Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Speaker of the House of Representatives

Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, LVO, OBE, MSD, OStJ, (born 1941) (often referred to as Na Turaga Mai Naisogolaca) is a Fijian politician. 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. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Speaker of the Fijian House of Representatives This work is copyrighted. ... Brigadier General (sometimes known as a one-star general from the United States insignia) is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. ... Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... The Fijian honours system dates from independence in 1970, when the Fijian Independence Medal was awarded to participants in the Fijian independence celebrations. ... HRH The Duke of Gloucester is Grand Prior of the Venerable Order of Saint John. ... This article is about the year. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Fijian House of Representatives. ... Overview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fijis Parliament. ... Fijis Parliament is bicameral. ...

Education and military career

Nailatikau's career spanned 20 years in the military and 17 years in the diplomatic service. Following his education at Bau District School, Draiba Fijian School, Levuka Public School and Queen Victoria School, Nailatikau trained as a soldier in New Zealand. In 1966, he served on secondment in the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and was posted to Sarawak, Malaysia, during Indonesia's "Konfrontasi" against Malaysia. He proved to be a popular and highly respected officer. When he returned to the Fiji Infantry Regiment, he rose steadily through the ranks. By 1987, he held the rank of Brigadier-General, and was the Commander of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. While visiting Australia, he was deposed from this position, however, when the third-ranked officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka staged the first of two coups and seized power. Fiji maintains an independent, but generally pro-Western, foreign policy. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (1 NZIR) is the main unit in the regular army of New Zealand. ... State motto: United, Industrious, Dedicated (Malay: Bersatu, Berusaha, Berbakti ) Capital Kuching Governor T.Y.T Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Chief Minister Y.A.B. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud / Pehin Sri Dr. Hj. ... The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation was an intermittent war over the future of the island of Borneo, between British-backed Malaysia and Indonesia in 1962-1966. ... The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Fijian military. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brigadier General (sometimes known as a one-star general from the United States insignia) is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), with a total manpower of only 3500 men, is one of the smallest in the world. ... Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. ... Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. ...

Diplomatic career

Nailatikau retired from the Army and decided to pursue a new career in the diplomatic service. After completing the Foreign Service Course at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, he was appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and accredited as Fiji's Ambassador to Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Israel and the Holy See. He was later appointed as Fiji's Roving Ambassador and High Commissioner to the member states of the South Pacific Forum, before taking up a post as Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Trade in 1999. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ... An ambassador, rarely embassador, is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of his or her own country. ... The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental consultative process which aims to enhance cooperation between the countries of the Pacific Ocean and represent their interests. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Political career

In the aftermath of the failure of the Fiji coup of 2000, a coup which Nailatikau strongly opposed, he was nominated for the position of Prime Minister, to help rebuild Fiji's shattered institutions. He withdrew his nomination, however, in favour of Laisenia Qarase, who was considered more of a consensus candidate, but became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Fijian Affairs in the interim Cabinet. In 2001, after democracy had been restored in a general election, he defeated, by a vote of 41 to 29, Joeli Kalou for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position he held until after the 2006 elections. The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and his own resignation, possibly... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ... The Minister for Fijian Affairs is the Cabinet Minister responsible for the preservation of Fijian culture and for the economic and social development of indigenous Fijians. ... Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a Supreme Court decision, following the failure of the Fiji coup of 2000. ... The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Fijian House of Representatives. ... Overview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fijis Parliament. ...

Anti-AIDS campaigner

On 14 June 2005, Nailatikau was appointed the UNAIDS Special Representative for the Pacific. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, he was chosen because his political position, his respect throughout the Pacific region, and his outspokenness on AIDS-related issues. He has previously served as a UNAIDS Pacific spokesman, and in October2004 chaired the first conference of Pacific Parliamentarians on the Role of Pacific Parliamentarians in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in Suva. June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is a United Nations program designed to coordinate the worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ... UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is a United Nations program designed to coordinate the worldwide response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ... ryan castiel ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Suva is the capital of Fiji. ...

Nailatikau's outspoken calls to tackle the AIDS crisis have attracted controversy. On 22 November 2005, he called on people to recognize the reality that promiscuity existed, and that safe sex needed to be promoted to combat the associated AIDS risk. It was unrealistic to deny promiscuity and just promote abstinence, he considered, adding that this was a matter of life and death. He also called on churches to face the reality that promiscuity existed among their own congregations, and to meet the problem "head on" and play a part in promoting the use of condoms. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Safe sex (also called safer sex or protected sex) is a set of practices that are designed to reduce the risk of infection during sexual intercourse to avoid developing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). ...

He represented the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)[1] at the World AIDS Conference in Toronto in August 2006.

Personal life

As a hereditary chief, Epeli Nailatikau has the title of Ratu. He is the second son of Ratu Edward Cakobau, who commanded the Fijian Battalion in World War II. He is also a great-great-grandson of Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the first monarch to rule over a unified Fijian kingdom after conquering all the tribes of Fiji and uniting them under his leadership, and who ceded the Fiji Islands to the United Kingdom in 1874. In addition, he is a grandson of King George Tupou II of Tonga. Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. ... Ratu Sir Edward Tuivanuavou Tugi Cakobau (1908 - 1973) was a Fijian chief and statesman, who played a major role in Fijian politics in the years that preceded and followed independence in 1970. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (1815-1883) was King of Fiji from 8 December 1852 to 10 October 1874, when he ceded his country to Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. ... Kings (1700s to 1874) Nailatikau : ???? - 1770 Banuve : 1770 - February 1803 Naulivou : 21 February 1803 - 1829 Tanoa Visawaqa : 1829 - 1832 Navuaka Komainaqaranikula : 1832 - 1837 Tanoa Visawaqa (Restored) : August 1837 - 1852 Seru Epenisa Cakobau : 8 December 1852 - 10 October 1874 (ceded Fiji to the United Kingdom) British Monarchs (1874 to 1987) From... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The following monarchs have reigned since the formal creation of the Tongan monarchy in 1875. ... George Tupou II (1874–1918) was the king of Tonga from February 18, 1893 to April 5, 1918. ...

In 1981, he married Adi Koila Mara, the second daughter of modern Fiji's founding father, Prime Minister and President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Koila is also a politician in her own right; like her husband, she has served as a Member of Parliament, Cabinet minister, and, most recently, Senator. They have two children: a son, Kamisese (named after Adi Koila's father), and a daughter, Litia. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau Adi Koila Mara Nailatikau is a Fijian lawyer, who has served as a career diplomat and politician. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Fiji became a republic in 1987, when Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom formally abdicated as Queen of Fiji, following two military coups led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. ... The Right Honourable Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara GCMG KBE CF, (May 6, 1920 – April 18, 2004) is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. ... Fiji has the Westminster system - executive authority is vested nominally in a President, but exercised in practice by a Cabinet of Ministers, presided over by the Prime Minister. ... The Senate of Fiji is the upper chamber of Parliament. ...