Faimalaga Luka OBE (April 15, 1940 – August 19, 2005) was a political figure from the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

nation of

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

. He represented the constituency of

Nukufetau Nukufetau is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu. The atoll was claimed by the US under the Guano Islands Act some time in the 19th century and was ceded in a treaty of friendship concluded in 1979 and coming into force in 1983. It has a ...

in the

Parliament of Tuvalu The Parliament of Tuvalu (called ''Fale i Fono'' in Tuvaluan, or ''Palamene o Tuvalu'') is the unicameral national legislature of Tuvalu. The place at which the parliament sits is called the ''Vaiaku maneapa''. The ''maneapa'' on each island is ...

. He served as

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

and the

Prime Minister of Tuvalu The prime minister of Tuvalu is the head of government of Tuvalu. According to Tuvalu's constitution, the prime minister must always be a member of the parliament, and is elected by parliament in a secret ballot. Because there are no political ...

Background

He was a broadcaster and politician, spending 40 years in the civil service and in politics, serving in roles including Minister for Health from 1994 to 1996 and Minister of Home Affairs from 1999 to 2001. He was married to Sikiona Luka. In the New Years Honours of 1995, he was awarded an OBE for public service.

Prime Minister

After the death of Prime Minister Ionatana on 8 December 2000,

Lagitupu Tuilimu Lagitupu Tulimu is a political figure from the Pacific nation of Tuvalu, who represented the constituency of Nanumea. He served as the Acting Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001 following the death of incumbent Ionata ...

was acting prime minister from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001. Faimalaga Luka became the

on 23 February 2001 and was sworn in the next day with a reshuffled cabinet. Luka's government lasted until December 2001, when he lost office as the consequence of a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

. On 13 December 2001 the former finance minister Koloa Talake was appointed prime minister.

Speaker of Parliament

In June 2003 he became

speaker of parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

, although an opposition MP at the time.

Governor-General

Luka was appointed as Governor-General on 9 September 2003, as the representative of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, Queen of Tuvalu. He retired on 15 April 2005, after reaching his 65th birthday. Tuvalu, unlike most countries, has a mandatory retirement age for all civil servants.

Declines a knighthood

Historical note: Luka was the only

Governor-General of Tuvalu The governor-general of Tuvalu is the vice-regal representative of the Tuvaluan monarch, currently King Charles III, in the country of Tuvalu. The monarch is the head of state of Tuvalu, with the governor-general performing the monarch's duti ...

not to accept a knighthood. The practice of a Governor-General of Tuvalu accepting a knighthood was resumed by Luka's successor to that office, Sir Filoimea Telito, who accepted an appointment to the Most Distinguished

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG).

Death

He died on August 19, 2005 in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

where he had been referred for medical treatment.PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT - Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006

References

1940 births 2005 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Prime Ministers of Tuvalu Health ministers of Tuvalu Interior ministers of Tuvalu Governors-General of Tuvalu Speakers of the Parliament of Tuvalu {{Tuvalu-politician-stub