National Federation Party (Fiji) 567683 178287663 2007-12-16T13:59:14Z Wprlh 5753110 Typo fixes {{Politics of Fiji}} The '''National Federation Party''' is a [[Fiji]]an political party founded by [[A.D. Patel]] in the [[1960]]s as a merger of the Federation Party and the [[National Democratic Party (Fiji)|National Democratic Party]]. Though it claimed to represent all Fiji Islanders, it was supported, in practice, almost exclusively by [[Indo-Fijian]]s whose ancestors had come to Fiji, mostly as indentured labourers, between [[1879]] and [[1916]]. == Formation of Federation Party == The formation of the Federation Party was a direct consequence of the dispute between cane farmers and the [[Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)|Colonial Sugar Refining Company]] (CSR) in 1960 regarding the new cane contract. In May [[1959]], all growers' unions decided to work together by forming the [[Federation of Cane Growers (Fiji)|Federation of Cane Growers]] but on [[24 July]] 1960, [[Ayodhya Prasad]] of [[Kisan Sangh]] and [[Vijay R. Singh]] of [[Labasa Kisan Sangh]], broke away and signed an agreement with CSR for the purchase of the 1960 crop. Tensions rose as Patel’s opponents, [[B.D. Lakshman]] and Vijay R. Singh, accused him of again dividing the [[India]]ns and leading them further into debt and some [[Fijian people|Fijian]]s, including [[Ratu Kamisese Mara]], made calls to have A.D. Patel deported. The Government appointed a commission of inquiry, headed by Sir [[Malcolm Eve|Malcolm Trustram Eve]], into the sugar industry. The Federation Committee was represented by A.D. Patel, assisted by [[Sidiq Koya|S.M. Koya]]. The finding of the commission was mostly against the demands of A.D. Patel. The Federation Committee contested the [[1963]] [[Legislative Council (Fiji)|Legislative Council]] election under the banner of [[Citizens Federation]]. It was not a properly constituted political party but sought to promote economic, cultural and political progress and stability in a united Fiji. All three Citizen’s Federation candidates were elected to the Legislative Council. In the Western Constituency, A.D. Patel defeated [[Deo Sharma]], president of the Kisan Sangh by 6244 votes to 3346, in the North Viti Levu Constituency, Sidiq Koya defeated [[James Shankar Singh]] by 3,998 votes to 3,480 and in the Northern Constituency [[James Madhavan]] defeated [[Harish Chandra Kohli]] by 2,753 votes to 2,175. There was no Citizens Federation candidate in the Southern Constituency, won by [[Andrew Deoki]]. The success of the Citizens Federation in the [[Fiji election of 1963|1963 elections]], and the impeding constitutional convention, prompted Patel to transform the Citizens Federation into a fully fledged political party. The [[Federation Party]] came into existence on [[21 June]] [[1964]], with A.D. Patel as President and S.M. Koya as Vice-president. == 1965 Constitutional Conference == When, in late 1964, when the Government announced a constitutional conference to decide on Fiji's move to independence, it asked each [[ethnic]] group to select its own delegates. A.D. Patel nominated himself and three other Federation Party members, James Madhavan, [[C.A. Shah]] (nominated Indian member who had joined the Federation Party) and S. M. Koya. It was claimed that these did not represent the Indian community and an impasse was avoided when it was decided to invite all unofficial members to the [[London]] constitutional conference. At the conference the main difference amongst the members was that while the Federation Party members asked for common roll and immediate independence, the others wanted only a minimal change to the existing [[constitution]]. The [[United Kingdom|British]] Government decided to introduce cross-voting as a compromise between the Fijian and European delegates on one side and the Indians on the other. According to the cross-voting system, [[multiracial]] [[electorate]]s voted for candidates of different ethnic groups. The Legislative Council was enlarged to 36 members, consisting of 14 Fijians (9 elected on communal roll, 3 on cross-voting roll and two nominated by the [[Great Council of Chiefs]]), 12 Indians (9 elected on communal roll and 3 on cross-voting roll) and 10 Europeans (7 elected on communal roll and 3 on cross-voting roll). Some of the non-contentious proposals by the Federation Party were accepted. These were the establishment of Public Service Commission, Police Service Commission and Judicial and Legal Services Commission and a Bill of Rights. == From 1966 until the death of A.D. Patel == The outcome of the constitutional conference was a major issue during the election, which was the first election in Fiji contested on Party lines. The Federation Party was expected to win at least the three cross-voting seats in the [[Western Division (Fiji)|western division]] because of its predominantly Indian population but managed