Kamisese Mara 421151 223611825 2008-07-04T21:47:27Z Biruitorul 1399437 +template {{Infobox_Prime Minister|name=Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara |order=1st [[List of Prime Ministers of Fiji|Prime Minister of Fiji]]<br>Interim [[List of Prime Ministers of Fiji|Prime Minister of Fiji]] |order2=2nd [[List of Presidents of Fiji|President of Fiji]] <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: |image=Ratumara.jpg --> |term_start=[[September 22]], [[1967]] |term_end=[[April 13]], [[1987]]<br>[[December 5]], 1987 &ndash; [[June 2]], [[1992]] |term_start2=[[December 16]], [[1993]] |term_end2=[[May 29]], [[2000]] |predecessor=None (new office) |successor=[[Timoci Bavadra]] (1987)<br> [[Sitiveni Rabuka]](1992) |predecessor2=[[Penaia Ganilau|Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau]] |successor2=[[Josefa Iloilo|Ratu Josefa Iloilo]] |deputy= |birth_date={{birth date|1920|5|6|mf=y}} |birth_place=[[Lomaloma]], on [[Vanua Balavu|Vanuabalavu]] Island, [[Fiji]] |death_date={{death date and age|2004|4|18|1920|5|6|mf=y}} |death_place=[[Suva]], Fiji |spouse=[[Lala Mara|Ro Lady Lala Mara]]<br>'''Children:'''<br>1.[[Ateca Ganilau|Adi Ateca Moce Mara Ganilau]]<br> 2.[[Koila Nailatikau|Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau]]<br> 3.[[Asenaca Mara|Adi Asenaca Kakua Mara]]<br> 4.[[Finau Mara|Ratu Alifereti Finau Mara]]<br> 5.[[Litia Mara Dugdale|Adi Litia Cakobau Mara Dugdale]]<br> 6.[[Jioji Mara|Ratu Jioji Cokanauto Mara]]<br> 7.[[Elenoa Mara|Adi Elenoa Mara]]<br> 8.[[Tevita Mara|Ratu Tevita Vakacere Uluilakeba Mara]]<br> |party=[[Alliance Party (Fiji)]] |constituency= |religion=[[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] }} [[Ratu]] [[Sir]] '''Kamisese Mara''' [[Order of St Michael and St George|GCMG]] [[Order of British Empire|KBE]] [[Order of Fiji|CF]], ([[May 6]], [[1920]] &ndash; [[April 18]], [[2004]]) is considered the [[Father of the Nation|founding father]] of the modern nation of [[Fiji]]. He was [[Chief Minister (Fiji)|Chief Minister]] from [[1967]] to [[1970]], when Fiji gained its independence from the [[United Kingdom]], and, apart from one brief interruption in [[1987]], Prime Minister from [[1970]] to [[1992]]. He subsequently served as President from [[1993]] to [[2000]]. ==Early life and education: 1920 to 1950== '''Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimacilai Mara''' was born on [[6 May]] 1920, in Vanuabalavu in the archipelago of [[Lau Islands|Lau]], the son of [[Tevita Uluilakeba III|Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba]], head of the chiefly [[Vuanirewa]] clan, and his first wife [[Lusiana Qolikoro]], who was related to [[Tonga]]n royalty and was also descended from an [[England|English]] missionary. Mara's title, ''Ratu'', which means "Chief," was hereditary; as the hereditary Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands, he held the titles of ''[[Tui Lau]]'', and ''[[Tui Nayau|Tui Nayau kei Sau ni Vanua ko Lau]]''. He succeeded to the ''Tui Nayau'' title in [[1969]], following the death of his father in [[1966]]; he was later installed as ''Tui Lau'', inheriting the title left vacant by his cousin¹ [[Lala Sukuna|Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna]], who had died in [[1958]]. Mara was educated first at [[Sacred Heart College, Auckland]] then attended [[Knox College, Otago|Knox College]], [[University of Otago|Otago University]] in [[New Zealand]], where he studied medicine ([[1942]] to [[1945]]). He never finished his medical course, because his great-uncle and mentor, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (who was then regarded as Fiji's paramount chief), seeking to groom him for future leadership of the nation, arranged for him to study history at [[Wadham College, Oxford|Wadham College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]] in the United Kingdom. Mara was distressed to abandon his medical studies, but, dependent on Ratu Sukuna for financial support, followed his orders without question, and graduated with an [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]] in [[1949]]. In [[1961]], he returned to the United Kingdom to pursue postgraduate study at the [[London School of Economics]] for a Diploma in Economics and Social Administration, which he was awarded in [[1962]]. In [[1973]], his old alma