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Filipe Bole

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Filipe Bole
Bole in 2012
Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji
In office
June 1992[1]– 1993 -?
Serving withTimoci Vesikula
Prime MinisterSitiveni Rabuka
Personal details
Born(1936-08-23)23 August 1936
Died(2019-06-19)19 June 2019

Filipe Nagera BoleCBE,CF(23 August 1936 – 19 June 2019) was aFijianpolitician who hailed from the village ofMualevuon the island ofVanua Balavuin theLau Group.He had a reputation as one of Fiji's few politicians untainted by scandal, and was noted for his moderate views. In October 2003, he endorsed calls for an end to racially segregated voting, saying that electing all members of the House of Representatives by universal suffrage would make voters and politicians think of the common national good, rather than communal interests.

Education and early career[edit]

He was educated atVictoria University of Wellington,New Zealand,and atAuckland Teachers College.He subsequently worked as a teacher in Fiji, before going into thecivil servicewhere he served from 1972 to 1980 in a number of government departments. He was also a member of the Council of theUniversity of the South PacificinSuvafrom 1974 to 1980. He was Fiji'sAmbassadorto theUnited Statesand theUnited Nationsfrom 1980 to 1983, when he became a project administrator of thePacific Islands Development PrograminHonolulu,Hawaii,where he remained till 1986.

Political career[edit]

Returning to Fiji, he enteredpoliticsand served as Minister for Education in 1986 and 1987. Followingtwo coups d'étatin 1987, he was appointedMinister for Foreign Affairs,holding office till 1988, then served as Minister for Youth and Sport from 1989 to 1992. Bole was elected to theHouse of Representativesin theelectionheld to restore democracy in 1992, and was subsequently appointed Foreign Minister again. Apart from a brief interruption in 1994, he remained in this post until 1997. Bole was alsoDeputy Prime Ministerfor a short time from June 1992[1]to 1993. He transferred from the House of Representatives to theSenatein 1994 but remained in theCabinet.While remaining Minister for Foreign Affairs, he concurrently held portfolios as Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism from 1995 to 1996, and as Minister for National Development in 1997. That year, he became Minister for Information, a post he held till 1999 when hisSoqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukeiwas defeated in theparliamentary electionthat May, an election in which Bole himself failed to win theSuva CityFijianCommunal Constituency.

In the2001 election,Bole led the campaign of the Fijian Political Party, but it failed to win any seats. In June 2002, Bole founded theFiji Democratic Party(FDP) as a merger of some members of the Fijian Political Party, theChristian Democratic Alliance,theFijian Association Party,and theNew Labour Unity Party,but in early 2005, the FDP decided to officially disband and merge into theNational Alliance Party,a newpartyfounded byRatuEpeli Ganilau,as a claimed successor to the defunctAlliance Partywhich ruled the country from 1967 to 1987. Bole went on to assume a leading role as a spokesman for the new party, and unsuccessfully contested theSamabula TamavuaOpen Constituencyfor the party in the2006 election.

Bole's last elective position was as Chairman of theLau Provincial Council,from 12 July 2011 to April 2014, when he was succeeded byJiko Luveni.[2]His appointment was controversial: the day before taking office, he was defeated in his bid for the chairmanship byAdi Ateca Ganilau,daughter of formerPrime MinisterandPresidentRatu Sir Kamisese Maraby 17 votes to 15, but she stepped aside in his favour, apparently under pressure from themilitary-backed regime inSuva,who were pursuing charges against Adi Ateca's brother,Roko Tevita Uluilakeba Mara.[3]

Policies[edit]

On 27 April 2005, he called for an overhaul of Fiji's education system. He advocated full government funding, saying that the present user-pays system puts a heavy financial burden on many parents. He also said that instruction in English only was creating difficulties for students not fluent in it.

On 1 August 2005, Bole called for a review of Fiji's electoral system to represent all races proportionally in the House of Representatives. This would, he said, get rid of the antagonistic racial politics that have characterized Fiji for many years. The common voters' role was"just toilet paper where everybody is just listed,"and that in contests foropen electorates,citizens were apt to vote on racial lines."This fear of racial politics is still endemic among many in Fiji today and we cannot change it but perhaps to have proportionate voting system can bring our people together,"Bole said.

On 21 May 2007, Bole was nominated to the position of Chairman at the Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority. He was appointed to the three-year position by interim Finance Minister,Mahendra Chaudhry.[4]

Academic appointment[edit]

It was reported on 5 September 2006 that Bole had been appointed aSenior Fellowwith the Centre for International and Regional Affairs at theUniversity of Fiji.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"The World Factbook".Central Intelligence Agency. 1993.
  2. ^Vukailagi, Dreu."Government reminds Lau of $6.2 million assistance".Fiji One.Fiji Television Limited.Retrieved8 August2015.
  3. ^Walsh, Crosbie."What happened at the Lau Provincial Council Meeting?".Croz Walsh's Blog -- Fiji: The Way it Was, Is and Can Be.Retrieved8 August2015.
  4. ^University of the South Pacific: Open Dayusp.ac.fj
  5. ^Bole joins Centre for International and Regional Affairs (CIRA)Archived2011-02-15 at theWayback Machineunifiji.ac.fj

External links[edit]

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