to win only the 9 Indian communal seats. The Alliance Party won 22 seats but the three independents and the two Council of Chiefs nominees joined it to give it a total strength of 27. Ratu Kamisese Mara of the [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]] became the Chief Minister and A.D. Patel became the Leader of the Opposition. Ethnic tensions escalated following the adoption of [[responsible government]] in [[1967]], when Patel's arch-rival, the [[Lau Islands|Lauan]] chief [[Kamisese Mara|Ratu Kamisese Mara]] was appointed [[Chief Minister (Fiji)|Chief Minister]] on [[20 September]]. Mara's [[Fijian Alliance|Alliance Party]] was a coalition of indigenous and European factions, with minimal Indo-Fijian participation. Patel and the NFP were consigned to the opposition benches. In protest at the new government's refusal to call a second constitutional conference, Patel led the nine NFP legislators in a mass walkout in September 1967. Missing two consecutive sections of the Legislative Council resulted in the forfeit of their seats, forcing [[by-election]]s. The ensuing by-elections were marked by inter-ethnic violence. All nine NFP legislators were returned with increased majorities, the NFP winning 78.55% of the votes cast. A.D. Patel winning by 7903 votes to 2772 for M.V. Pillay. There were demonstrations by ethnic Fijians and calls to not renew native land leases and extreme elements called for Indians to be deported from Fiji. Relations between the Indo-Fijian and indigenous communities were at a new low. The NFP, represented by most of its lawyer Councillors, took up the case on behalf of the farmers when arbitration proceedings were begun on [[19 August]] [[1969]] for the new cane contract. NFP rejected the last cane contract, blaming it for leading the farmers deeper into debt, attacked the monopoly position of CSR, its secret accounting procedures, and concealed profits and asked for a fairer price for cane based on the price of sugar and its by-products. The Denning contract awarded the growers, 65% and the millers 35% of the proceeds of all sale, including molasses. It further guaranteed the growers a minimum price of $7.75 per ton of cane paid in two instalments. Denning commended A.D. Patel for having mastery of all the facts and problems of the sugar industry and presenting them with skill and understanding. Patel died suddenly on [[1 October]] 1969 and the leadership of the party passed on to its deputy, Sidiq Koya. == NFP under the leadership of Sidiq Koya == === NFP and Alliance work together to attain independence === The party played an important role in the negotiations that led to Fiji's independence from the United Kingdom in [[1970]]. Their original demand for a universal franchise threatened to stall the independence process, but at a conference in London in April 1970, Sidiq Koya, eventually negotiated a compromise with ''Ratu Sir'' Kamisese Mara, the leader of the [[Alliance Party (Fiji)|Alliance Party]], the main ethnic Fijian-dominated party. According to this compromise, ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians would each be allocated 22 seats, with 12 representing ''[[Communal constituencies (Fiji)|Communal constituencies]]'' (comprising voters registered as members of a particular ethnic group) and a further 10 representing ''[[National constituencies (Fiji)|National constituencies]]'' (distributed by ethnicity but elected by [[universal suffrage]]) in the 52 member [[House of Representatives (Fiji)|House of Representatives]]. A further 8 seats would be reserved for [[General Electors (Fiji)|General electors]] (Europeans, Chinese, and other minorities); 3 of these would be "communal" and 5 "national." With the leaders of both major ethnic groups working together for the first time in Fiji's history, the transition to independence was peaceful and the euphoria of independence continued for some time. Sidiq Koya travelled with the Prime Minister to India and the [[United Nations]] and there was talk of a coalition government. There were those within the National Federation Party (NFP) who were not happy with the close relationship between Sidiq Koya and Ratu Kamisese Mara, the most notable of whom was [[R.D. Patel]], but for the time being dissent was not being expressed openly. === The 1972 general election === The first general election since independence was held in [[Fiji general election, 1972|May 1972]] without the ethnic tension characteristic of the [[Fiji general election, 1966|1966 general]] election and the [[Fiji by-elections, 1968|1968 by-elections]]. The NFP won only 19 of the 52 seats in the House of Representatives, with Alliance Party actually increasing its share of the Indian vote. After the election, R.D. Patel, one of Koya's critics within the NFP, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives. === Worsening relationship between Koya and Mara === From