mater, Otago University, awarded him an honorary doctorate of laws ([[Doctor of Laws|LL.D]]). Following his graduation from Oxford University, Mara returned to Fiji and married '''Ro Litia Cakobau Lalabalavu Katoafutoga Tuisawau''', better known asRo Lady Lala Mara, on [[September 9]] [[1950]]. Her title, ''[[Ro (title)|Ro]]'', is also hereditary and is held by [[Rewa, Fiji|Rewan]] chiefs; like her husband, Lala Mara was a chief in her own right, as the ''[[Roko Tui Dreketi]]'' (Paramount Chief) of [[Burebasaga Confederacy|Burebasaga]] and [[Rewa Province (Fiji)|Rewa]]. The marriage was initially opposed by Mara's family, as Adi Lala was from a rival dynasty with which the [[Mara family of Fiji|Mara clan]] had a history of strained relations. The marriage proved to be a happy one, however, and in stark contrast to the prevalence of divorce among many of Mara's relatives, it lasted for more than 53 years. They had three sons and five daughters, two of whom have pursued political careers of their own. Their eldest son, Ratu Finau Mara, was a [[Cabinet (Fiji)|Cabinet Minister]] and [[House of Representatives (Fiji)|parliamentary]] leader of the [[Fijian Association Party]] from [[1996]] to [[1998]], when he resigned to take up a diplomatic posting. Their second daughter, Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau, has also followed in her father's footsteps and has served her country as a career diplomat and politician. She was [[Minister for Transport (Fiji)|Minister for Transport]] and [[Minister for Tourism (Fiji)|Tourism]] in [[1999]] and 2000, and served in the [[Senate (Fiji)|Fijian Senate]] from [[2001]] to [[2006]]. ==The making of a statesman: 1950 to 1970== After serving (from 1950) as an Administrative Officer in the Colonial Services, Mara was nominated to one of five seats on the [[Legislative Council of Fiji|Legislative Council]] reserved for ethnic Fijians in [[1953]]. (There were ten other seats, five reserved for Indians and five for Europeans and other minorities; a further sixteen members were appointed by the colonial [[Governor]]). In [[1959]], Mara was appointed to the [[Executive Council (Fiji)|Executive Council]], and in [[1963]] was given responsibility as Leader of Government Business and Member for Natural Resources (officially an advisor to the Governor, but in reality roughly equivalent to a modern [[minister (government)|cabinet minister]]). In [[1964]], he was received into the [[Great Council of Chiefs (Fiji)|Great Council of Chiefs]], which at that time was empowered to appoint two members to the [[Legislative Council (Fiji)|Legislative Council]]. In 1966, he founded the Alliance Party, which, supported overwhelmingly by the ethnic Fijian and European communities (but not by most [[Indo-Fijian]]s), won a majority of the seats in the 1966 [[Fiji election of 1966|election]]. In preparation for independence, the United Kingdom introduced the [[Westminster System|Westminster (Cabinet) system]] of government to Fiji in October 1967. The Executive Council was transformed into a modern Cabinet, and its members, who had hitherto been answerable only to the colonial [[List of Governors of Fiji|Governor]], were made fully responsible to the [[Parliament (Fiji)|legislature]]. Mara was named to the new position of Chief Minister. One problem that threatened to delay independence was the failure of [[Fijian people|ethnic Fijians]] and Indo-Fijians to agree on a post-independence [[Constitution of Fiji|Constitution]]. Ethnic Fijians, including Mara, wanted a communal franchise, with parliamentary seats reserved for the different ethnic groups, who would vote on separate electoral rolls. It was believed that this would protect indigenous Fijian rights. Mara also considered that it was in Fiji's interests to avoid direct competition between political candidates from different ethnic groups, fearing that it would lead to social and political upheaval. Most Indo-Fijians rejected this proposal, believing that it would prevent them from obtaining a legislative majority, even though they numbered more than half of the population, and demanded that all Parliamentary seats should be elected by universal suffrage from a common voters' roll. In April, 1970, Mara and [[Sidiq Koya]], leader of the mainly Indo-Fijian [[National Federation Party (Fiji)|National