Adi Adi or ADI may refer to:
Names and titles
* Adi (mythology), an Asura in Hindu faith who appears in the Matsya Purāṇa
* Adi (name), a given name in Hebrew and a nickname in other languages
* Adi (title), a Fijian title used by females of chi ...
Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a diplomat and politician. She was also
First Lady of Fiji from 2009 until 2015, as the wife of
Ratu
''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...
Epeli Nailatikau
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, (born 5 July 1941) (often referred to as ''Na Turaga Mai Naisogolaca'') is a Fijian chief who was President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015. He has had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and go ...
, the
President of Fiji
The president of Fiji is the head of state of the Republic of Fiji. The president is appointed by the Parliament for a three-year term under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. Although not entirely a figurehead, the role of president ...
.
Family background
Vasemaca Koila Josephine Mara was born in 1953. Her father,
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (1920–2004), was ''
Tui Nayau
''Tu’i Nayau'' is the title held by the paramount chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji and is synonymous with the title holders over lordship of these islands. When translated, ''Tu’i Nayau'' means "Lord of Nayau", an island north of Lakeba, the la ...
'' (Paramount Chief of the
Lau Islands
The Lau Islands aka little Tonga (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty ...
) and served as Fiji's first
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
(1967–1992, apart from a very brief interruption in 1987) and later as
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
(1993–2000), and was regarded as modern Fiji's
founding father
The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
. Her mother,
Ro Lady Lala Mara (1931–2004), held the title of ''
Roko Tui Dreketi
The Roko Tui Dreketi is the Paramount Chief of Fiji's Rewa Province and of the Burebasaga Confederacy, to which Rewa belongs.
Details on the title
This title is considered the second most senior in Fiji's House of Chiefs. The dynasty holding t ...
,'' or Paramount Chief of the
Burebasaga Confederacy. In 1979, during her time as student at Somerville College, Adi Koila graduated from the Oxford University Foreign Service Programme.
In 1981, Adi Koila married Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. The scion of another chiefly family, Ratu Epeli (born 1941) was appointed President of Fiji by the
Military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
-backed regime in 2009 after a distinguished career, serving variously as
Commander of the Royal Fiji Military Forces in the 1980s,
High Commissioner (equivalent to an
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
in
Commonwealth countries) to the United Kingdom in the 1990s, Deputy Prime Minister in 2000 and 2001, and finally as
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
from 2001 to 2006; The
Fijian Parliament is one of the few legislative bodies in the world in which a husband and wife have had simultaneous parliamentary careers.
Adi Koila and Ratu Epeli have two children: a son,
Kamisese (named after Adi Koila's father), and a daughter,
Litia.
Career
After a serving as a diplomat in the 1980s and 1990s, Adi Koila was elected to the House of Representatives in 1999 as a candidate of the
Christian Democratic Alliance, representing the
Lau
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician): Laura Fares
Places
* Lebane ...
Fijian communal constituency, which had earlier been held by both her father and her brother,
Ratu
''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...
Finau Mara
Ratu Alifereti Finau Mara (1957– 15 April 2020) was a Fijian lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was best known as the eldest son of former Prime Minister and President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Since December 2001, he held the official positio ...
. In the
coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
that was subsequently appointed, Adi Koila became Minister of Tourism.
Adi Koila's cabinet career was brought to a sudden end on 19 May 2000, when
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 ...
, an extreme Fijian nationalist who objected to the presence of
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 ...
in the government,
seized power, kidnapping Prime Minister
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 ...
and most of the Cabinet, including Adi Koila, and forcing her father to resign as President. Along with her fellow hostages, Adi Koila was held captive for 56 days, although she was briefly released on 1 June to attend a funeral, on condition that she immediately rejoin the other captives. A period of political turbulence the coup. Democracy was restored in 2001, and Adi Koila was chosen by the Lau Provincial Council, on behalf of the
Great Council of Chiefs
The Great Council of Chiefs ''(Bose Levu Vakaturaga'' in Fijian) was a constitutional body in Fiji from 1876 to March 2012. In April 2007, the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interi ...