mid-1975, the relationship between Koya and Mara worsened. This was firstly due to the announcement by the Minister of Education that the Government would not subsidise school fees for non-Fijians. Sidiq Koya called this "a blatant piece of racial injustice". Secondly when a former Alliance member moved a motion calling for the repatriation of people of Indian origin back to India, Koya was not happy with the measured response of the Alliance Government and accused it of "having elements which wanted to do legally what the [[Fijian Nationalist Party]] Leader, [[Sakeasi Butadroka]], was trying to do illegally." Thirdly, the Prime Minister rejected the recommendations of the Royal Commission which investigated the voting system, claiming that implementation of the recommendation would cause bloodshed in the country. === Split within NFP === The inability of the NFP to make significant inroads into the ethnic Fijian vote kept the party in opposition in the years following independence. In the [[Fiji election of 1977 (March)|March 1977 election]], however, a split in the ethnic Fijian vote enabled the NFP to win a plurality in the House of Representatives. Internal dissension, however, prevented the party from forming a government, as the party fractured over disputes about the leadership and the allocation of [[Cabinet (Fiji)|ministerial]] positions. The [[List of Governors-General of Fiji|Governor-General]], [[George Cakobau|''Ratu Sir'' George Cakobau]], reappointed the defeated [[List of Prime Ministers of Fiji|Prime Minister]], Ratu Mara, and ordered a new election for September that year, in which the NFP was heavily defeated. For more information, see [[Fiji Constitutional Crisis of 1977]]. == NFP under the leadership of Jai Ram Reddy == [[Fiji election of 1977 (September)|A second election]] to resolve the impasse was held in September that year, resulting in a heavy defeat for the NFP after it had split into two factions known as the [[National Federation Party - Dove faction (Fiji)|Dove]] and [[National Federation Party - Flower faction (Fiji)|Flower]] factions. Koya lost his parliamentary seat to [[Jai Ram Reddy]], who became the new leader of the NFP. Koya's Dove faction had won only 3 seats compared to 12 won by the Flower faction. Reddy followed a policy, which had been tried once before by Koya, that of moderation in which he sought to work with the Alliance Party to bring about change instead of resorting to the divisive policies of A.D. Patel and the later years of Koya's leadership. He enjoyed a brief period of honeymoon with the Alliance and there was again talk of a [[coalition]]. Relations between the two sides deteriorated as the Alliance used its massive majority to push through legislations seen to be anti-Indian. In [[1980]], after Reddy criticised, Alliance's policy of reserving Crown land for use by ethnic Fijians only, he and Ratu Kamisese Mara were no longer on speaking terms. The NFP re-united for the [[1982]] elections and came close to winning the election by winning 24 seats in coalition with the [[Western United Front (Fiji)|Western United Front (WUF)]]. Reddy's disagreement with the Alliance [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] of the House led to his walkout in December [[1983]] and to resignation from parliament in April [[1984]]. == Sidiq Koya's second term as party leader== Sidiq Koya, who had returned to Parliament in 1982 under a unified NFP, was elected the leader following Reddy's resignation. He was not far from controversy, and was accused of favouring his own supporters for crucial appointments within the party. He barred the [[NFP Youth Wing]] from a Working Committee meeting further raising allegations of dictatorial rule. Internal dissension reached a climax when a Koya supporter from [[Ba District, Fiji|Ba]], [[Balwant Singh Rakkha|Dr Balwant Singh Rakkha]], was selected to contest the [[Lautoka]] seat vacated by Reddy's resignation. The NFP Youth Wing, put up its own candidate, [[Davendra Singh]], a little known small businessman. The NFP Youth Wing had the support of the former Flower faction and also claimed Reddy's support. For his part, Reddy did not openly campaign for either candidate. During the campaign, Koya turned the election into a referendum on himself, and threatened to resign if Rakkha lost. The result was a win for Singh by a narrow margin but Koya did not go ahead with his threat. With the emergence of [[Fiji Labour Party]] (FLP), the NFP lost further ground. In the Suva City Council election of October [[1985]], it failed to field any candidate and the FLP won most seats and occupied the [[Lord Mayor]]'s chair. In the by-election for the North Central National Seat (based in Ba district), brought about by the resignation of Vijay R. Singh, the Alliance won by a narrow margin over the FLP candidate, [[Mahendra Chaudhry]]. NFP was placed last. In December 1985, three