Inoke Kubuabola
Encyclopedia
Ratu
Inoke Kubuabola is a Fiji
an politician who served as Leader of the Opposition
in 1999 and 2000. He became leader of the Fijian Political Party (Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei, or SVT) following its defeat in the 1999 election
and the subsequent resignation of its leader, the defeated Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
, from Parliament
. According to the Constitution
, every political party with more than eight seats in the House of Representatives
was entitled to representation in the Cabinet
, but Rabuka made demands unacceptable to the Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry
. Rather than take up cabinet posts on terms acceptable to Chaudhry, the SVT decided to form the Opposition instead.
. He sparked controversy by limiting his selection to members of opposition parties; Prime Minister Chaudhry claimed that according to Chapter 6
of the Constitution, the nominees of the Leader of the Opposition had to be proportional to party representation in the House of Representatives. Kubuabola countered that that meant proportional representation of opposition parties, not parties represented in the Cabinet. The situation was never resolved during his term as Leader of the Opposition; the coup of 2000
which ousted the Chaudhry government also deposed Kubuabola as Leader of the Opposition. Similar controversies marked Government-Opposition relations since the restoration of democracy in 2001, however, and a number of court cases took place between 2001 and 2004, with a view to clarifying the situation.
In the midst of the political turmoil that followed the 2000 coup, Kubuabola was appointed Minister for Information and Communications in the interim Cabinet
formed by Laisenia Qarase
. He held this office till September 2001.
Kubuabola retained his seat, the Cakaudrove West
Fijian
Communal Constituency
in the House of Representatives, in the parliamentary election
of 1999 but lost it to his nephewRatu Naiqama Lalabalavu
of the Conservative Alliance
in the 2001 election
. That year he also resigned the Chairmanship of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council
, which he had led for served years, to Sitiveni Rabuka.
to Papua New Guinea
from 2002 to 2005. In late 2005, he attempted to handle the problem of Fijian security guards, whom some accused of being mercenaries
, operating illegally on the island of Bougainville
. The incident embarrassed the Fijian government and threatened to strain relations between the two countries.
On 4 May 2006 Kubuabola was posted to Tokyo
as Fiji's Ambassador to Japan
and Korea
, replacing Ratu
Tevita Momoedonu
. He remained in this position until July 2009; on 24 July, he was named Minister for Foreign Affairs
by the Interim Government.
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"...
Inoke Kubuabola is a 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...
an politician who served as Leader of the 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...
in 1999 and 2000. He became leader of the Fijian Political Party (Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei, or SVT) following its defeat in the 1999 election
Fiji election of 1999
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999. They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.-Electoral system:Previously,...
and the subsequent resignation of its leader, the defeated Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka
Sitiveni Rabuka
Major-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...
, from Parliament
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...
. According to the 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....
, every political party with more than eight seats in 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...
was entitled to representation 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...
, but Rabuka made demands unacceptable to the Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party...
. Rather than take up cabinet posts on terms acceptable to Chaudhry, the SVT decided to form the Opposition instead.
Political career
As Leader of the Opposition, Kubuabola was constitutionally empowered to choose 8 of the 32 members of 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...
. He sparked controversy by limiting his selection to members of opposition parties; Prime Minister Chaudhry claimed that according to Chapter 6
Constitution of Fiji: Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Parliament. Chapter 6 of the Fiji Constitution is titled The Parliament. The five Parts, further subdivided into forty sections making up this chapter, set out the composition, functions, and powers of Fiji's bicameral legislature....
of the Constitution, the nominees of the Leader of the Opposition had to be proportional to party representation in the House of Representatives. Kubuabola countered that that meant proportional representation of opposition parties, not parties represented in the Cabinet. The situation was never resolved during his term as Leader of the Opposition; the coup of 2000
Fiji 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...
which ousted the Chaudhry government also deposed Kubuabola as Leader of the Opposition. Similar controversies marked Government-Opposition relations since the restoration of democracy in 2001, however, and a number of court cases took place between 2001 and 2004, with a view to clarifying the situation.
In the midst of the political turmoil that followed the 2000 coup, Kubuabola was appointed Minister for Information and Communications in the interim 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...
formed by 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...
. He held this office till September 2001.
Kubuabola retained his seat, the Cakaudrove West
Cakaudrove West (Fijian Communal Constituency, Fiji)
Cakaudrove West Fijian Provincial Communal is an electoral division of Fiji, one of 23 communal constituencies reserved for indigenous Fijians....
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...
Communal Constituency
Communal constituencies (Fiji)
Communal constituencies have been the most durable feature of the Fijian electoral system. In communal constituencies, electors enrolled as ethnic Fijians, Indo-Fijians, Rotuman Islanders, or General Electors vote for a candidate of their own respective ethnic groups, in constituencies that have...
in the House of Representatives, in the parliamentary election
Fiji election of 1999
General elections were held in Fiji between 8 and 15 May 1999. They were the first election held under the revised Constitution of 1997, which instituted a new electoral system and resulted in Mahendra Chaudhry taking office as Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister.-Electoral system:Previously,...
of 1999 but lost it to his nephewRatu Naiqama Lalabalavu
Naiqama Lalabalavu
Ratu Naiqama Tawake Lalabalavu is a Fijian Paramount Chief and politician. He was the Minister for Lands and Minister for Mineral Resources in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, prior to his resignation on 7 April 2005...
of the Conservative Alliance
Conservative Alliance (Fiji)
The Conservative Alliance was a far-right political party in Fiji, and a member of the ruling coalition government. It was commonly known as the CAMV, a combination of the initials of its English and Fijian names...
in the 2001 election
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...
. That year he also resigned the Chairmanship of the Cakaudrove Provincial Council
Local government of Fiji
Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces; the self-governing island of Rotuma and its dependencies lie outside any of the four divisions. Each division is headed by a Commissioner, appointed by the Fijian government...
, which he had led for served years, to Sitiveni Rabuka.
Diplomat
Kubuabola served as Fiji's High CommissionerHigh Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
from 2002 to 2005. In late 2005, he attempted to handle the problem of Fijian security guards, whom some accused of being mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
, operating illegally on the island of Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
. The incident embarrassed the Fijian government and threatened to strain relations between the two countries.
On 4 May 2006 Kubuabola was posted to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
as Fiji's Ambassador to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, replacing 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"...
Tevita Momoedonu
Tevita Momoedonu
Ratu Tatu Tevita Momoedonu is a Fijian chief and has served as the fifth Prime Minister of Fiji twice - each time extremely briefly. Both appointments were to get around constitutional technicalities; his first term of office - on 27 May 2000 lasted only a few minutes. His second term - from 14...
. He remained in this position until July 2009; on 24 July, he was named Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Fiji)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs is Fiji's Cabinet Minister responsible for international relations and diplomacy...
by the Interim Government.