, to fill one of fourteen Senate seats reserved for
Fijian chiefly representatives. She played an active role as chairperson of the Senate Privileges Committee, and as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In politics, Nailatikau took a strong stand against proposals to legalise prostitution. In a Senate debate on 30 May 2003, she warned called for a tough stand against sex tourism, saying that it was a form of sexual exploitation and that it led to increasing incidents of child molestation and paedophilia. ''"While we advertise tourism, we should also educate our people in keeping a close vigil on what is happening as the side effect of tourism,"'' she said. Nailatikau called for "maximum sentences" for those facilitating such offences. Lamenting the downgrading of the marriage commitment, parental authority, and relationships between grandparents and grandchildren, she blamed the breakdown of family values for the increasing crime rate.
On 7 December 2005, Nailatikau called for the establishment of a "national youth service," under the auspices of the Military, to help reduce unemployment. Young people would learn self-discipline and would be trained for careers, such as engineering, that would enable them later to contribute to society through voluntary and paid employment, the
Fiji Live
''Fijilive'' is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder.
''Fijilive'' is one of Fiji's largest websites. The site rose to ...
news service quoted her as saying.
Post-coup controversies
In the aftermath of the coup that deposed her father and the government in which she was a minister, Adi Koila was an outspoken critic of the
Qarase government's handling of the prosecution of persons implicated in the rebellion, accusing it of showing lenience to its perpetrators and insensitivity to its victims. She also criticised what she sees as government efforts to foster national "reconciliation" without fundamentally addressing the wrongs that were committed.
Fiji Week (2004)
On 25 September 2004, Adi Koila rejected the efforts of Speight and his accomplices
Ratu Timoci Silatolu and
Josefa Nata to offer an apology to the parliamentarians they had held hostage in the 2000 coup. Following a supposed "religious conversion" experience, Speight announced in mid-2004 that he had had a change of heart about the coup and the reasons for it. Saying that she was still grieving for her parents, who died within three months of each other in 2004, Adi Koila said it was too soon for her to consider any apology from the perpetrators of the coup which deposed her father. ''"I feel that the rule of law must be upheld,"'' she said. ''"I simply will not accept any apology until justice is done."'' Adi Koila added that her refusal to accept any political attempts at reconciliation was motivated by her belief that the "culture of coups" must be discouraged.
In a speech from the floor of the Senate on 22 October 2004, Adi Koila explained refusal to participate in the Fiji Week reconciliation ceremonies, also known as Reconciliation Week, by quoting her late father's words spoken at the Lau Provincial Council in October 2000: ''"The reconciliation that has been undertaken today will be worthless if investigations into the coup do not reveal the truth behind the staging."''
Adi Koila expressed anger that
Simione Kaitani
Simione Kaitani is a former Fijian politician. He was previously a Cabinet Minister from 2001 to 2006, serving initially as Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, and later as Information Minister. He resigned these portfolios in favour of R ...
(whom she accused of making speeches against her father inside the parliamentary complex during the coup) and Ratu
Naiqama Lalabalavu
Ratu Naiqama Tawake Lalabalavu (born 23 December 1953) is a Fijian Paramount Chief and the current speaker of the parliament. He had served as the leader of the opposition.
Tui Cakau
In 1999, Lalabalavu succeeded his late father, Ratu Glan ...
(whom she accused of having ordered the burning of a property owned by her father, the
Matailakeba Cane Farm in
Seaqaqa
Seaqaqa () is a town in Fiji. It had a population of 1 008 at the 2012. The town has Seaqaqa F.C.
Seaqaqa F.C. is a Fijian football team playing in the second division of the Fiji Football Association competitions. It is based in Seaqaqa ...