prominent NFP parliamentarians resigned. With his party falling apart, Koya resigned from the leadership of the NFP and was replaced by [[Harish Sharma]]. == Coalition with FLP == For the [[1987]] [[Fiji election of 1987|election]], therefore, they formed an electoral coalition with the Fiji Labour Party under the leadership of [[Timoci Bavadra]], an ethnic Fijian. The coalition won the election, but the new government was overthrown a month later in a [[Fiji coups of 1987|military coup]] led by [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Sitiveni Rabuka]]. A new [[Constitution of Fiji|Constitution]] was promulgated, providing for a built-in ethnic Fijian majority in the legislature. This condemned the NFP to permanent [[Opposition (politics)|opposition]] status. When the government agreed to revise the Constitution in [[1997]], however, the NFP, now led by Jai Ram Reddy, played a key role in the ensuing negotiations, which resulted in the removal of the guaranteed ethnic Fijian majority from Parliament. In the [[Fiji election of 1999|election]] that followed in [[1999]], the NFP surprised many observers by forming an electoral coalition with the [[Fijian Political Party]], led by their former enemy, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This may have been a tactical mistake: many Indo-Fijians had not forgiven Rabuka for his role in the overthrow of the Bavadra government and the subsequent drafting of a constitution that they widely considered to be racist, and the NFP, for the first time in 36 years, lost all of its seats in the House of Representatives. == Since 2000 == The NFP contested the [[2001]] [[Fiji election of 2001|election]], on a platform calling for the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look into the [[Fiji coup of 2000]], which had deposed the elected government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry, the removal of [[Value added tax]] from basic items, reduction of telephone and postal bills, national healthcare insurance for all workers, and consolidation of the independence of the judiciary. Its fortunes sank further, however. The NFP ended up with only about ten percent of the popular vote and only one parliamentary seat - which it subsequently lost in a court challenge. The party's refusal to agree to a preference deal with its one-time ally, the Fiji Labour Party, also worked against it. (Fiji has a system of [[preferential voting]], similar to [[Australia]]'s). There have been signs of a modest revival of fortunes for the NFP. [[Fiji municipal election, 2002|Municipal elections]] in October [[2003]], for which the party formed an electoral coalition with Prime Minister [[Laisenia Qarase]]'s [[Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua]] (SDL), gave the party control of six municipalities, either in its own right or together with the SDL. Its more significant victories included gaining control of the [[Nadi]] Town Council and reelecting [[Chandu Umaria]] as [[Mayor of Suva|Mayor]] of [[Suva]]. In the [[2005]] [[Fiji municipal election, 2005|municipal polls]], their performance was more modest, but [[Ba Town|Ba]] and Nadi remained in NFP hands, while an NFP/SDL coalition retained its hold on [[Sigatoka]]. In Suva, despite losing some seats, the NFP still out-polled the Fiji Labour Party, its arch-rival for the Indo-Fijian vote. Recently, the party has attempted to modernize itself. Under the presidency of [[Dorsami Naidu]], the party has made an effort to broaden its appeal to women and the disadvantaged. On [[11 April]] 2005, Naidu announced that that NFP now regarded itself as a multiracial party and would attempt to win the support of all ethnic communities in Fiji. === The Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill === In 2005, the NFP has been at the forefront of opposition to the government's controversial proposal to establish a [[Reconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)|Reconciliation and Unity Commission]], with the power (subject to [[List of Presidents of Fiji|presidential]] approval), to grant compensation to victims of the coup d'état that deposed the elected government in [[2000]], and [[amnesty]] to persons convicted of offenses related to it. On [[14 May]] 2005, Naidu called legislation to establish the commission "an act of terrorism", and on [[20 May]] he went on to call for public demonstrations against the bill, which he said was ''"just a cover for providing amnesty to people who committed the May 2000 coup crime acts."'' On [[27 June]], Naidu announced that the NFP had started a petition against the bill, and expected to gather 150,000 signatures. The party was sending copies of the petition, along with a statement of the party's objections to the bill in [[English language|English]], [[Fijian language|Fijian]], and [[Hindustani]] to all schools, other organizations, and islands in Fiji. Naidu said the