Gaffar Ahmed is a former
Fiji Labour Party (FLP) Fijian politician of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n descent. Ahmed was born in Ba and is a former
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
. He represented the
Ba West Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for
Indo-Fijians
Indo-Fijians or Indian-Fijians (also known as Fiji Indians) are Fijian citizens of Indian descent, and include people who trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent.Girmit by Suresh Prasad Although Indo-Fijians constitu ...
, from 1995 to 2006.
Ahmed was Assistant Minister for Home Affairs in the Peoples Coalition Government from 1999 to 2000.
On 19 May 2000, he was among the 43 members of the
People's Coalition Government, led by
Mahendra Chaudhry
Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former lead ...
, taken hostage by
George Speight
George Speight (born 1957) is a Fijian businessman and politician who was the leader of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, in which he and rebel soldiers from Fiji's Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit seized the Fijian Parliament and held Prime Minister ...
and his band of rebel
Republic of Fiji Military Forces
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about 4,000 active soldiers and approximately 6,000 reservists, it is one ...
(RFMF) soldiers from the
Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit. He was released on 21 May 2000, after he signed a paper resigning his seat in Parliament.
In 2003, Ahmed was offered the portfolio of Minister for Prisons, together with 13 other FLP parliamentarians who were offered cabinet positions by the Prime Minister,
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase ...
but the FLP refused to accept this offer.
Earlier, he had expressed his intention to contest the
Magodro Open Constituency in the House of Representatives, but announced his withdrawal on 11 April 2006, citing financial difficulties but was appointed to the
Senate as one of eight nominees of the
Leader of the Opposition.
Ahmed is a life member of Fiji Football Referees Association and held a
FIFA referees badge from 1991 to 1995.
Ahmed backs television investment
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Gaffar
Fiji Labour Party politicians
Indian members of the Senate (Fiji)
Indian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji)
Fijian Muslims
Fijian police officers
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Fijian football referees
Government ministers of Fiji
Politicians from Ba Province
Fijian politicians of Indian descent