, on 29 July 2000) both now held Cabinet positions, and that former Prime Minister
Sitiveni Rabuka
Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022. He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was democratically elected as Prime Minist ...
and former Police Commissioner
Isikia Savua
Isikia Rabici Savua (31 March 1952 – 30 May 2011) was a senior Fijian diplomat who had a distinguished career in the military and police forces before taking up his last post as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations on 4 ...
, both of whom her late father had accused of involvement in the coup, now either occupied or had been nominated for senior diplomatic posts.
Adi Koila wondered aloud why the government had decided to organise the reconciliation ceremonies only after both of her parents had died. ''"Why was the concept of reconciliation never done for the late Turaga Bale the Tui Nayau (Ratu Mara) or for that matter the late Marama Bale the Roko Tui Dreketi (Ro Adi Lala Mara)?"'' she demanded. ''"Was all this conjured overnight immediately after their demise?"'' she questioned.
Adi Koila said she was baffled that in the reconciliation ceremonies, the apology was offered, not to the victims of the 2000 coup, but to President
Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
and Prime Minister Qarase, who she said were the principal beneficiaries of the coup. ''"Because if it were not for the coup they would not be in those positions as the Turaga Bale the Tui Nayau would still be the President and Mr Chaudhry Prime Minister. "More so, if it were not for the coup my parents would still be alive today,"'' she said. Ratu Mara's health had deteriorated following his overthrow, leading to his death in May 2004; Adi Lala had died three months later.
Clarifying her remarks of a further Senate speech on 29 October, Adi Koila reiterated that the reconciliation ceremony was inappropriate because the person who received the whale's tooth and forgave the people in the ceremony at Albert Park had not been a victim of the May 2000 coup.
Adi Koila repeated that there could be no genuine forgiveness until questions were answered about who was involved in organising and funding the 2000 coup. ''"An individual will forgive when he or she is ready. There must be truth telling, as to why they participated and who gave the orders,"'' Adi Koila said. ''"Reconciliation cannot eventuate or materialise until the proper legal procedures have been followed, that is without interference from external forces."''
Rejecting the criticism, the Prime Minister's spokesman
Joji Kotobalavu
Jioji Kotobalavu was Fiji civil servant. He was the Chief Executive Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister (Fiji), Prime Minister's office, (CEO PMO) but was dismissed on 7 December 2006 by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, military jun ...
retaliated by accusing Adi Koila's father, Ratu Mara, of having benefited from the
1987 coups. He went on to say that the Prime Minister had not benefited from the coup because he had quit a lucrative career in the private sector to ''"rescue a Fiji in turmoil."'' He did not address Adi Koila's charge that the present government is full of individuals who were involved in the 2000 coup. Simione Kaitani, one of those implicated, accused Adi Koila of ''"crying over spilt milk,"'' and insisted that there was ''"no truth at all"'' in her accusations against him. He added only God knew why her parents died.
Reconciliation and Unity Commission
Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase announced on 4 May 2005 that a
Reconciliation and Unity Commission would be set up, empowered to recommend
amnesty
Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...
to persons convicted of coup-related offence, provided that their motive had been "political" rather than "criminal," and to recommend compensation for "deserving" victims. On 7 May, Adi Koila joined
Opposition Leader
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
and former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry,
United Peoples Party leader
Mick Beddoes, and
National Alliance Party president Ratu
Epeli Ganilau
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Ganilau, Military Cross, MC, Fijian honours system, MSD, (born 10 October 1951) is a former Fijian military officer and a retired politician. His career previously encompassed such roles as Commander of the Republic of ...
in opposing the Commission and its purpose. She asserted that if her father were alive, he would have insisted on the rule of law, adding that there could be no reconciliation outside of the courts. Unless all of the perpetrators were put on trial, she said, ''"Fiji cannot put to rest the ghosts of the coup."''
She renewed her attack on both the legislation and the government promoting it on 20 July, saying it appeared that the government was incapable of functioning without the perpetrators of the coup, and that the legislation was biased in favour of coup perpetrators rather than victims. ''"The Bill is slanted towards the perpetrators of the coup and not the victims ... This Bill is lenient towards the perpetrators while the victims get nothing,"'' she said. She accused the government of neglecting what she saw as far more important issues, like squatters, unemployment, poverty, and road conditions, in favour of the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill.
