Dr Gunasagaran Gounder is a Fiji Indian medical doctor who rose into prominence when he, as a Fiji Labour Party

Fiji Labour Party

The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji, which holds observer status with the Socialist International. Most of its support at present comes from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. It is...

 candidate, defeated the Leader of Opposition

Leader 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...

, 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...

 of the National Federation Party

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...

, in the contest for the Yasawa Nawaka Open Constituency

Yasawa Nawaka (Open Constituency, Fiji)

Yasawa Nawaka Open is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 25 open constituencies elected by universal suffrage . Like the other open electorates, it came into being in 1999 and was used for the parliamentary elections of 1999, 2001, and 2006...

 seat in the 1999 general election. He was rewarded for this success by being made the Assistant Minister for Health in the Peoples Coalition Government

People's Coalition (Fiji)

The People's Coalition was an alliance of three political parties in Fiji, formed in March 1999 to contest the parliamentary election to be held in May that year...

  led by Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Chaudhry

Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...

 from 1999 to 2000.

On 19 May 2000, He was among the 43 members of the People's Coalition Government, led by Mahendra Chaudhry, taken hostage by 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...

 and his band of rebel Republic of Fiji Military Forces

Military of Fiji

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces are the military of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world. However, most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all...

 (RFMF) soldiers from the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit

Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit (Fiji)

The Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit or CRWU was the common name for the First Meridian Squadron, the unit's formal name, which had been disbanded in 2000...

. He was released on 13 July 2000 after 56 days of captivity.

From 2001 to 2006, he represented the Nadi Rural

Nadi Rural (Indian Communal Constituency, Fiji)

Nadi Rural Indian Communal is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 19 communal constituencies reserved for Indo-Fijians....

 Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for Indo-Fijians, which he held for the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) in the parliamentary elections

Fiji election of 2001

The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a High Court decision on 15 November 2000, following the failure of the political upheaval in which the government had been deposed and the constitution suspended in May that year. On 1 March 2001, the Appeal Court upheld the decision. An election to...

 of 2001 with almost 69 percent of the vote.

In 2003, Goundar was offered the portfolio of Minister for Health Promotion , together with 13 other FLP parliamentarians who were offered cabinet positions by the Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase

Laisenia Qarase is a Fijian political figure. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase joined the Interim Military Government as a financial adviser on 9 June 2000, until his appointment...

 but the FLP refused to accept this offer.

At the 2006 general 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...

, Gounder transferred to the neighbouring Nadi Urban

Nadi Urban (Indian Communal Constituency, Fiji)

Nadi Urban Indian Communal is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 19 communal constituencies reserved for Indo-Fijians....

 Indian Communal Constituency and held it for the FLP with more than 76 percent of the vote. He was subsequently named as one of nine FLP Ministers in the multi-party Cabinet that was formed and served in the Cabinet

Cabinet (Fiji)

Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is formally appointed, but not chosen, by the President: the President must appoint as Prime...

 as Minister for Curative Health Services.