The National Federation Party has today become the first registered political party to formally announce its first batch of candidates to contest the 2014 general elections under the party’s banner.
The first batch of candidates includes, women, youth, a lawyer, former politicians, a trade unionist by profession, cane growers’ representatives, social worker and a medical doctor.
The first lot of candidates are as follows: –
Tupou Draunidalo
Tupou Draunidalo was elected as the first i-taukei President of the NFP on March 29. She is the 2nd woman President. She brings added strength to the party’s multiracial philosophy and character.
Ms Draunidalo received her primary and secondary school education at Draiba, Veiuto, Suva Grammar and Canberra.
She successfully completed her Bachelor of Laws Degree at the Australian National University in Canberra. She was admitted to the Bar of the
Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and High Court of Fiji in 1999.
Ms Draunidalo has been in private practice and also a legal advisor to political parties, political leaders and counsel appearing in court for citizens including the poor and those unable to afford counsel, business people, landowning units, NGOs, lawyers and the elected PM, Laisenia Qarase.
She was the Counsel on record for the intervenor in the Fiji Court of Appeal, Qarase v Bainimarama constitutional challenge in April of 2009.
Ms Draunidalo is a Former Vice President of Fiji Law Society.
Prem Singh
Prem Singh was the lone NFP Member of Parliament elected in the 2001 general elections. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from October 201 to September 2002, when he had to vacate his parliamentary Nadi Open Constituency Seat due to a High Court of Fiji judgment that nullified his election.
Mr Singh also served as the party’s parliamentary leader. He also contested the 2006 general elections. He is a prominent resident of Nadi, a social and community worker and a Justice of the Peace. Mr Singh is a member of the NFP Management Board.
Bimal B. Prasad aka Bimal Prasad Chaudhry
Bimal Prasad received his primary education at Vashist Muni Primary School, Navua, did his secondary education at Vunimono High School, Nausori before working as a law clerk, clerk in the Opposition and then Government Members Office before teaching at DAV College, Nabua from where he resigned in 2006 to contest the Vitilevu- South/ Kadavu Indian Communal Constituency seat that year for the NFP. He is presently a law student. As public figure, he has been involved in community service, cultural and youth organizations and the sport of Football. Bimal was the Manager of the Fiji National Men’s Team that played the 14th Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia in 2011.
Bimal joined the NFP as a youth while still at school. In 1994, he was elected the Assistant Secretary of NFP Rewa Branch and Treasurer of NFP Youth Movement. In 1996, he was elected the National Vice President of NFP Youth Movement. After five years of stint with the FLP Navua Branch, he was elected in 2004 as the Secretary of NFP Navua Branch, a position he held until 2008. From 2008 to 2013, he was the Assistant General Secretary of the NFP and a member of the NFP Management Board from 2005 to 2013. He attended the Asian Political Leadership Program in 2012 in Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia and in April, 2013 was one of the five Fijian Delegates to the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum in Wellington, New Zealand.
Dr Bijend Prasad Ram
Dr Ram is a practicing medical doctor, a community medicine specialist and consultant in Health Management
Educated at the Fiji School of Medicine, Dr. Ram is a Practicing Medical doctor and a Health Management Specialist with over 37 years of service. He is at present directing the development of Community Health & Medical Care programme through the Suva Bayview Private hospital Project. This mission is targeting to transform Fiji’s Private Health Sector through highly specialized Medical Services with a team of Specialists, seeking to advance medicine into a strong future base for Fiji and the Region. Prior to this he worked in the Government services for 21 years until 1999. In 1995 Dr. Ram was awarded the 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal Award for service to Fiji. During his medical career he gained recognition for his work with the World Health Organization, the South Pacific Commission and through Korea Institute for Population & Health, Sydney & Harvard Universities. Since 1985 Dr. Ram is a FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE & HYGIENE {LONDON}. Apart from other volunteer activities like the Aged medical care, Respiratory Health and Action for Children; he has been involved as the initiator with the inception of the Kidney Foundation of Fiji Haemodialysis & Renal Health services a first for Fiji. Dr. Ram was a member of the Medical team that started the first specialized Coronary Care Unit at the CWM Hospital. He also started and is directing the services for the Aged and Children through the ACATA Trust Fiji involved with their specialized care needs and a general front for prevention & primary care, wellness health and food chain & food security projects.
Seni Leba Nabou
Seni Nabou is a full time Post-Graduate Student in International Relations and Diplomacy at the University of the South Pacific.
