Jiko Luveni
{{Short description|Fijian politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Her Excellency The Honourable
|name = Jiko Luveni
|image = Jiko Luveni 2018.jpg
|office = 1st Speaker of the Parliament
|term_start =6 October 2014
|term_end =22 December 2018
|primeminister = Frank Bainimarama
|predecessor = Office established
|successor = Epeli Nailatikau
| birth_date = 1946
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2018|12|22|1946|df=y}}
|party = FijiFirst
|education=Adi Cakobau School
|alma_mater = Fiji School of Medicine
|spouse=Inoke Luveni
}}
Jiko Fatafehi Luveni ({{Circa|1946}} – 22 December 2018) was a Fijian politician and Speaker of the Parliament of Fiji. She was a member of the FijiFirst party before resigning her party membership in order to take up the position of Speaker. This was because the Fijian Speaker is not a Member of Parliament and cannot be a member of a political party pursuant to section 77(1)(a) and section 77(7)(b)(ii) of the Fijian Constitution.{{cite web |url=http://www.paclii.org/fj/Fiji-Constitution-English-2013.pdf |title=CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI |publisher=PACLII |access-date=31 December 2022}}
Early life
The daughter of a former shopkeeper turned shipping magnate, Luveni came from the village of Nukuni on the island of Ono-i-Lau, in the Lau archipelago. She was educated at Lautoka Fijian School and then at Nabua Secondary School in Suva, before enrolling in Adi Cakobau School in Sawani.{{cite web |url=https://fijisun.com.fj/2016/06/17/speaker-luveni-visits-former-school-tells-of-work-life/ |title=Speaker Luveni Visits Former School; Tells of Work Life |publisher=Fiji Sun |author=Ashna Kumar |date=17 June 2016 |access-date=2 January 2023}} She graduated from the Fiji School of Dentistry in 1967, the first Fijian woman to do so.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/378923/tributes-flow-after-speaker-of-fiji-parliament-dies |title=Tributes flow after speaker of Fiji parliament dies |publisher=RNZ |date=24 December 2018 |access-date=2 January 2023}} After graduation, she worked for twenty years for the Ministry of Health, before working for the United Nations Population Fund as project manager for reproductive health from 1987 to 2002. She resigned three years ahead of the expiry of her term to take up a post as HIV project officer for the Ministry of Health, working as project manager for Fiji Network for People Living with HIV, a non-governmental organization.
From 2007 to 2008 Luveni served on the board of the interim Fiji Sports Council.{{cite web|url=http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_35432.shtml |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2007-03-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509075729/http://www.fijivillage.com/artman/publish/article_35432.shtml |archivedate=2007-05-09 }}{{cite web|url=https://fijilive.com/sports/news/2008/01/yee-bogidrau-in-council-board/1584.Fijilive |title=Yee, Bogidrau in Council Board |publisher=FijiLive |date=25 January 2008 |accessdate=12 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111337/https://fijilive.com/sports/news/2008/01/yee-bogidrau-in-council-board/1584.Fijilive |archivedate= 4 March 2016 }}
Political career
In January 2008 Luveni was appointed Minister of Health and then as Minister of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation in the interim government headed by Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama. She was also co-chair of a government task team established to make recommendations regarding "social cultural identity and nation building" for the proposed People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress.[http://www.flp.org.fj/n080723.htm "Flawed democracy"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120194844/http://www.flp.org.fj/n080723.htm |date=2008-11-20 }}, Fiji Labour Party website, July 23, 2008
In 2013 Luveni indicated that she would stand as part of Bainimarama's proposed political party.{{cite web |url=http://fijisun.com.fj/2013/07/12/dr-luveni-for-proposed-party/ |title=Dr Luveni for proposed party |publisher=Fiji Sun |date=12 July 2013 |accessdate=12 April 2015}} She was elected Chairperson of the Lau Provincial Council in April 2014, succeeding Filipe Bole,{{cite web|last1=Vukailagi|first1=Dreu|title=Government reminds Lau of $6.2 million assistance|url=http://fijione.tv/government-reminds-lau-of-6-2-million-assistance/|website=Fiji One|publisher=Fiji Television Limited|accessdate=8 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130026/http://fijione.tv/government-reminds-lau-of-6-2-million-assistance/|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}} but after being announced as a parliamentary candidate for the FijiFirst party in July 2014,{{cite news|last1=Swamy|first1=Nasik|title=FijiFirst candidates|url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=275411|accessdate=26 July 2014|publisher=Fiji Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924044004/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=275411|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}} she resigned that post after only three months in office. She was succeeded by Ilisoni Taoba. In the 2014 election she received 2,296 votes and was elected to parliament as the 14th highest-polling Fiji First candidate.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsfiji.gov.fj/2014-election-results/ |title=2014 Election Results |publisher=Fiji Elections Office |accessdate=2014-09-23 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921200245/http://www.electionsfiji.gov.fj/2014-election-results/ |archivedate=2014-09-21 }} She resigned her seat immediately following the election in order to become Speaker, the first Fijian woman to hold the position.{{cite web |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=281179 |title=Our new Speaker |publisher=Fiji Times |author=Nasik Swami |date=25 September 2014 |accessdate=12 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913103340/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=281179 |archive-date=13 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} Her place as an MP was taken by Laisenia Tuitubou. She was formally elected Speaker on October 6, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://fijilive.com/news/2014/10/dr-luveni-is-fijis-first-female-speaker/59246.Fijilive |title=Dr Luveni is Fiji's first female Speaker |publisher=FijiLive |date=October 6, 2014 |accessdate=12 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609223531/http://fijilive.com/news/2014/10/dr-luveni-is-fijis-first-female-speaker/59246.Fijilive |archivedate= 9 June 2015 }}
Death
On 22 December 2018, Luveni died at the age of 72.{{cite web|url=http://fijisun.com.fj/2018/12/22/speaker-dies/|title=Speaker Dies|date=22 December 2018|publisher=Fiji Sun|accessdate=22 December 2018}}
References
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{{Fiji First |state=autocollapse}}
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Category:Fiji School of Medicine alumni
Category:FijiFirst politicians
Category:Health ministers of Fiji
Category:Women's ministers of Fiji
Category:I-Taukei Fijian members of the Parliament of Fiji
Category:I-Taukei Fijian people
Category:People educated at Adi Cakobau School
Category:Speakers of the Parliament of Fiji
Category:Politicians from Ono-i-Lau
Category:21st-century Fijian women politicians
Category:Women government ministers of Fiji