Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau Order: *Governor-General: *President: 3rd Governor-General 1st President Term of Office: *Governor-General: *President: 12 February 1983 - 15 October 1987 8 December 1987 - 15 December 1993 Followed: *Governor-General: *President: Ratu Sir George Cakobau none (new office) Succeeded by: *Governor-General: *President: none (office abolished) Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara Date of Birth July 28, 1918 Place of Birth: Taveuni, Fiji Date of Death: December 15, 1993 Place of Death: Washington, D.C., United States Wife: (1) Laisa Delaisomosomo (1949); (2) Asilina Davila (1975); (3) Veniana Bale (????) Occupations: soldier, scholar

Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau GCMG KCVO KBE DSO (28 July 1918-15 December 1993) was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 till his death. He had previously served as Governor General, representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from 12 February 1983 to 15 October 1987. Image File history File links Ganilau. ... Fiji became a British Crown Colony in 1874, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth 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. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Ratu Sir George Cakobau (1912-1989) was Governor General of Fiji from 1972 to 1982. ... 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. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, and has a population of around 12,000. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... 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... Source: Veterans Affairs Canada The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and other formerly Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 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. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fiji became a British Crown Colony in 1874, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth in 1970. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born April 21, 1926) is the Queen of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth Realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Education and early career

Ganilau was educated at Northern Provincial School, Queen Victoria Memorial School and Wadham College, Oxford University, whence he graduated from the Devonshire Course for administration officers in 1946. Returning to Fiji, he joined the Colonial Administration Service the following year, and served as a District Officer from 1948 to 1953. The following three years were spent in the Fiji Military Forces, from which he was discharged in 1956 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He became the Roko Tui Cakaudrove in 1956, his first administrative position. He subsequently returned to the civil service and became Deputy Secretary for Fijian Affairs in 1961. Wadham College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), with a total manpower of only 3500 men, is one of the smallest in the world. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

Political career

In 1963, in the first elections in which ethnic Fijians voted directly, Ganilau was elected to the Legislative Council, the precursor to the modern Fijian Parliament. When responsible government was instituted in 1967, he was appointed Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Government, serving until 1970. He subsequently served as Minister for Home Affairs, Lands and Mineral Resources from 1970 to 1972, when he became Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism. In 1973, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, a position he was to hold for the next decade; during this time, he also served as Minister for Home Affairs (1975-1983) and as Minister for Fijian Affairs and Rural Development (1977-1983). In 1983 he became Governor-General. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... The Fijian Legislative Council was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. ... Fijis Parliament is bicameral. ... Responsible government is a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 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. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Last Governor-General, first President

Ganilau was to be Fiji's last Governor-General. Two military coups were carried out in 1987 by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. After the first coup on May 14, Ganilau defiantly refused to give up the office of Governor General. Attempting to uphold the constitution, Ganilau tried to return Fiji to parliamentary democracy, but a second coup forced him to resign as Governor-General on 15 October 1987, thus severing Fiji’s links to the British Monarchy. 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. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, OBE, (born September 13, 1948) is best known as the instigator of two military coups that shook Fiji in 1987. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In his letter of resignation, addressed to Queen Elizabeth II, Ganilau wrote: Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born April 21, 1926) is the Queen of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth Realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines...

"With humble duty, I wish to submit to you the following advice, acting in my capacity as your representative in Fiji. Owing to the uncertainty of the political and constitutional situation in Fiji, I have now made up my mind to request Your Majesty to relieve me of my appointment as Governor-General with immediate effect. This I do with utmost regret, but my endeavours to preserve constitutional government in Fiji have proved in vain, and I can see no alternative way forward. With deepest respect, Penaia Ganilau, Governor-General."

On 8 December 1987, Ratu Ganilau was appointed the first ever President of the new Republic of Fiji. He saw to the appointment of the interim civilian Government that was to lead Fiji for a five-year transitional period of constitutional change. During this time, he presided over the promulgation of the Constitution of 1990. The first general elections since the crisis of 1987 were held in 1992. He remained President and Head of State until his death in 1993, though ill-health had forced him to hand over most of his day-to-day functions to the Vice-President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, in 1992, though he remained the official President until he died. December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 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. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Honours

Fijian two-dollar banknote, issued 2000; the portrait is of Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau.

Ratu Ganilau was awarded many honours throughout his lifetime. These included the DSO (1956), OBE (1960), CMG (1968, CVO (1970), KBE (1974), KCVO (1982), and GCMG (1983). He also received an honorary doctorate in education in 1974. Image File history File links Fijitwodollars2000. ... Image File history File links Fijitwodollars2000. ... The Fijian dollar is the currency of Fiji. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Source: Veterans Affairs Canada The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and other formerly Commonwealth countries, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 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... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Victoria founded the Royal Victorian Order. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An Honorary degree (Latin: honoris causa ad gradum) is a degree awarded to someone by an institution that he or she may have never attended, it may be a bachelors, masters or doctorate degree - however, the latter is most common. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Personal details

A scion of the chiefly Ai Sokula clan, Ganilau was installed in 1988 as the fourteenth Tui Cakau, the traditional ruler of Cakaudrove Province. As such, he was recognized as the paramount chief of the Tovata Confederacy, covering much of northern and eastern Fiji, making him one of the three highest-ranking chiefs in the Fijian peerage. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tui Cakau is the Paramount Chief of Cakaudrove Province in Fiji. ... Cakaudrove is one of fourteen Provinces of Fiji, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the south-eastern third of the island and including the nearby islands of Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, and numerous other islands in the Vanua Levu Group. ... Tovata is one of three confederacies comprising the Fijian House of Chiefs, to which all of Fijis chiefs supposedly belong. ... The term House of Chiefs is a collective term used to refer to the Fijian nobility, which consists of about seventy chiefs of various ranks. ...

Ganilau was married three times, and had two daughters and six sons, of whom one, Ratu Epeli Ganilau, has followed in his footsteps by pursuing a political career of his own. As a statesman, Ganilau was regarded as a moderate conservative, upholding the traditions of the chiefly system but embracing modern political institutions. He died at the age of 75 on 15 December 1993 in Washington, D.C., where he was receiving medical treatment. 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. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ...

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