Dr. Neil Prakash Sharma (born 1955, in Suva) is a former Fijian politician, who served as the Minister for Health in the interim Cabinet formed by Frank Bainimarama between 2009 and 2014.
The son of civil servant and MP Chandra Prakash Sharma, Sharma studied at Holy Trinity School for his primary education and Marist Brothers High School between 1968 and 1971. He worked at the CWM Hospital in Suva in the early 80's as an OB/GYN resident in training. He holds an MBBS as well as a post-graduate Certificate in Women's Health and a Post Graduate diploma in Obstetrics from the University of the South Pacific and Fiji School of Medicine. He worked as a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Suva Private Hospital between 2000 and 2009. [1]
He was appointed the Minister for Health in January 2009. [2] He replaced former Minister for Health, Dr. Jiko Luveni who took up another portfolio as Minister for Women. [3]
He joined Frank Bainimarama's FijiFirst Party and was named as one of the first 21 candidates for the party in the upcoming general elections. [4]
On 10 April 2015 Sharma resigned from Parliament. [5] [6] He was replaced by Jilila Kumar.[ citation needed ]
George Speight, also known by his pseudonym Ilikimi Naitini, is a Fijian businessman and politician who was the leader of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, in which he and rebel soldiers from Fiji's Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit seized the Fijian Parliament and held Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and 35 other MP's hostage from 19 May 2000 to 13 July 2000. He was convicted of treason in February 2002 and served a sentence of life imprisonment until receiving a presidential pardon on 18 September 2024.
The Fiji Labour Party, also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoci Bavadra. The party has been elected to power twice, with Timoci Bavadra and Mahendra Chaudhry becoming prime minister in 1987 and 1999 respectively. On both occasions, the resulting government was rapidly overthrown by a coup.
Brigadier-General RatuEpeli Nailatikau, is a Fijian chief who was President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015. He has had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and government. From 2001 to 2006 he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives – the lower and more powerful chamber of the Fijian Parliament. He was also the chairman of the Parliamentary Appropriations Committee and of the House Committee. On 8 January 2007, he was appointed the interim Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade; he was moved to the post of interim Minister for Provincial Development and Multi-Ethnic Affairs in September 2008. In October 2008, he became Indigenous Affairs Minister "and effectively Great Council of Chiefs chairman". On 17 April 2009, he was appointed Vice-President by the military government.
Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama is a Fijian former politician and naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst party, which he founded in 2014, he began his career as an officer in the Fijian navy and commander of the Fijian military. Despite being suspended from Parliament, he served as the opposition leader from 24 December 2022 until 8 March 2023, when he resigned and was replaced by Inia Seruiratu.
Petero Mataca born at Cawaci, on Ovalau Island, served as the Roman Catholic archbishop of Suva, Fiji until his resignation in 2012.
Major-General Jioji Konousi "George" Konrote, is a Fijian politician and retired Major-General of the Fiji Military who served as the President of Fiji from 2015 to 2021. After commanding a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Konrote served as Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia from 2001 to 2006, as Minister of State for Immigration briefly in 2006, and as Minister for Employment Opportunities, Productivity and Industrial Relations from 2014 to 2015. He was the first non-iTaukei president, the first not to be a chief, and the first Seventh-day Adventist to be elected by parliament, as previous presidents were selected by the Great Council of Chiefs.
Vyas Deo Sharma is a former Indo-Fijian politician. In the House of Representatives he represented the Vuda Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for Indo-Fijians, from 2001 to 2006.
Jiko Fatafehi Luveni was a Fijian politician and Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji. She was a member of the FijiFirst party before resigning her party membership in order to take up the position of Speaker. This was because the Fijian Speaker is not a Member of Parliament and cannot be a member of a political party pursuant to section 77(1)(a) and section 77(7)(b)(ii) of the Fijian Constitution.
Jona Baravilala Senilagakali was a Fijian medical doctor and diplomat who was briefly appointed as Prime Minister of Fiji following the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. Subsequently he was Minister for Health in the military regime from 2007 to 2008.
General elections were held in Fiji on 17 September 2014 to select the 50 members of Parliament. The FijiFirst party, led by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, won a landslide victory, winning 32 of the 50 seats. The Social Democratic Liberal Party and the National Federation Party were the only other two parties to cross the 5% electoral threshold and win seats.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is a Fijian politician and a former cabinet minister. He was the Fijian Attorney-General and the Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, and also served as the Minister responsible for Climate Change under the FijiFirst government. He is the third-highest polling candidate from the Fijian general elections of 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Devanesh Prakash Sharma is Fiji's most prominent Barister in Fiji in recent times. He is a former president of the Fiji Law Society. He remains the Barister of choice for Fijian celebrities, politicians, corporate executives and diplomats.
Jilila Nalibu Kumar is a Fijian politician of Indian descent and a member of the Parliament of Fiji. She is a member of the FijiFirst party.
Lt Col Pio Tikoduadua is a Fijian politician, cabinet minister and member of the Parliament of Fiji. He is the current president of the National Federation Party.
Mosese Drecala Bulitavu is a Fijian politician and Member of the Parliament of Fiji. He is the current Minister for Environment & Climate Change.
Premila Kumar is a Fijian consumer advocate, politician and former Cabinet 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 from 2018 to 2022. She is a member of the FijiFirst party.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case of the disease in Fiji was reported on 19 March 2020 in Lautoka. as of 3 January 2022, the country has had a total of 55,009 cases as of which 2,417 are currently active and 702 deaths, with cases reported on all divisions of the country. Apart from the COVID-19 deaths, 621 COVID-19 positive patients have died from pre-existing non-COVID-19 related illnesses. In March 2021, Fiji became the first Pacific island country to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX initiative with frontline workers and first responders the first to be vaccinated. As of 2 January 2022, more than 600,000 (98%) Fijians have received their first jab of the vaccine and almost 560,000 (92%) Fijians have received their second jab and are fully vaccinated. To date, only the AstraZeneca vaccine, Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine have been deployed in the country. The country have also administered booster shots. Vaccination is mandated, however only to the adult population.
Chandra Prakash Sharma was an Indo-Fijian civil servant and politician. He briefly served as a member of the House of Representatives in 1977.
Events of 2020 in Fiji.
RatuWiliame Maivalili Katonivere, CF is a Fijian chief and politician.He served as the President of Fiji from 2021 to 2024. He has been chief of Macuata Province since 2013, succeeding his older brother Aisea Katonivere; he was previously involved in conservation initiatives of Fiji's Great Sea Reef.