Federation Party]], met in [[London]] and negotiated a compromise. Fijians and Indo-Fijians would be represented equally in the House of Representatives, with 22 seats each; a further 8 seats would be set aside for Europeans and other minorities. About half of the representatives from each ethnic group would be elected only by members of their particular race, while the other half would be elected by universal suffrage. Following this agreement, Fiji became independent on [[10 October]], 1970. ==Prime Minister of Fiji: 1970 to 1992== With independence, the office of Chief Minister was renamed Prime Minister, but its functions were substantially unchanged. Mara retained power in [[Fiji election of 1972|the first post-independence election]] of [[1972]]. Internal divisions within the ethnic Fijian electorate led to the narrow defeat of his Alliance Party by the Indo-Fijian dominated National Federation Party (NFP) in the [[Fiji election of 1977 (March)|election of March 1977]]. He tendered his resignation as Prime Minister, but the NFP splintered three days later in a leadership dispute, and a [[Fiji constitutional crisis of 1977|constitutional crisis]] developed. The official representative of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth]], [[List of Governors-General of Fiji|Governor-General]] [[George Cakobau|Ratu Sir George Cakobau]], ended up calling on Mara to form a new government. Although unquestionably constitutional, the Governor-General's actions were controversial. Many Indo-Fijians were outraged at what they saw as a deliberate cynical move on his part to keep the government of Ratu Mara, his fellow-chief (and distant cousin) in power at all costs. A [[Fiji election of 1977 (September)|subsequent election]] to resolve the impasse in September that year, however, appeared to vindicate Cakobau, when the Alliance Party won a record 36 seats out of 52. The Alliance Party's majority was reduced in the [[Fiji election of 1982|1982 election]], but with 28 of the 52 seats, Mara retained power. Despite the loss of eight seats, the popular vote for the Alliance Party rose to 51.8% - an all-time record. Part of the reason for this paradox lay in the distribution of the vote: the gains in the popular vote occurred mostly because of a swing of almost 10% in the 11 "communal" seats reserved for, and elected exclusively by, Indo-Fijians, but 24% of the Indo-Fijian vote was insufficient to translate into parliamentary seats, and therefore did not effectively offset small but very significant losses in ethnic Fijian "communal" seats. It was therefore a bittersweet election for Mara. Convinced of the need to include Indo-Fijians in the government, he proposed a "government of national unity" - a grand coalition with the National Federation Party. The NFP, however, rejected the offer and remained in opposition. In the [[Fiji election of 1987|election of 1987]], Mara was finally defeated by a multiracial coalition led by Dr Timoci Bavadra. His retirement was to be short-lived, however. [[Fiji coups of 1987|Two military coups]] led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka seriously undermined the social and economic stability, and the international prestige, of Fiji. Mara was recalled to head an interim administration, with a view to restoring Fiji's international reputation and rebuilding the country's shattered economy. In 1992, he handed over power to an elected government. == President of the Republic: 1993 to 2000 == {{main|Removal of Ratu Mara, 2000}} Following the military coups of 1987, Fiji had severed its links with the [[Queen of Fiji|Monarchy]] and become a republic, with a President and two [[List of Vice-Presidents of Fiji|Vice-Presidents]] chosen by the Great Council of Chiefs. Following his retirement as Prime Minister, Mara was elected to the Vice-Presidency in June 1992, and became Acting President soon after, when the ailing President Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau was incapacitated. He assumed the office of President officially when Ganilau died on [[16 December]] of the following year. Modelled on the [[Queen of Fiji|Monarchy]], the presidency filled a largely honorary role, but was nevertheless vested with important [[reserve powers]], to be used only in the event of a national crisis. That crisis came on [[May 19]], 