fiji Sun
Fiji Sun
The Fiji Sun is a daily newspaper published in Fiji. Owned by Sun News Limited, it was first published in September 1999. An internet edition is also published....
as saying that the required deposit was an injustice.
Calls for all land to be returned
On 6 March 2006, Radio New ZealandRadio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
quoted Duvuloco as calling for all freehold
Fee simple
In English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
land to be restored to indigenous landowners. He also condemned the present Constitution
Constitution of Fiji
The 1997 Constitution of Fiji was the supreme law of Fiji from its adoption in 1997 until 2009 when President Josefa Iloilo purported to abrogate it. It was also suspended for a period following the 2000 coup d'état led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama....
, which he called a betrayal of the Fijian people. In a separate report, the Daily Post
Daily Post (Fiji)
The Fiji's Daily Post is a newspaper that was formed by Wame Waqanisanini JR in Oct 1987, who owned 50 percent of the shares. Taniela Bolea was the original publisher. The majority shares were later owned by the Fijian government. The government now has 44.70 percent of the shares while Australian...
newspaper quoted him as saying that former Vice-President
Vice-President of Fiji
The Fijian vice-presidency is a mostly ceremonial office. The position was created in 1990, to provide a constitutional successor to the President, in the event of the latter's death or resignation, or of his otherwise being unable to carry out his duties...
Ratu
Ratu
Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...
Jope Seniloli
Jope Seniloli
Ratu Jope Naucabalavu Seniloli is a Fijian chief who holds the title of Turaga Taukei Naua and who served as Fiji's Vice-President from 25 March 2001 to 29 November 2004, when he was forced to resign following his conviction for treason on August 6 2004, and the rejection of his appeal early in...
should be appointed President
President of Fiji
The President of the Republic of Fiji is the head of state of Fiji. The President was appointed by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term under the terms of the now-suspended 1997 constitution. The Great Council of Chiefs is constitutionally required to consult the Prime Minister, but...
, at the Great Council of Chiefs
Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)
The Great Council of Chiefs is a now dormant 1997 constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. In April 2007 the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interim government" which came to power through a military coup in December 2006...
meeting on 8 March. He saw Seniloli, who resigned the Vice-Presidency in November 2004 in disgrace following his conviction on coup-related offences, as providing the "good strong leadership" which Fiji needed.
Election result
The party did not win any seats in the 2006 electionFiji election of 2006
The Constitution of Fiji requires general elections for the House of Representatives to be held at least once every five years. The latest election was held on 6-13 May 2006. Acting President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi issued a proclamation on 2 March, effective from 27 March, dissolving Parliament...
.