The National Alliance Party of Fiji (NAP) is a Fijian political party. It was formally registered on 18 January 2005 by Ratu Epeli Ganilau, as the claimed successor to the defunct Alliance Party, which ruled Fiji from 1967 to 1987 under the leadership of the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Ganilau's father-in-law. The party was launched publicly at a mass rally in Suva on 8 April 2005. Fiji - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ratu is a title inherited by Fijians of chiefly rank. ... Ratu Epeli Ganilau (born 10 October 1951) is a Fijian soldier and statesman, who served as Chairman of the Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) from 2001 to 2004. ... The Fijian Alliance, also known as the Alliance Party, was the ruling political party in Fiji from 1966 to 1987. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (May 6, 1920-April 18, 2004) is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. ... Alternate use: see Suva (insurer). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Previous attempts to forge a multi-racial political movement, including the electoral pact between the ethnic Fijian Fijian Political Party (better known in Fiji by its Fijian name, Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei) and the predominantly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party, which contested the 1999 election unsuccessfully, had been well-meant but ill-timed, he said. The racially based politics which followed the 1987 and 2000 coups, which sought to establish ethnic Fijian supremacy, were now widely understood to have been detrimental to the country, Ganilau declared, and the time was now right for a multiracial political party. "The old Alliance Party represented the multi-racial communities of the country, which is what we have in common, Ganilau said. "We found a multi-racial party is the most successful and the most stable in the leadership of the country." Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. ... Indo-Fijians are people born in Fiji, but are ethnically Indian. ... Politics of Fiji Categories: Stub | Fijian political parties | Fiji-related stubs ... The general election to the Fijian House of Representatives, held in May 1999, was historic. ... 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. ... Timeline (2000) May: 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30. ... Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ...

Others involved with the party include university lecturer Meli Maqa as party secretary, and Manu Korovulavula as treasurer. Ganilau expressed optimism that the new party would allow him to convey his vision of a multiracial Fiji more effectively than he had been able in his previous role as Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. "I was quite outspoken about the need to respect the rights all citizens in Fiji during my role as chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs," he said, "but that did not go down well with some. That is why I decided it was best to continue the fight on a political platform." The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a formal assembly of Fijis senior hereditary chiefs, along with some representatives of the national government and provincial councils, who may or may not be hereditary chiefs themselves. ... The Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga in Fijian) is a constitutional body in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. ...

At the public launch of the party, Ganilau declared uniting the people of Fiji to be the most urgent priority. "We are here today, not so much as to launch a political party but more so and more importantly we are here today to project a vision that will inspire hope," Ganilau said. He condemned the promotion of communal interests and policies which, he said, denied the nation's advancement.

In addition to promoting interethnic cooperation and national unity, the party would strongly emphasize economic development, Ganilau said. He called for greater government investment in shipbuilding, as well as in agriculture, tourism, and the clothing industry. Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. ...

The NAP has absorbed the National Democratic Party, which has officially dissolved itself. The former National Democrat leader, Filipe Bole, has assumed a prominent role as a spokesman for the new party. Other former politicians from the Mara era have endorsed the party, including Bill Aull, Fereti Dewa, Joji Uluinakauvadra, and Irene Jai Narayan. Irene Jai Narayan, last name also spelt Narrayen (born 1932) is a Fijian stateswoman. ...

Contemporary politicians, however, have not all been so positive. In a strongly-worded reaction on 12 April 2005, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase attacked the new party, claiming that it would split the ethnic Fijian vote, which he said would not be good for the country. He also accused it of promoting policies that he said were the main cause of instability in the past - namely support for the 1997 constitution and the Agricultural Landlords and Tenants Act, both of which Qarase has attempted, without success, to substantially amend. April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ... Laisenia Qarase (born February 4, 1941) is the Prime Minister of Fiji. ... The Constitution of the Republic of the Fiji Islands dates from 1997. ...

On 4 May 2005, spokesman Bole said that party membership, and participation in party meetings, were increasing. Party president Ratu Ganilau said that finance was a major challenge for the party, but donors had come forward and the party was exploring creative ways to raise extra revenue. He was also encouraged by the considerable numbers of people who were volunteering to stand as candidates in the election expected to be held in 2006. May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External link

National Alliance Party website (http://www.alliancefiji.com)