Kamisese Mara

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, (6 May 1920 – 18 April 2004) was a Fijian politician, who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992.

Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimacilai Uluilakeba Mara was born on 6 May 1920, in Sawana, Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu in the archipelago of Lau, the son of Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba III, Tui Nayau and head of the chiefly Vuanirewa clan of Tubou, Lakeba and Lusiana Qolikoro from the Fonolahi Family of the Yavusa Tonga clan in Sawana.

Fonolahi has lineage to the Tongan royalty and was also descended from an English missionary.

He then attended the University of Otago in New Zealand, where he studied medicine (1942 to 1945).

He never finished his medical studies, 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 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 MA in 1949.

Following his graduation from Oxford University, Mara returned to Fiji and had married Ro Litia Cakobau Lalabalavu Katoafutoga Tuisawau, better known as Ro Lady Lala Mara, on 9 September 1950.

Her title, Ro, is also hereditary and is held by Rewan chiefs; like her husband, Ro Lala was a chief in her own right, as the Roko Tui Dreketi (Paramount Chief) of Burebasaga and Rewa.

The marriage was initially opposed by some members of Mara's family, as Ro Lala was from a rival dynasty with which the 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 Ateca Ganilau,Koila Nailatikau Adi Asenaca kakua Mara,Finau Mara,Adi Litia Cakobau Mara Dugdale and the twins Tevita Mara and Adi Elenoa Tuilau Mara Taito two of whom have pursued political careers of their own.

After serving (from 1950) as an Administrative Officer in the Colonial Services, Mara was nominated to one of five seats on the 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).

Though the title Tui Lau is not hereditary it has been left vacant by his cousin¹ Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, who had died in 1958.

Ratu Mara was first educated at Primary in Levuka (Sacred Heart Convent) than to Lau Provincial school before he left for his secondary education in an all boys boarding school in North of Tailevu (Queen Victoria School), he later moved to Marist Brothers High School Suva and Sacred Heart College, Auckland.

In 1959, Mara was appointed to the 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 cabinet minister).

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.

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 in 1963, and Tui Nayau kei Sau ni Vanua ko Lau in 1969.

He was earlier installed as Tui Lau in 1963 following the traditional consultation process between the Yavusa Tonga in Sawana, Lomaloma and the Tui Nayau his father.

In 1964, he was received into the Great Council of Chiefs, which at that time was empowered to appoint two members to the Legislative Council.

In 1966, he founded the Alliance Party, which, supported overwhelmingly by the ethnic Fijian and European communities (but not by most Indo-Fijians), won a majority of the seats in the 1966 election.

In preparation for independence, the United Kingdom introduced the 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 Governor, were made fully responsible to the legislature.

Mara was named to the new position of Chief Minister.

One problem that threatened to delay independence was the failure of ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians to agree on a post-independence 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.

He succeeded to the Tui Nayau title in 1969, following the death of his father in 1966.

In April 1970, Mara and Sidiq Koya, leader of the mainly Indo-Fijian 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.

With independence, the office of Chief Minister was renamed Prime Minister, but its functions were substantially unchanged.

In 1973, his old alma mater, Otago University, awarded him an honorary doctorate of laws (LL.D).

He subsequently served as president from 1993 to 2000.

Their eldest son, Ratu Finau Mara, was a Cabinet Minister and 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 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 and Tourism in 1999 and 2000, and served in the Fijian Senate from 2001 to 2006.