Netani Sukanaivalu (died 2021) was a Fijian academic, naval officer, and

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 ...

Minister. Sukanaivalu was educated at the

Fiji Institute of Technology Fiji National University is a public university in Fiji that was formally constituted on 15 February 2010 by the Fiji National University Act 2009. By 2019, student numbers at the University had grown to almost 27,000. While each of the colle ...

, and later worked there as a lecturer and head of the School for Maritime Studies. In 1988 he was appointed vice-principal of FIT, and in 1990 he wa appointed principal. He served as a reserve officer in the

Fijian Navy The Fijian Navy was created when Fiji ratified the recently created United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea. The Convention established that maritime nation had an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 kilometres, which extended Fiji's waters twent ...

, holding the rank of lieutenant commander. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the National Alliance Party in the 2006 parliamentary election. He was appointed to dictator Frank Bainimarama's interim Cabinet as Minister for Education 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 ...

. As education Minister he was instrumental in establishing the Fiji National University. He was appointed Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources following the

2009 Fijian constitutional crisis The Fijian constitutional crisis of 2009 began on Friday, 10 April 2009. Fijian President Ratu Josefa Iloilo announced on a nationwide radio broadcast that he was abrogating the Constitution of Fiji. He dismissed all judges and constitutiona ...

. He resigned from the government in February 2011 to return to running his business. He later served as head of the Fiji National University alumni association.

References

20th-century births 2021 deaths Fijian Navy officers Government ministers of Fiji I-Taukei Fijian people Fijian scientists Academic staff of Fiji Institute of Technology Fijian businesspeople National Alliance Party of Fiji politicians 20th-century Fijian scientists 21st-century Fijian scientists {{fiji-politician-stub