Ratu Manunivavalagi Korovulavula, OF (born 22 June 1934 in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

), is a

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 ...

an political leader and civil servant. A former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, Korovulavula was appointed

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

in the interim

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 ...

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst ...

on 8 January 2007, following the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

on 5 December 2006. He had also previously served in Ratu Sir

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 fi ...

's Interim Cabinet after the 1987 coup led by

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 Ministe ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate twice, for the

Fijian Association Party The Fijian Association Party (FAP) is a former political party in Fiji. It played a significant role in Fijian politics throughout the 1990s, but lost all of its seats in the House of Representatives in the parliamentary election of 2001. The ...

and National Alliance Party, in the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, respectively. He served as

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

of both parties. A career civil servant, Korovulavula started as a soldier and fought in the

Malayan Campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between ...

against the Chinese Communists in the 1950s. He has held a number of government positions, among them that of CEO of

Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...

the former Department of Road Transport. He had first worked as a civil servant in LTA (Land Transport Authority of Fiji) then worked in Parliament House in the early 2000. He holds Professional Qualification from Australia and UK and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Korovulavula has also held positions as a Sports Administrator, being the Chairman of the Fiji Sports Council in the 1980s and is a Life Member of the Fiji Basketball Federation. Korovulavula also is a well known music composer and singer and was leader a famous Fijian band the Southern Brothers in the 1950s to 1970s. His hits included "Nuku Vulavula", (Ena Veivei Gauna) "Vakanananu Lesu", "Au Moce Buna Au Qai Tadra", (Ni Lutu Na Yakavi Ena Toba Ko) "Suva". Following the

2006 Fijian coup d'état The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état carried out by Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, against the government of President Josefa Iloilo. Iloilo was removed as president, but ...

he was appointed as Minister of Transport, Works and Energy in the interim military regime. He was replaced as a Minister in a cabinet reshuffle in January 2008. He was subsequently controversially appointed to the Public Accounts Committee. Korovulavula was made an Officer of the

Order of Fiji The Order of Fiji is the highest Order (honour), honour of the Fijian honours system. Established 1 March 1995, the order is presented for achievement and merit to Fiji and mankind as a whole. The order is divided into a general division and mili ...

in the Republic of Fiji Honours List in the early 2000s for his services as administrator in the field of music, having co-founded the Fiji Composers Association and Fiji Performing Right Association and holding Chairmanship of both organisations and helping improve the livelihood and welfare of Fiji musicians and composers. In 2014 he wrote a book about the Malayan campaign.

Personal life

Ratu Manu grew up during the World War years when American and New Zealand soldiers were stationed in Fiji. As a young boy Manu lived with his grandparents, Ivamere Korovulavula and Jovesa Korovulavula, his father, Major Isireli Korovulavula, was an officer in the Fijian army and fought in the war when

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

had taken place, he was awarded the Military Cross. Ratu Manu attended Suva Methodist Boys School at Toorak.

References

Fijian civil servants I-Taukei Fijian members of the Senate (Fiji) 1934 births Living people Officers of the Order of Fiji National Alliance Party of Fiji politicians Transport ministers of Fiji Fijian Association Party politicians {{Fiji-politician-stub