Talk:Prime Minister of Fiji

message: What does "Ratu" mean? If it means "chief", shouldn't all prime ministers be Ratus, or is it a title conferred regardless of politics? -- Itai 11:22, 22 Apr 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Ratu

message: Hi Itai!  Just a brief reply to your question.   RATU  is a hereditary title in Fiji, much like "Duke" or "Earl" in England.  Fiji has 52 chiefly families.  Only one member of the family may hold the official chiefly office at a time, but all other members of the family are still given the title of  Ratu  (if male) or  Adi  (if female).  Fiji's constitution follows British models, and therefore incorporates the nobility into the modern political structure.  The Great Council of Chiefs elects the (mostly honorary) President and 14 of the 32 Senators.  UNLIKE the British model, however, Fiji does not make a strict separation between the nobility and the commoners in the political structure.  In Britain, for example, the inheritor of a Peerage is disqualified from membership of the House of Commons, but Fiji makes no such distinction.  Many  Ratus  have sat, and continue to sit, as democratically elected members of the House of Representatives, alongside commoners.  
Now, to answer your question: No, not every Prime Minister of Fiji is a  Ratu.   Mara was; he held three chiefly titles as King of Lakeba and Paramount Chief of Nayau and Lau.  (He was also a descendant, on his mother's side, of Tongan royalty).  The present Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, is a self-made man, a "commoner," and does not have the  Ratu  title.  
In a nutshell: The title  Ratu  denotes hereditary rank.  The chiefs have guaranteed representation in the Senate; the 52 chiefs elect 14 of their own to represent them in the Senate.  A further 9 senators are appointed by the Prime Minister, 8 by the Leader of the Opposition, and 1 by the Rotuman Islands Council; these Senators may, or may not, be  Ratus  themselves.  (The Senate is a reflection of the British House of Lords, which consists of both hereditary nobles and "life peers" who elect from among themselves 75 Lords with voting rights).  The House of Representatives is elected by universal suffrage; its members may, or may not, be  Ratus.   In the years immediately following independence, almost all of the ethnic Fijian representatives were, in fact, of the chiefly class, but that proportion has diminished in recent years; less than half of the current House is of the nobility.  
So no, Mara was a  Ratu  by virtue of his royal ancestry and chiefly titles,  not  by virtue of his holding the offices of Prime Minister and (later) President.  Momoedonu was also a Ratu.  Rabuka and Qarase are not.
I'm sorry my reply is a ramble.  I've had a particularly exhausting day and I'm not thinking very clearly.  I ought to be sleeping, but you know what Wikiholism does ...
I AM MARIA MILIANA 20 YEARS OLD.SIR I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP.IAM AN OPRHAN AND IAM THE ELDEST OF TWO.I HAVE A YOUNGER SISTER,SHE'S IN CLASS 7 AT DILKUSHA GIRLS.I REAL NEED YOUR SUPPORT FOR MY EDUCATION SO THAT I CAN GET A JOD AND I CAN LOOK AFTER MY SISTER,PLEASE ,SIR.I FIND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.I ALWAYS WANTED TO FIND SO THAT I CAN SHARE MY PROBLEMS.SIR THIS IS MY PHONE NUMBER 9187148  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 113.20.73.54 (talk) 10:36, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title: Fijian Prime Ministers - RATU Title

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