Prior to this, Seni worked for Greenpeace Australia Pacific based in Suva from August 2006 to March 2014 in various capacities, rising to the position of Pacific Political Advisor and Projects Leader (Oceans Campaign).
From November 2002 to April 2005, she worked as Manager Promotions for Fiji Humans Rights Commission.
Seni has extensive experience in training, change management, communications, journalism, media and social media.
Bala Dass
Bala Dass is a prominent leader of cane growers and is the general secretary of Fiji Cane Growers Association. He has been FCGA’s general secretary since October 2000.
He contested the 2001 and 2006 general elections under the NFP banner. Mr Dass has established sound and harmonious relations with landowners and landowning units and has managed to successfully negotiate the renewal of cane leases throughout the Western Division.
He is a well known resident of Nadi through his social and community work, notably through the Then India Sanmarga Ikya (TISI) Sangam of Fiji.
During Mr Dass’s term as FCGA general secretary, the FCGA controlled the administration and operations of the Sugar Cane Growers Council for six years, u til the Council was usurped by the military regime through the former Finance and Sugar Minister in January 2007 – a month after the military coup.
Since the usurpation of the FCGA Council, the sugar industry has plummeted to less than half of what it used to be before the coup.
Usaia Cirikiwai Moli
Usaia Cirikiwai Moli is well known for his work with the less fortunate and the youth. His last work was Facilitator for Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding.
Mr Moli is an industrious and quick learner that has seen him progress from a farmer, Director at a Youth Hostel for Street Children to a Youth Trainer in youth social empowerment programs since 2004.
His work with young people has allowed him to wrk with local, provincial, national and regional multi-sectoral actors.
Usa is a highly motivated person who is currently the Chairperson of NFP’s Youth Steering Committee. On May 25 he was appointed to the NFP Management Board by the Working Committee.
Raman Pratap Singh
Raman Pratap Singh is the scion of NFP Founder Member and Bua Landlord, the late Ram Jati Singh. He graduated as a lawyer from Auckland, New Zealand and has been in private practice since 1971. In 1985, Ram Singh was elected as a Councillor of the first Sugar Cane Growers Council from the Labasa Sector and was appointed the Director of SCGC Labasa District, a position he held until 1992. In fact, he won in 1985 SCGC elections on the Federation of the Growers under the leadership of the then NFP leader, Hon. S.M. Koya.
Raman Singh entered the House of the Representatives as an elected member of the NFP from the Bua Indian Communal Constituency, a seat that he retained in 1994 with 81% of the total votes cast. He served as a member of several important parliamentary select and sector committees, the most important being the Joint Parliamentary Select Committee on the Review of the 1990 Constitution that led to the evolution of the 1997 Constitution. In 2005, he was elected as the National President of NFP, a position that he held until March 29, 2014.
Parmod Chand
Parmod Chand is the Vice President of NFP. He hails from a prominent Labasa business family and is the managing director of Parmod Enterprises Ltd. Mr Chand is a senior pastor of Pathway Assembly of God Labasa. He is a member of the Finance Committee of A.O.G. Fiji. Mr Chand was a NFP Member of Parliament from 1994 to 1999. He also contested the 1999 and 2006 elections under the NFP banner.
Mr Chand is a Vice President of Fiji Bus Operators Association and a Trustee of Fiji Football Association. He served as a Labasa Town Councillor from 1993 to 1999. He as served a number of organisations in various capacities, including Labasa Football Association.
Mohamed Rafiq
Mohamed Rafiq is a fulltime cane farmer and social worker. He hails from Coqeloa, Labasa. He is a former school teacher, having taught mainly at Naleba College in Labasa. He is a Vice President of Macuata Muslim League. Mr Rafiq is the Vice President of Fiji Cane Growers Association Northern Division and served as FCGA’s Northern Executive Officer for many years until 2009.
He also contested the 1999 and 2006 general elections under the NFP baner.
Attar Singh
Attar Singh resigned as General Secretary of the Communications, Mining ad General Workers Union to contest the elections. He was the general secretary of this union for 10 years. Mr Singh was also the general secretary of the Fiji Islands Council of Trade Unions from 2002 to 2014 until he resigned due to the requirements of the Political Parties Decree.
Attar was the general secretary of NFP from 1998 to 2002. He led the Party into the 2001 and 2006 general elections. He is also a Trustee of NFP.
Mr Singh is a aeronautical engineer and worked for Air Pacific (now Fiji Airways) as aircraft engineer before jining the trade union movement.
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