2000, with the [[Fiji coup of 2000]]. Armed gunmen led by [[George Speight]] forced their way into [[House of Representatives (Fiji)|Parliament]] and kidnapped the Prime Minister, [[Mahendra Chaudhry]], several Cabinet ministers, and a number of parliamentarians. Speight declared himself Prime Minister, and ordered Mara to step aside as president. Mara refused to negotiate with the plotters, and decided instead to dismiss the kidnapped government and assume emergency powers himself. His move backfired, however. In what politicians called "a coup within a coup," Ratu Mara was whisked away on the naval ship [[Kiro (ship)|Kiro]] on [[May 28]], where he was allegedly approached by a group of present and former military and police officers and ordered to suspend the Constitution. When he refused, ''("If the Constitution goes, I go,"'' he defiantly declared) the group, including the army commander, [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[Frank Bainimarama]], former Prime Minister and 1987 Coup Leader Sitiveni Rabuka, former military commander [[Epeli Ganilau|Ratu Epeli Ganilau]] (a son-in-law of Mara's), and a former Police Commissioner [[Isikia Savua]], are alleged to have asked for, and possibly forced, Mara's resignation. He was subsequently taken to his home island of [[Lakeba]] in the Lau Islands. For the 80 year-old President, who was seen as the father of the country and had led it, in one capacity or another, for more than 40 years, it was an anticlimactic end. The military regime that took over appointed Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who had been Mara's Vice-President, to succeed him on [[13 July]] 2000. After the coup had been quashed, the [[Supreme Court of Fiji|Supreme Court]] ruled on [[15 November]] that year that Mara's replacement was unconstitutional and ordered his reinstatement, but Mara, wishing to spare the country further constitutional trauma, officially resigned, with his resignation retroactive to [[May 29]], 2000. On [[April 29]], [[2001]], Mara publicly accused the police chief, Colonel Isikia Savua and former Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, of instigating the coup. In what was to be his last public interview, Mara claimed that George Speight - who was then in custody and has since been convicted of treason - was only a front, Mara told [[Close-Up television program (Fiji)|Close-Up]] on [[Fiji Television]] that he confronted Savua and Rabuka two days after the coup about their possible involvement. "''I could see it in their faces,''" said Mara, emphatically rejecting their denials. Mara told the programme that within half an hour of Speight's forcible occupation of the Parliament, Rabuka had telephoned [[Government House (Fiji)|Government House]] (the official residence of the President) to offer to form a government. Mara said that he was shocked to learn that the [[Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit (Fiji)|Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit]] of the [[Army of Fiji|Army]] had been involved in the coup. He alleged that they took George Speight to Parliament, and that their senior officers supplied them with weapons, blankets, and food. Mara also declared that the Counter Revolutionary Warfare officers who joined Speight's coup had trained on a farm owned by Rabuka. Excerpts of this interview were broadcast on [[29 April]] 2001; the full interview was not broadcast until [[29 April]] 2004 - while his body was lying in state in preparation for his funeral. Whether Mara's resignation was in fact forced has been the subject of a police investigation since [[May 21]] [[2003]], when the [[Police Investigations Department (Fiji)|Police Investigations Department]] confirmed that they had opened an investigation into the events surrounding his departure from. Mahendra Chaudhry, the deposed Prime Minister, has publicly supported Mara's version of events, and has further alleged that Mara was blackmailed with a threat to kill his daughter, Tourism Minister Adi Koila Nailatikau, who was one of the hostages. Commodore Bainimarama has defended his role in the incident saying it was "necessary" at the time, and that Mara's resignation was, in fact, voluntary and that he had refused offers of reinstatement. Mara's daughter, Adi Ateca Ganilau (wife of Ratu Epeli Ganilau) appeared