Pramod Rae
Encyclopedia
Pramod Kumar Rae is a Fiji
an trade union
ist and political organizer of India
n descent. He was born in Suva
and completed a Bachelor of Arts
degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the South Pacific
.
He currently
serves as General Secretary of the National Federation Party
(NFP), and has been attempting to revive the popularity of the party, once a major player on the political scene but without parliamentary
representation since the 1999 election
.
Rae was an unsuccessful candidate for the Suva City
Open Constituency
in the 1999 election. He received only 89 votes out of more than 12,000. He made another attempt to win election to the House of Representatives in the 2001 election
, this time from the Laucala
Open Constituency. He polled 6.1 percent of the vote, a considerable improvement on the negligible showing that Jag Nadan had made in the 1999 election. He was also a candidate in the 2006 election
. He polled 666 votes, some 5 percent of the total, in the Samabula Tamavua
Open Constituency. Most of his opponents in 2006 were nationally known politicians.
Parliamentarian Ganesh Chand
by 1145 votes to 484, with 17 ballots invalidated, in the trade union leadership elections. Alleging irregularities and corruption, Chand claimed that the election had been "thoroughly rigged" and sought an injunction in the High Court
to nullify the election. The court upheld Chand's complaint and referred the matter to Taito Waqa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Labour, who is also the Registrar of Trade Unions, for a final decision. Waqa ruled in favour of Chand on 10 February 2006. Chand said that Rae must vacate the union offices immediately and surrender any union assets in his custody, the Fiji Times
reported.
Rae responded on 14 February that Waqa's decision had been made in error. He had written to the Registrar, he said, to correct the mistake, and would remain in office pending a reply.
Union President Salesh Naidu told Fiji Village
on 2 March that the union was seeking a judicial review of the decision to remove Rae. On 10 March, the High Court granted a stay order, allowing Rae to remain in office pending the outcome of the judicial review.
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 trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and political organizer of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n descent. He was born in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
and completed a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the South Pacific
University of the South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific is a public university with a number of locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. It is an international centre for teaching and research on Pacific culture and environment. USP's academic programmes are recognised worldwide, attracting students...
.
He currently
January 2006
January 2006: ← – January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December – →-1 January 2006 :...
serves as General Secretary 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...
(NFP), and has been attempting to revive the popularity of the party, once a major player on the political scene but without parliamentary
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...
representation since 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,...
.
Rae was an unsuccessful candidate for the Suva City
Suva City (Open Constituency, Fiji)
Suva City 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...
Open Constituency
Open constituencies (Fiji)
Open constituencies represent one of several electoral models employed in the past and present in the Fijian electoral system. They derive their name from the fact that they are "open": unlike the communal constituencies, the 25 members of the House of Representatives who represent open...
in the 1999 election. He received only 89 votes out of more than 12,000. He made another attempt to win election to the House of Representatives 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...
, this time from the Laucala
Laucala (Open Constituency, Fiji)
Laucala 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...
Open Constituency. He polled 6.1 percent of the vote, a considerable improvement on the negligible showing that Jag Nadan had made in the 1999 election. He was also a candidate in the 2006 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...
. He polled 666 votes, some 5 percent of the total, in the Samabula Tamavua
Samabula Tamavua (Open Constituency, Fiji)
Samabula Tamavua 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...
Open Constituency. Most of his opponents in 2006 were nationally known politicians.
Trade unionist
Rae has also been General Secretary of the Bank and Financial Sector Employees Union since March 2004, when he defeated Fiji Labour PartyFiji 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...
Parliamentarian Ganesh Chand
Ganesh Chand
Dr. Ganeshwar Chand, better known as Ganesh Chand, is a Fijian academic and former politician of Indian descent. He is a founder of the University of Fiji and serves as a Trustee of the Fiji Institute of Applied Studies and as Editor of Fijian Studies: A Journal of Contemporary Fiji .From 1999 to...
by 1145 votes to 484, with 17 ballots invalidated, in the trade union leadership elections. Alleging irregularities and corruption, Chand claimed that the election had been "thoroughly rigged" and sought an injunction in the High Court
High Court (Fiji)
The High Court of Fiji is one of three courts established by Chapter 9 of the Constitution of Fiji—the others being the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Constitution empowers Parliament to create other courts; these are subordinate to the High Court, which is authorized to oversee all...
to nullify the election. The court upheld Chand's complaint and referred the matter to Taito Waqa, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Labour, who is also the Registrar of Trade Unions, for a final decision. Waqa ruled in favour of Chand on 10 February 2006. Chand said that Rae must vacate the union offices immediately and surrender any union assets in his custody, the Fiji Times
Fiji Times
The Fiji Times is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating....
reported.
Rae responded on 14 February that Waqa's decision had been made in error. He had written to the Registrar, he said, to correct the mistake, and would remain in office pending a reply.
Union President Salesh Naidu told Fiji Village
Fiji Village
The Fiji Village is an online news service in Fiji. Published daily, it covers political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items, and also includes the Yellow Bucket commentary, an editorial which does not necessarily reflect the views of the Fiji Village owners or staff, according to...
on 2 March that the union was seeking a judicial review of the decision to remove Rae. On 10 March, the High Court granted a stay order, allowing Rae to remain in office pending the outcome of the judicial review.