Premila Kumar 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 consumer advocate, politician and former

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

. She served as chief executive of the Consumer Council of Fiji from 2006 to 2018, and then as a Cabinet Minister in the government of

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 ...

from 2018 to 2022. She is a member of the

FijiFirst FijiFirst ( fj, iMatai ni Viti) is a liberal political party in Fiji. The party was formed in March 2014 by then Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama. Formation The party was launched on 31 March 2014 with Bainimarama beginning a nationwide tour of ...

party.

Early life

Kumar was born 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 ...

and educated at Suva Methodist Primary School, Dudley Intermediate, and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School. She then studied for a bachelor of science at

Sophia College for Women Sophia College (Autonomous) is an undergraduate women's college established in 1941 by Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The governing body of The Society for the Higher Education of Women in In ...

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 ...

, before working as a teacher. She later completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...

, and a Master of Science in trade and the environment in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. She later worked as a Government environmental advocate and as an investment manager at Fiji Islands Trade & Investment Bureau. In 2006 she was appointed chief executive of the Consumer Council of Fiji. As chief executive she led campaigns on drug prices, bank fees, and fuel prices, among other issues. She also served as a council member of

Consumers International Consumers International is the membership organization for consumer groups around the world. Founded on 1 April 1960, it has over 250 member organizations in 120 countries. Its head office is situated in London, England, and has numerous region ...

. She resigned as chief executive in July 2018 in order to pursue a career in politics. In 2010 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 ...

named her the most influential woman of the year. In 2015 she was awarded the Executive Woman of the Year Award in 2015 by Women in Business.

Political career

Kumar was selected as a candidate for the

party for the

2018 Fijian general election General elections were held in Fiji on 14 November 2018. The result was a victory for the ruling FijiFirst party of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, which received just over 50% of the vote and 27 of the 51 seats in Parliament, a loss of five ...

. She was elected, and appointed Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Local Government, and Housing. As a Minister, she opposed the restoration of elected local councils, which had been abolished by the military regime in 2009. A cabinet reshuffle in April 2020 saw her surrender the Commerce, Trade and Tourism portfolio to former Minister

Faiyaz Koya Faiyaz Siddiq Koya is an Fijian politician of Indian descent and Member of the Parliament of Fiji. He served as Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Lands & Mineral Resources from 2014 to 2018. In March 2020, Koya was awarded a Parliamentary se ...

, while continuing as Minister for Local Government, Housing and Community Development. A further reshuffle in August 2021 saw her appointed Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, and surrender the Housing and Community Development portfolios to

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum (born 24 September 1965) is an Indo-Fijian politician and a cabinet minister. He is the Fijian attorney general and the Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, and also serves the minister responsible for c ...

. She was re-elected in the 2022 election, winning 1025 votes, but lost her Cabinet position when the Bainimarama regime lost power to the coalition government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Premila Indian members of the Parliament of Fiji FijiFirst politicians Government ministers of Fiji Fijian civil servants Fijian women civil servants Fijian educators Fijian women educators Fijian environmentalists 21st-century Fijian women politicians 21st-century Fijian politicians Women government ministers of Fiji Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members of the Parliament of Fiji