Josefa Iloilo

Infobox President
name = Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda
honorific-suffix =
CF MBE MSD KStJ


order = President of Fiji
primeminister = Frank Bainimarama
vicepresident =
term_start = 04 January 2007
term_end =
predecessor = Frank Bainimarama
successor =
primeminister2 = Mahendra Chaudhry
Tevita Momoedonu
Laisenia Qarase
Tevita Momoedonu
Laisenia Qarase
vicepresident2 = Jope Seniloli
Joni Madraiwiwi
term_start2 = 13 July 2000
term_end2 = 05 December 2006
predecessor2 = Kamisese Mara
successor2 = Frank Bainimarama
birth_date = birth date and age|1920|12|29|df=y
birth_place = Vuda, Ba, Fiji
spouse = Salaseini Kavunono
party =
occupation = Teacher
Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ, (born December 29, 1920) has been the President of Fiji since 2000, except between 5 December 2006 and 4 January 2007 (see below). He has the traditional title of "Tui Vuda", the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast. Like many Fijian people, he rarely uses his surname and is known simply as Josefa Iloilo.

On December 5, 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, seized power in a coup d'état and assumed presidential powers. This followed failed attempts on Iloilo's part to mediate a solution to the long-running impasse between the military and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. However, his powers were restored by Bainimarama on January 4, 2007. Iloilo also endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup. [AP (2006). [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/fiji-army-chief-cedes-powers/2007/01/04/1167777204488.html Fiji army chief cedes powers] . Retrieved January 4, 2007.] He appointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister on January 5.

Career

After working as a teacher and civil service administrator, Iloilo later became a member of the House of Representatives. He subsequently served as a Senator in the 1990s, and was President of the Senate prior to his becoming Vice-President of Fiji on 18 January 1999. He was in this position under President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 1999 and 2000, when Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's government was overthrown by Fijian nationalists led by George Speight in the Fiji coup of 2000. He was sworn in as President on 13 July 2000, but legal experts consider that he was constitutionally the President as of 29 May, the date on which Ratu Mara had been removed from office by the military, and to which his resignation in December that year had been backdated.

Originally widely thought of as a stooge of the military, Iloilo later won widespread respect among Fiji's diverse political factions and ethnic communities owing to his efforts to find, or even make, common ground among them. He refused to intervene directly in the disputes among politicians, but quietly reached out to disaffected factions, including the Indo-Fijian community. He was admired for his success in persuading the military to allow a return to democracy in 2001.

Political controversies

On 20 June 2005, the Fiji Times reported that "a reliable source" close to the government had accused Iloilo of refusing to discipline Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, for his public criticism of government policies. The source said that Iloilo had refused repeated requests from the Home Affairs Minister, Josefa Vosanibola, to take disciplinary measures against Bainimarama for publicly opposing the early release of prisoners convicted of coup-related offenses, as well as the proposed establishment of a Reconciliation and Unity Commission (called the "Reconciliation Bull" by Bainimarama) with the power (subject to presidential approval) to compensate victims and pardon convicted participants in the coup. The source said that the President's refusal to act was making the Home Affairs Minister look foolish and incompetent, and suggested that Iloilo was not following the Constitution. As President, Iloilo is Commander-in-Chief of the Military, but, according to the source, is required by Section 96 of the Constitution to act on the advice of the appropriate Cabinet Minister, in this case the Home Affairs Minister.

According to an unconfirmed report in the Fiji Times on 25 June, Iloilo and his Vice-President, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, had asked Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to withdraw the government's controversial legislation to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission, with the power to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 coup. The Prime Minister reportedly replied that he would "consider" the matter. Spokesmen for the President and Prime Minister have declined to confirm or deny the report, which was written by freelance journalist Wainikiti Bogidrau, the wife of an army officer. On 27 June, the Fiji Labour Party claimed on [http://www.flp.org.fj/n050627c.htm its website] to have known of the meeting before the article was published, and further alleged that the Prime Minister had intended to ask the President to use his position as Commander-in-chief of the Military to curb Commodore Bainimarama's public criticism of the bill, and that he was taken aback by the President's request to withdraw the legislation.