party was opposed not only to the amnesty provisions of the legislation, but also to its compensation provisions, saying that the taxpayer should not have to foot the bill. ''"Those part and parcel of the 2000 coup should have their properties seized and sold to pay compensation to those affected,"'' Naidu said. He thought, moreover, that those wanting to claim compensation should do so through the courts. He said that the petition would be presented to the parliamentary committee on Justice, Law and Order, along with the party's submission. === Party conference, July 2005 === Naidu resigned from the presidency of the party in July 2005, following his arrest on common assault and sexual assault charges. At the party's annual conference attended by more than 600 delegates in [[Nausori]] on [[31 July]], [[Raman Pratap Singh]], a lawyer and former parliamentarian, was elected to replace him. === Towards 2006 === A priority for the NFP was to attempt to revive sufficient support to gain Parliamentary representation in the [[Fiji election of 2006|general election]] scheduled for 2006. On [[12 August]] 2005, Pramod Rae said the party was experiencing financial difficulties. Speaking on [[Radio Sargam]], he denied perceptions that the NFP was a "rich man's party" and said that sometimes it could not afford telephone bills, and was having to go door to door asking for donations to keep it going. Many businessmen who had once supported the NFP were now supporting the Fiji Labour Party (FLP), he lamented. Under Fiji's so-called [[instant run-off voting|alternative ballot]] system, votes cast for low-polling candidates may be transferred to higher-polling candidates, as specified by the candidates. These transferred votes are known as "preferences." Rae said on [[20 August]] that in pursuing negotiations with other parties for exchanges of preferences, the NFP would aim to hold the centre ground in Fijian politics and would forge alliances with parties that shared its philosophy. NFP Treasurer [[Ashok Bal Govind]] said on [[21 October]] that neither the FLP nor the SDL had "good policies," and that the NFP would wait to see whether parties with "better policies" emerged before deciding on any electoral pacts. In the end, the NFP made arrangements with FLP candidates in some constituencies, and with SDL candidates in others. ==== Negotiations with the SDL ==== At the August conference, the party decided that a preference deal with the ruling SDL in the parliamentary election scheduled for 2006 would be conditional on the government withdrawing its Reconciliation and Unity Bill. In the last election in 2001, a similar deal, which allowed votes cast for low-polling NFP candidates to be transferred to the SDL, was crucial to the SDL victory under Fiji's [[Instant run-off voting|transferable voting]] system. ''"You are in power today because of our preferential votes NFP gave you in 2001,"'' said [[Pramod Rae]], the general secretary of the party. ''"If you are going to pass this bill, do not count on us. We will not support you if you rail road this evil bill in Parliament."'' [[Fiji Village]] reported on [[9 March]] 2006 that Prime Minister Qarase had offered the NFP Cabinet posts, assuming the party won parliamentary representation, in exchange for a preference deal. ==== Negotiations with the FLP ==== A meeting, described as a "courtesy call", took place between officials of the NFP and the FLP on [[18 August]] 2005. Preferential voting was among the topics discussed, but no serious negotiations were entered into, with both parties indicating that such a move would be premature. Nevertheless, a flurry of media speculation followed, with several major news services reporting in early September that the two parties were close to reaching a deal. Comments by FLP officials led credence to these rumours. On [[19 September]], however, Pratap Singh distanced himself and his party from the speculation that a deal with the FLP was likely. The NFP did not believe that the FLP truly represented the Indo-Fijian community, he said, who had gained nothing from what he called the "confrontational" posturing of the FLP. According to the Fiji Sun ([[27 February]] 2006), NFP trustee Attar Singh accused the FLP of having stolen the NFP's 1982 [[Fiji election of 1982|election manifesto]] and using it for the 1999 election. FLP Parliamentarian [[Lekh Ram Vayshnoi]] rejected the charge as false. ===2006 election result=== The election, which was finally held on [[6 May|6]]-[[13 May]] [[2006]], was a disaster for the NFP. Its share of the popular vote fell to 6 percent, its lowest ever, and the party again failed to win parliamentary representation. == External links == * [http://www.goasiapacific.com/specials/fiji/partyprofiles_nfp.htm NFP profile on Goasiapacific website] {{Political parties in Fiji}} [[Category:Political parties in Fiji]] [[Category:Fiji Indian organisations]]