Harish Sharma
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Harish Sharma
| image =
| image_width =
| title = House of Representatives (Fiji)
Nadi Indian Communal Constituency
| term_start = 1972
| term_end = 1987
| predecessor =
| successor =
| title2 = Leader of the Opposition
| term_start2 = 1986
| term_end2 = 1987
| predecessor2 = Sidiq Koya
| successor2 = Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara
| title3 = Deputy Speaker of House of Representative
| term_start3 = 1977
| term_end3 = 1982
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| title4 = Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Information
| primeminister4 = Timoci Bavadra
| term_start4 = April 1987
| term_end4 = May 1987
| predecessor4 =
| successor4 =
| title5 = House of Representatives (Fiji)
Malomalo North/Nadi Rural Indian Communal Constituency
| term_start5 = 1994
| term_end5 = 1999
| predecessor5 =
| successor5 =
| birth_date = 3 May 1932
| birth_place = Nausori, Fiji
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = National Federation Party
| residence = Sydney, Australia
| spouse = Ambika Devi Sharma
| profession = Lawyer
| honorific_prefix = The Honourable
}}
Harish Chandra Sharma (born 3 May 1932) is a Fiji Indian politician who became the leader of the National Federation Party in 1987. He was also the leader of the organisation representing most of the Hindus in Fiji, the Shree Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji.
Early life
Sharma was born in Nausori, Fiji in 1932. He grew up in "abject poverty".{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/indonz/541543/retired-indo-fijian-lawmaker-sees-an-end-to-racial-animosity-in-fiji |title=Retired Indo-Fijian lawmaker sees an end to racial animosity in Fiji |publisher=RNZ |date=11 February 2025 |access-date=12 February 2025}} He worked as a civil servant and as an insurance agent before departing for Tasmania in 1960, where he received the LL.B. from the University of Tasmania in 1964. On his return to Fiji he first worked for Sidiq Koya then for A. D. Patel, before setting up his own law firm in 1969. He was nominated to the Senate by the Leader of the Opposition in 1970 and remained a Senator until the 1972 general election.{{cite book |last=Howard |first=Michael |title=Fiji: Race and politics in an island state |year=1991 |publisher=UBC Press |location=Vancouver |isbn=0-7748-0368-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/fiji00mich/page/384 384] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fiji00mich/page/384 }}
Political career
He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 as a candidate for the National Federation Party. He has contested a total of seven elections, without losing any. In 1987 he was chosen as the leader of the National Federation Party. He was instrumental in forming a coalition with the Fiji Labour Party with the coalition winning the 1987 elections. He was appointed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Housing, Urban Affairs and Information in the month-long Government of Timoci Bavadra, which was deposed by Sitiveni Rabuka.
He re-entered Parliament in the 1994 general election, representing the Malomalo North/Nadi Rural Indian Constituency{{cite news|title= Fiji Times '94 General Election Scoreboard|publisher=Fiji Times |date= 28 February 1994}} and served as Deputy Leader of Opposition under Jai Ram Reddy until 1999. In 2007 he was made a life member of the Fiji Law Society.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fls.org.fj/doc/Annual-Report.pdf |title=Fiji Law Society Annual Report |access-date=2009-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306130400/http://www.fls.org.fj/doc/Annual-Report.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-06 |url-status=dead }} At present he resides in Sydney, Australia.
References
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{{Leaders of the Opposition (Fiji)}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Harish}}
Category:National Federation Party politicians
Category:Indian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji)
Category:Indian members of the Senate (Fiji)
Category:University of Tasmania alumni
Category:Deputy prime ministers of Fiji
Category:Housing ministers of Fiji
Category:Information ministers of Fiji
Category:Politicians from Nausori
Category:Leaders of the opposition (Fiji)
Category:People educated at Marist Brothers High School, Fiji