to support Bainimarama's claims in a statement on [[10 January]] 2005, saying that her father had resigned and had refused to return because he was upset by the abrogation of the Constitution. ''"He did not agree with the abrogation of the Constitution. That was probably why he refused to return to office. It was not that the military pressured him to move out,"'' Ganilau said. She called for a thorough investigation into the abrogation of the Constitution, and for those who were legal advisers at the time to be answerable for their actions. Police have said they have faced "many challenges" in their investigation, finding many officers uncooperative. On [[30 April]] 2004, the Fijian police said they were closely examining the recording of Mara's last interview, in an attempt to uncover new leads. Police spokesman [[Mesake Koroi]] declared that there was a lot of hearsay and rumours in circulation that would not stand up in a court of law. "Unfortunately we are hitting a brick wall in our investigations at the moment," Koroi said. On [[2 May]] 2005, however, Commodore Bainimarama agreed to make a statement to the police about his own role in Mara's resignation. [[Commissioner of Police (Fiji)|Police Commissioner]] [[Andrew Hughes (police)|Andrew Hughes]] said that no charges could be brought against Commodore Bainimarama unless it could be proved that he had actually forced the President to resign. On [[5 January]] [[2006]], Hughes said that Mara's departure from the Presidency was one of seven major cases the police were still working on. ==Evaluation== Ratu Mara is regarded as modern Fiji's founding father. He not only led the islands to independence from British rule, and served the country for many years thereafter, but accumulated impressive achievements in office. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Fiji's economic growth was extraordinary. ===Sugarcane industry=== Under Mara's leadership, Fiji became a giant in [[sugarcane]] production. Between 1970 and 1987, the sugarcane crop more than doubled, from under 250,000 metric tons to 502,000. The sugar industry continues to be the mainstay of Fiji's economy, and more than 90 % of Fiji's sugar is exported. Mara's government led the way in negotiating special preferential marketing agreements with nations importing Fijian sugar, through the [[Lome Convention]]. ===Pine industry=== Mara also founded Fiji's [[pine]] industry. Today, pine plantations, virtually nonexistent 40 years ago, cover close to 480 square kilometres throughout the Fiji Islands, and there is an ongoing programme to further expand area in all parts of the country. Fiji now derives more than $40 to 50 million a year in foreign exchange earnings from its forestry sector. Of this total, more than half is from pinewood chips exports. This industry now provides a substantial and increasing source of income to those in rural areas, including especially the indigenous Fijian landowners. ===International achievements and honours=== In the 1960s, Mara led a revolt by Pacific Islands delegates that brought about a restructuring of the [[South Pacific Commission]]. He also helped to launch the [[Pacific Islands Producers' Association]]. This evolved into the [[South Pacific Bureau for Economic Cooperation]], which grew into the [[South Pacific Forum]], an association of Pacific nations, of which Mara was a founder member. Yet another significant Mara achievement was his contribution to the negotiations that led to the signing of a new [[United Nations International Law of the Sea Convention]] in [[1982]]. On the global stage, Mara was known for his strongly pro-American views. He supported visits to Fijian ports by nuclear-armed United States warships and submarines. He was a close ally of [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]. Mara was also known for his support for [[Taiwan]]. Although he did not officially recognize the [[Republic of China]], he never hid the fact that his true sympathies lay there, and the [[Taipei]] regime, in gratitude, helped to finance the publication of his memoirs. Over the years, Mara received many honours from around the world. In addition to his knighthood (a [[Order of the British Empire|Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (KBE), awarded in 1969), his honours from Queen Elizabeth II