Adi Mere Tuisalalo Samisoni (born 28 July 1938) is a Fijian businesswoman and politician, from

Lomaloma Lomaloma (; officially ''Lomaloma Tikina'', ) is a village at the south of the island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago of Fiji. The settlement is part of the tribal district of Tikina, Lomaloma and consists of 9 villages, 13 Yavusa (tribe ...

villageAi Vola Ni Kawa Bula, Tokatoka No.7 on the island of

Vanua Balavu Vanua Balavu (pronounced ) is the third largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago, and the main island of the Northern Lau Group. Geography and infrastructure This coral and volcanic island has a land area of . Its maximum elevation is . The islan ...

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 ...

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 ...

archipelago. Samisoni is current Member of Parliament for the Opposition Party

SODELPA The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is a Fijian political party. The party was formed in January 2013 after the dissolution of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua. The party currently has no party leader. History Party foundation ...

. She holds a Doctorate and master's degree in Business Administration and owns Hot Bread Kitchen and resides 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 ...

Fiji's Capital. She has served as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Lami and as a member of the now-defunct

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 ...

Politics

In March 2018, Samisoni was sworn-in as the newest Opposition Member of Parliament under the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) succeeding the late Ratu Sela Nanovo MP who died due to an illness. During the 2014 Elections, Samisoni polled 1855 votes. Samisoni won the Lami Open Constituency for the ruling

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party ( fj, Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, SDL) was a political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alliance and other conser ...

Party (SDL) at the

parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held on 6–13 May 2006.Websit
Fiji Live
2006 Elections Results It was her third attempt to win the seat: her previous campaigns in

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

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

(for the SVT Party) had been unsuccessful.

Personal life

Samisoni is the second youngest daughter of Ratu Keni Naulumatua, who held the title of ''

Turaga na Rasau Turaga na Rasau is a traditional Fijian House of Chiefs (Fiji), chiefly title of the Lau Islands. Prior to Fiji's colonial days, Fiji had many different Vanua with their own Paramount Chieftain which exercised no authority over the other; a saying ...

'', and his first wife, Mere Tuisalalo Fonolahi. She is well known for establishing a successful chain of

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish ...

throughout Fiji, and was married to the late Jimione Isimeli Samisoni of

Rotuma Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as " ...

, a doctor, lecturer and former Dean of the

Fiji School of Medicine The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the ''Suva Medical School''. FSM became the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences as part of Fiji National University in 2010. ...

''Fiji Times'', 26 April 2007, Title: "Dedicated to science, health" by Dr Joji Malani and Others who had a great influence in the medical fraternity in Fiji and the Pacific. Together they had four children; John, Selina, Vanessa and Phillip.

Recent history

In the wake of 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 ...

which overthrew the government on 5 December 2006, Samisoni was detained by soldiers for questioning at

's Queen Elizabeth Barracks,

Fiji Village ''Fiji Village'' (stylised ''Fijivillage'') is an online news website in Fiji which is fully owned and operated by Communications Fiji Limited. It covers local, political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items. ''Fiji Village'' is ...

reported, along with Daily Post General Manager Mesake Koroibr>(source)
No reason was given for the questioning, but Samisoni had written a letter unsympathetic to 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 ...

to the

Fiji Times ''The Fiji Times'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Suva, Fiji. Established in Levuka on 4 September 1869 by George Littleton Griffiths, it is Fiji's oldest newspaper still operating. ''The Fiji Times'' is owned by Motibhai G ...

earlier in the week. In a letter to the

Fiji Sun ''Fiji Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Fiji since September 1999 and owned by Sun News Limited. ''Fiji Sun'' was founded by and is part of CJ. Patel Group. The Fiji Sun has its main newsroom in Suva, Fiji. Its print center remains in su ...

published on 15 December, Samisoni claimed that soldiers had told her that if she did not discontinue writing letters critical of the military regime to newspapers, she would be imprisoned on Nukulau Island. In April 2009, Samisoni was awarded the Doctorate of Business Administration by the University of the Sunshine Coast.(source) In 2013, Samisoni's case was in the news again, when the Fiji government hired criminal attorney

Clive Grossman Clive S Grossman, Senior Counsel (born 7 July 1940, London) is a leading Hong Kong criminal defence barrister. He lived in Zimbabwe from 1947 to 1983, and was a member of the Zimbabwe Bar from 1967 to 1983. He moved to Hong Kong and became the De ...

to argue a jurisdictional matter related to the charges against Samisoni. Samisoni was represented by prominent human rights barrister,

Sir Peter Williams Sir Peter Michael Williams, (born 22 March 1945) is a British physicist. Education Williams was educated at Hymers College and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1966, and his PhD at Selwyn College, Cambridge ...

QC and later by his widow, Lady Heeni Phillips who won the case. The case was dropped in 2016 in a

voir dire (; often ; from an Anglo-Norman phrase meaning "to speak the truth") is a legal phrase for a variety of procedures connected with jury trial A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a Trial, legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or Qu ...

hearing and the court granted Samisoni a

nolle prosequi , abbreviated or , is legal Latin meaning "to be unwilling to pursue".Nolle prosequi
. refe ...

Footnotes

References

*20th Century Fiji, edited by Stewart Firth & Daryl Tarte - 2001 - , ''(Reference article on Mere Samisoni)'' *Ai Vola Ni Kawa Bula, Reference to her connection to Chiefly family, The names and birth and death Register of Native Landowners details are as follows: Yavusa Buca, Tokatoka No.7 – Valelevu, Koro: Lomaloma, Tikina: Lomaloma, Yasana: Lau, from the Native Lands and Fisheries Commission – records as of July 19, 2005 *A web link reference regarding details o
the Native Lands and Fisheries Commission
and th

*Lau Islands, Fiji By A.M Hocart, Published by the Bishop Museum, Hawaii (1929), this book has detailed references to her fathers Rank and Title and her Father Ratu Keni Naulumatua. * Newspaper Article; Title: Fiji Born Actor dies, Content: Talks in reference to

Manu Tupou Manu Tupou (January 5, 1935 – June 5, 2004) was an American-based Fijian actor, writer, director, and teacher. Early life Manu Tupou was born on Lomaloma, Lau, Fiji Islands. Education Tupou trained as an actor for 15 years in New York under Le ...

the Hollywood actor, of his ties with Lomaloma with reference to Ratu Mara and Adi Mere(''Mere Samisoni's Mother'') and Ratu Dreunimisimisi, 200
Fiji Times
Saturday June 12, Fiji Times Archives *Weblink reference t
recent events.

External links

Ministerial Profile Of Mere Samsoni

an

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samisoni, Mere Tuisalalo I-Taukei Fijian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji) Living people 1938 births Mayors of Lami, Fiji Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua politicians Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei politicians I-Taukei Fijian people Politicians from Vanua Balavu