In a further statement on behalf of the family on 24 July, she again condemned the bill, saying that it amounted to supporting the overthrow of her father. She said that her father had championed unity, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and the rule of law, which this legislation undermined, going against everything he had believed in. "I recall what the late Tui Nayau said at his last Lau Provincial Council meeting on Ono, Lau, in October 2000: 'There can be no reconciliation or peace until the coup investigations are completed and the rule of law is upheld'," she said.
Nailatikau said that some government authorities, who she said were "hell-bent" on promoting the amnesty clauses of the legislation, were creating the impression that there was some connection between the coup perpetrators and themselves. She demanded to know what the connection was.
In the same statement, Nailatikau spoke highly of Military commander Frank Bainimarama (q.v.), a strident opponent of the legislation who threatened to depose the present government if the bill were to be passed. ''"The commander is doing a wonderful job because he is not only speaking in his personal capacity as Commander. He is speaking as the Commander of the Fiji battalion in Fiji and those serving overseas, and he has the support of the silent majority,"'' she said.
Following the decision of the Lau
Provincial Council on 25 July to endorse the bill, Nailatikau was too disappointed to speak the media.
2006 candidate?
It was reported on 15 June 2005 that Nailatikau was considering giving up her Senate seat to run for her old
Lau
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician): Laura Fares
Places
* Lebane ...
Fijian
Communal Constituency. She confirmed that the chiefly
Vuanirewa
The Vuanirewa is the ruling tribe (yavusa) of the Lau Islands, a scattered group of more than a hundred islands (16 inhabited) and reefs along the eastern edge of Fiji.
Origins
The members of this clan all hail from the village of Tubou on th ...
clan, of which her late father was Paramount Chief, had asked her to stand as their candidate, but said that she would not make a final decision till August, when a one-year period of mourning for her late mother was due to end. She said she would consult her brothers before announcing any decision. Nailatikau did not indicate which
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
, if any, she intended to join. Her former party, the
Christian Democratic Alliance, was by now defunct, and she had relatives and in-laws in a number of different parties.
As the election, which was held on 6–13 May 2006 drew close, she indicated a wish to contest the
Lami Open Constituency for the National Alliance Party (NAPF), led by her brother-in-law, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, but withdrew in favour of
Ben Padarath, who had already been selected. Ratu
Jioji Uluinakauvadra offered to withdraw his candidacy for the
Nasinu Urban Fijian
Communal Constituency in her favour, but she declined the offer, the Fiji Live news service reported on 8 April. She continued to campaign for the NAPF, however. Following the election, the Lau Provincial Council and the Great Council of Chiefs reappointed her to the Senate. There was speculation in July 2006 that she might resign to join her husband, who had been offered a diplomatic post, but that did not eventuate.
Honours
;National honours
*
Order of the Crown of Tonga
The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga ('' Tongan: Fakalangilangi 'o Kalauni 'o Tonga'') is an Order of Merit awarded for exceptional services to Tonga and the Crown of Tonga.
History
It was established 16 April 1913 by George Tupou II to rewa ...
, Grand Cross (31 July 2008).
References
External links
Senate speech, 22 October 2004Senate speech, 29 October 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nailatikau, Koila
1953 births
20th-century Fijian lawyers
21st-century Fijian lawyers
Living people
Fijian chiefs
I-Taukei Fijian members of the Senate (Fiji)
I-Taukei Fijian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji)
Vuanirewa
Christian Democratic Alliance (Fiji) politicians
First Ladies of Fiji
Government ministers of Fiji
Politicians from Lakeba
Fijian women lawyers
Women government ministers of Fiji
Fijian women diplomats
Children of national leaders
20th-century women lawyers
21st-century women lawyers
Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Tonga