Lala Mara

Ro Lady Lala Mara, maiden name Litia Cakobau Lalabalavu Katoafutoga Tuisawau (January 4 1931 – July 20 2004) was a Fijian chief, who was better known as the widow of the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, modern Fiji's founding father who served for many years as Prime Minister and President of his country. As Fiji's First Lady, Adi Lala took on a diplomatic role, frequently representing her country abroad. She was regarded as a formidable and astute woman, whose influence on her husband was said to be considerable.

Political career

In 1991, Adi Lala founded the Fijian Political Party (Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei, or SVT) as the successor to the disbanded Alliance Party that her husband had founded and led, but for the leadership she was outmanoevered by Sitiveni Rabuka, who had led the Fiji coups of 1987. To the end of her life, Adi Lala remained active in the Great Council of Chiefs, where she was regarded as a voice of moderation.

Related Topics:
1991 - Fijian Political Party - Alliance Party - Sitiveni Rabuka - Fiji coups of 1987 - Great Council of Chiefs

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On 12 November 2003, Radio New Zealand reported that Adi Lala had bitterly accused some chiefs, whom she did not name, of having been involved in the coup d'état which deposed her husband from the presidency in May 2000 and also toppled the elected government. Opening a meeting of the Great Council of Chiefs, she said that the perpetrators of the coup were "false prophets" motivated by greed, who were inciting racial strife and uncertainty with their threats, and that the coups had brought Fiji to its knees. She called on her fellow-chiefs to reexamine their roles, especially in regard to promoting racial harmony in a multicultural nation. She said some chiefs had also been involved in the earlier coups of 1987.

Related Topics:
12 November - 2003 - Radio New Zealand - Coup d'état - 2000 - Coups - 1987

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