included the [[Meritorious Service Decoration]], the Officer of the British Empire (1961), Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George ([[1983]]), Chancellor of the Order of Fiji, Companion of the Order of Fiji, and [[Pian Order|Knight Grand Cross of the Pian Order with Star]] ([[1995]]). He was also a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] in London beginning in 1973. Recognitions from other governments included being made a [[Order of the National Lion|Grand Master of the Order of the National Lion]] in [[Dakar]], [[Senegal]] in [[1975]], and the [[Order of Diplomatic Service Merit]] of [[South Korea]] in [[1978]]. He was also a [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Knight of the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jesuralem]], and became Chancellor of the [[University of the South Pacific]] at Suva, which was founded with the support of his government. In 2000, ''[[Island Business]]'' Magazine named him [[Pacific Man of the Century]], in recognition of his pivotal role in the founding of the South Pacific Forum. ===Criticisms=== There were criticisms of his leadership, too, some of which he eventually acknowledged. Many Indo-Fijians criticized him for not doing more to thwart the 1987 coups which removed an Indo-Fijian dominated administration from office, and for giving his consent to a new constitution, drafted in [[1990]], which guaranteed indigenous Fijian supremacy and was widely regarded as racist, even drawing comparisons from some quarters with [[South Africa|South Africa's]] [[apartheid]] system. Mara defended his role in the post-coup era of 1987 to 1992, arguing that he was doing the best he could in circumstances that he could not fully control, and that it had seemed better at the time to connive in the writing of a discriminatory constitution than to risk civil war at the hands of ethnic Fijian extremists. In 1996, he publicly apologized to the Indo-Fijian community for his role in the drafting of the 1990 Constitution. Mahendra Chaudhry, the leader of the Indo-Fijian community who in 1999 became Fiji's first Indo-Fijian Prime Minister, said that he did not agree with, but understood, Mara's reasons for acting as he did, and accepted his apology for having done so. Other opponents, both Indo-Fijian and ethnic Fijian, were less forgiving, however. Sitiveni Rabuka, who led the 1987 coup, surprised many in 1999 when he claimed in an autobiography that he had carried out the coups at Mara's behest. Mara retaliated by suing him for defamation. Mahendra Chaudhry said that he did not believe that Mara had been involved. Not all of Mara's critics were Indo-Fijian. George Speight, a commoner (i.e., one of non-chiefly ancestry) who led the 2000 putsch accused Mara of selling the country out to Indo-Fijians, and of working to keep power in the hands of a coalition of Fijian chiefs and Indo-Fijian businessmen, at the expense of Fijian commoners. ==Twilight years== Following his resignation, Mara retired to his native island of Lakeba. He continued to influence politics in Fiji, where democracy was subsequently restored, through his membership of the Great Council of Chiefs, which not only advises the government but also functions as an [[electoral college]] to choose the President of the Republic, as well as 14 of the 32 members of the Senate; at the time of his death, he was the longest-serving member of the Council. He remained Chairman of the Lau Provincial Council, a position he had held concurrently with his national offices for many years. Mara suffered a [[apoplexy|stroke]] late in 2001 while visiting [[Port Vila]], [[Vanuatu]], with two of his longtime friends, businessmen [[Hari Punja]] and [[Joe Ruggiero]]. He died in Suva on [[18 April]] 2004, from complications arising from the stroke. His state funeral, led by [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Archbishop]] [[Petero Mataca]], which was spread out over three days ([[28 April|28]] to [[30 April]]) saw an estimated 200,000 people - almost a quarter of Fiji's total population - line the streets to pay their last respects to the man they regarded as the father of the nation, in an outpouring of public grief not seen since the death of Mara's presidential predecessor, Penaia Ganilau, over a decade earlier. == Legacy == Even in death, Ratu