Kamisese Mara

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (born the May 13rd 1920 and dead the April 18th 2004) is a politician Fiji in whom was president of the Fiji islands between 1993 and 2000.

Biography

Born from a noble family (Tui Nayau) and royal, he studies the Histoire with Oxford with the the United Kingdom, colonial power of the Fiji.

He founds the Party of Alliance ( Alliance party , Fijian ethnos group) and negotiates with London with Sidiq Koya, chief of the Party of the national federation ( National Federation Party , NFP, indo-Fijian). He arrives to a compromise with the community of Indian origin: Fijians and Indo-Fijians had as many deputies to the Room of the representatives (22 each one) and eight for Europeans and other minorities. The half of the deputies are elected by their community, other half by the vote for all. This compromise allowed the accession of the Fiji independence in 1970 by preserving Elisabeth II of the United Kingdom as Head of the State.

Mara is the first chief of the government of the Fiji independent of 1970 with 1987 thanks to successes of the Party of Alliance, but also with divisions within the NFP. Alliance and Mara are beaten with the elections of 1987 by an pluri-ethnic list carried out by the doctor Timoci Bavrada.

The political retirement of Mara will be curtailed. It has to raise the economy and prestige of the Fiji after the two coups d'etat of the lieutenant-colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. Five years later, Mara gives the capacity to an elected government, but the Indo-Fijians reproached him the laws of 1990 supporting the Fijians known as indigenous.

The Fiji having cut its bonds with the the United Kingdom, the republic had been proclaimed in 1987. In 1992, Mara is named president by the Large Council of the chiefs, and is proclaimed shortly after with the incapacity of the outgoing president.

May 19th 2000, the Fijian extremist George Speight and of the armed men takes as an hostage the Parliament and the government. Mara refuses to resign of the presidency and takes the full powerss. It is removed on board a warship the May 28th, escorted towards its native island of Lakeba and its resignation is extorted to him. Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu is named president to replace it.

After the defeat of the putchists, at 80 years, that which incarnated the capacity with the Fiji decided not to become again president in spite of a judgment of the Fijian supreme court noting the unconstitutionality of its resignation. It signed a resignation with retroactive effect dated from the May 29th.

Mara is deceased the April 18th 2004 with Suva. With its death, the investigation into the participants of the coup d'etat continues. He was married and had had five girls and two wire.

Assessment

With the assessment of the career of Mara, it there with the image of one of the founders of the islands Fiji as independent country, but also like a multiethnic country trying to live in peace, in spite of the coups d'etat of the Fijian nationalists.

On the economic plan, the cane with sugar became one of the independent sources of incomes of the country. The production thus doubled between 1970 and 1987, passing 250.000 tons with 500.000. 90% of produced sugar are exported. The government of Mara negotiated the outlets of this sugar thanks to the Accords of Lome. Mara also contributed to the creation of a production of wood with the plantation of 500 km ² of pine forest.

On the international plan, it contributed in the Années 1960 to the reform of the Forum of the southern Pacific by putting at the head Island states. It contributed to the text of UNO of the Convention on the rights of the sea of 1982. It placed its country like allied of the the United States, visible with the reception of submarines and warships states-uniens.

Nevertheless, the politicians indo-Fijians reproach Mara his passivity at the time of the blows of 1987 carried out by Fijians opposed to the victory of Indian a Prime Minister. While the putchist George Speight and his allies showed it to sell the country to the tradesmen of the Indian community to preserve the capacity.

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