In his traditional speech opening Parliament on 1 August, Iloilo said that the government had introduced it for the purpose of fostering unity and stability. His speech welcomed the public debate, saying that reconciliation was "a difficult but necessary process," and it called on parliamentarians to uphold what is right, fair, and in the interests of the country. The speech also said "As parliamentarians you must carefully examine your conscience on the deliberation of sensitive issues and not be swayed by divisive racial remarks which have been a common and unfortunate hallmark of debate in our Parliament."

Views on the chiefly system

In an opening address to the Great Council of Chiefs on 27 July 2005, Iloilo told his fellow-chiefs that they needed to adapt to the modern era, or else risk "simply becoming decorations." He said that Fiji was at a critical moment and facing many challenges, and that the nation was looking to the chiefs to unify a divided society and promote stability and good will.

Iloilo recalled warnings from Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1888-1958), that the chiefs risked becoming an irrelevance if they did not take their leadership role seriously and prove that they had the qualifications and authority that their ancestors had possessed. "We should never forget Ratu Sukuna's warning about the dangers of chiefs simply becoming decorations. He said if that happened they were finished. He declared chiefs could only be sure of their people continuing to follow them as long as they appreciated that chiefly authority was better than anyone else's." He called on chiefs to be educated and trained for leadership. "Before we are in a position to advise our people on the right course we must also make sure that we have the knowledge and the awareness required to fulfill this duty properly. If we do not have this, we can not lead. When we are equipped with leadership skills that complement traditional rank, we are appropriately prepared to provide the inspiration, the motivation and guidance expected of us," he said.

Beliefs

A deeply religious man, Iloilo has been a lay-preacher and was Vice-President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma in 1997 and 1998. In September 2004, he hosted a state dinner for Argentinian-born American evangelist Luis Palau. He also delivered the opening address at Fiji's National Day of Prayer on 15 May 2005, which was also observed in may other countries. He called on Fijian citizens to seek God's wisdom to find the way forward for the nation, and said he considered prayer to be "as important to our nation as breath is to our lives." Reminding Christians of the Jewish Year of Jubilee, a year for cancelling all debts owed by one's fellow-man, Iloilo called on the people to pursue both personal and national reconciliation and forgiveness, saying that they would reap what they sowed. "Whatever you sow you shall reap. If you sow the seeds of harmony, peace and goodwill you will reap the fruits thereof. If you sow the seeds of discord, hatred and injustice you cannot expect to reap good results," Iloilo said.

Health concerns

Iloilo, who is now (2008) 87 years old, has long been the subject of speculation about his health. He is known to suffer from Parkinson's Disease and has required regular medical treatment in Australia. The Fiji Times reported on 18 July 2005 that his health had taken a recent turn for the worse, and that he had needed to use a wheelchair for three weeks. Suspicions about the state of his health intensified after journalists were twice refused entry to Government House, the President's official residence, including the swearing-in ceremony of Information Minister Marieta Rigamoto.

Second term: 2006-2011

* See main article: Fiji presidential election, 2006.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of President Iloilo's family told the Fiji Times on 29 November 2005 that he did not intend to seek another term when his present term ended on 13 March 2006. The family member said that the President had already hinted of his plans during a speech a the 2005 Fiji Business Excellence Awards in Nadi, in which he said it might be his last official function. His plans to retire were motivated not by concerns about his health, but by his desire to spend more time with his family and tribe, of which he is the Paramount Chief, the source said. On 2 February 2006, however, the office of the Great Council of Chiefs announced that Iloilo had indicated his willingness to serve for another term. Meanwhile, the President celebrated his 85th birthday at Lautoka's First Landing Resort on 29 December 2005.

The Great Council of Chiefs met at the Tradewinds Convention Centre in Lami on 8 March and re-elected President Iloilo to another five-year term.

References

External links

* [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/page_4607.shtml Ratu Iloilo's speech at Fiji's National Day of Prayer, 15 May 2005]
* [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/publish/page_4610.shtml A prayer offered by Ratu Iloilo on behalf of Fiji at the National Day of Prayer, 15 May 2005]
* [http://www.fiji.gov.fj/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=mtg photos during Independence Day]

"Note:" Prior to Iloilo's appointment as Vice-President in 1999, Fiji had two Vice-Presidents simultaneously, but the 1997 Constitution, which came into effect in 1999, provided for a single Vice-President.