Mara stirred controversy. His state funeral was by no means universally popular, even among his close supporters. Claiming to speak for many of those who had been close to the late President, [[Joseph Browne]], who had been his official secretary, claimed that it was the "height of hyprocisy" to have the armed forces, still commanded by the same officers who had unceremoniously deposed Mara from the presidency four years earlier, honouring him at his funeral now. A one-year period of mourning for the late Chief ended on [[13 May]] 2005, with the close of a series of ceremonies that started on the [[May 9|9th]]. Those who had been observing mourning rituals symbolically changed from black clothes into their normal attire. (Members of the Mara family, however, said that they would continue to wear black for a further three months, until the period of mourning for his wife, Adi Lala, is over). Many thousands of people arrived in [[Tubou Village]] on the island of Lakeba to take part in the ''vakataraisulu'' ritual, which lifted taboos in place for the Mara family and the people of the Lau Islands. Mara's son, Ratu Finau Mara, who is widely expected to be named his successor as Tui Nayau, or Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands, was expected to participate in the ''vakataraisulu'' at the request of elders from Tubou and [[Levuka]], but for undisclosed reasons, remained in Suva. In 2004, he had attended his father's state funeral in Suva but not his private funeral in Lakeba. His younger brother, [[Roko Tevita Uluilakeba]], was believed to be out of the country. Addressing the Lau Provincial Council in Ratu Mara's honour, Fiji's current Vice-President, [[Joni Madraiwiwi|Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi]] praised him as a man of vision and compassion, who hated lies and lived by the truth. He praised him as a committed Christian who practiced what he preached, and who did not differentiate between people but treated all men alike whatever their race or religion. Madraiwiwi called on Lauans today to follow Mara's example. Another controversy was reported by the [[Fiji Times]] on [[8 January]] 2006. His family was displeased, his daughter |Adi Ateca Ganilau told the ''Times,'' that the same government that was working to release from prison persons convicted of offences related to the coup which deposed him, was also promoting an independent biography to be written by [[Australia]]n academic [[Derrick Scarr]], formerly of the [[Australian National University]]. This was contradictory, she said. ''"On one hand they want to praise him but on the other they are working to free those people who ousted him through the [[Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)|Reconciliation Bill]],"'' she said, referring to controversial legislation introduced by the Fijian government in 2005, aimed at establishing a Commission empowered to propose amnesty for coup-convicts. She reiterated her previously stated opposition to the release of coup-perpetrators, saying that he father would not have stood for it if he were alive. [[Jioji Kotobalavu]], the Chief Executive Officer of the Prime Minister's Department, rejected the criticism, saying that the government was not financing the book and that its involvement was limited to ensuring that Scarr had access to information sources. He considered that cooperation in the writing of the biography would be a fitting tribute to Ratu Mara, whom he called a great man. The Mara family should discuss any reservations with Scarr himself, Kotobalavu said. == Personal life == Mara's interests included [[cricket]], which he [[first class cricket|played]] in his younger years, [[Rugby football|rugby]], [[golf]], [[athletics (track and field)|athletics]], and fishing. He was a member of the [[Achilles Club]] in London, the [[Defence Club]] in Suva, and the [[United Oxford and Cambridge Universities Club]] in the United Kingdom. Mara's character was [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/20/db2001.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/04/20/ixportal.html described] as a combination of the forthright and the diplomatic, the inflexible and the dexterous, the imperious and the tolerant . He was known as a strong, imposing personality, but with an ability to forgive his opponents. A convert to Catholicism, Mara wrote of his faith: ''"Certainly it has been the rock on which I have been able to rely in good times and in bad, and it is the lodestone of my life."'' He wrote an autobiography, ''[[The Pacific Way: A Memoir]].'' Mara was survived by his wife, Adi Lala (who herself died on [[July 20]] the same year), and by two sons and five daughters; one son predeceased him. {{start box}} {{succession box| title=President of Fiji| before=Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau| after=Ratu Josefa Iloilo| years=1993 to 2000}} {{succession box|title=Vice-President of Fiji‡|before=[[Inoke Takiveikata (Vice-President)|Ratu Inoke Takiveikata]] <br> Vacant|after=Ratu Inoke Takiveikata|years=1992 - 1993}} {{succession box|title=Prime Minister of Fiji|before=none <br> Vacant|after=Timoci Bavadra <br> Sitiveni Rabuka|years=1967 - 1987† <br> 1987 - 1992}} {{succession box|title=Chairman of the Lau Provincial Council|before=?|after=[[Josefa Basulu|Ratu Josefa Basulu]]|years=? - 2004}} {{succession box | title=Tui Nayau | before=Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba | after=Awaiting Installation | years=1969 - 2004}} {{succession box | title=Tui Lau | before=Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna | after=Awaiting Installation | years=1973&ndash;2004}} {{end box}} *†From 1967 - 1970, the Prime Minister's title was ''Chief Minister.'' *‡In Mara's time, the office of Vice-President was held simultaneously by two individuals; Mara's tenure coincided with that of [[Josaia Tavaiqia|Ratu Sir Josaia Tavaiqia]] (1992 to [[1997]]) {{FijiPresidents}} {{FijiPMs}} {{Wikiquotepar|Kamisese Mara}} ==References== *'''The World of Talk on a Fijian Island''': An Ethnography of Law and Communicative Causation – Chapter 1 Pages 8,9 / Chapter 4, Page 56 By Andrew Arno Copyright 1993 by Alex Publishing, printed in the USA *'''The Years of Hope''': Cambridge, Colonial Administration in the South Seas and Cricket Chapter 5 Page 103 –104 By Phillip A. Snow Published in 1997 by Radcliffe Press London *'''Pacific Art''': persistence, Change and meaning Memorial Images of Eastern Fiji By Anita Herle Copyright 2002, University of Hawai’i Press *Mara, Ratu Sir Kamisese: "'''The Pacific Way: A Memoir'''", University of Hawaii Press, 1997 *'''20th Century Fiji''', edited by Stewart Firth & Daryl Tarte - 2001 - ISBN 982-010421-1 ==External links== *[http://uqconnect.net/~zzslayto/mara1.html Island Business magazine names Mara Pacific Islands Man of the Century] *[http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,9326938%255E401,00.html Official death notice, tributes, and announcement of a state funeral (Heraldsun)] *[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/20/db2001.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/04/20/ixportal.html A brief sketch of Ratu Mara's life (Daily Telegraph) (UK)] *[http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2004/s1090520.htm Transcript of ABC Radio report of Mara's death] *[http://www.fijihosting.com/pcgov/docs_o/mara_interview_29april.htm Partial transcript of Ratu Mara's last interview, with Fiji Television, [[29 April]] 2001 *[http://www.pacificislands.cc/pm52004/pmdefault.php?urlarticleid=0023 The end of an era (Islands Business), May 2004] * [http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2004/05/01/ratu-mara-a-family-man-leader-and-statesman Details] Ratu Mara and his Life. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mara, Ratu Sir Kamisese}} [[Category:1920 births]] [[Category:2004 deaths]] [[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]] [[Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford]] [[Category:Deaths by stroke]] [[Category:Fijian chiefs]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]] [[Category:Knights of the Order of St John]] [[Category:Lauan people]] [[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Presidents of Fiji]] [[Category:Prime Ministers of Fiji]] [[Category:Tui Lau]] [[Category:Tui Nayau]] [[Category:University of Otago alumni]] [[Category:Vuanirewa]] [[Category:Fijian Roman Catholics]] [[de:Kamisese Mara]] [[fr:Kamisese Mara]] [[io:Kamisese Mara]] [[mr:रतु सर कामिसेसे मारा]] [[nl:Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara]] [[pl:Kamisese Mara]] [[sl:Kamisese Mara]] [[fi:Kamisese Mara]] [[sv:Kamisese Mara]]