Apisai Tora facts for kids

Mohammad Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora (born January 5, 1934 – died August 6, 2020) was an important person in Fiji. He was a Fijian politician, a soldier, and a leader for workers. As a worker leader, he fought for the rights of dock workers. As a soldier, he served in Malaya. Later, he became the President of the Ex-Servicemen's League, a group for former soldiers.

Tora held many political jobs. His last job was as a Senator from 2001 to 2006. He became a Muslim, which is a small group in Fiji, especially among native Fijians. Most Muslims in Fiji are of Indian background.

Political Journey

Tora was known in Fiji for changing his views sometimes. He supported both Fijian national pride and multiculturalism (many cultures living together) at different times. After serving in the military in Malaya, Tora became the president of a workers' union. In 1959, he led a big strike of oil workers. Both Fijian and Indo-Fijian workers supported this strike.

In 1972, he was first elected to the House of Representatives. He was a member of the National Federation Party. When he lost his seat in 1977, he joined the Alliance Party.

After the Alliance Party lost the election in 1987, Tora became a leader of the Taukei Movement. This group was against the new government led by Timoci Bavadra, which had many Indo-Fijian members. In December 1987, he joined a temporary government. But he was later removed in 1991. He said it was because he refused to join a new political party.

In 1992, Tora started his own party called the All Nationals Congress Party (ANC). This party welcomed people from all races. In 1995, it joined with another party. In 1998, he formed another party, the Party of National Unity (PANU), which was also multiracial. This party joined a group called the People's Coalition. This group won a big election in 1999. Four PANU members were elected, but Tora himself lost his seat.

After losing, Tora felt upset. He blamed voters of Indian background for not choosing him. He left PANU and spoke out strongly against the new government led by Mahendra Chaudhry.

In July 2000, after a change in government, Tora was made a Minister. He was in charge of Agriculture, Fishing, and Forests. After an election in 2001 to bring back democracy, the Prime Minister appointed Tora to the Senate.

Tora announced he was leaving politics on February 28, 2006. He said he was resigning as vice-president of his party. He also left the party. He mentioned that he would still speak out on important issues. These included what he called the "disobedience" of the Military.

The next day, a newspaper reported that he decided to retire because his wife had recently passed away. He was 72 years old. He felt that the negative parts of his political life were now bigger than the good parts.

Some of Tora's political opponents welcomed his retirement. They said they respected him, even though they disagreed with his strong nationalistic views.

Events in 2000

In August 2005, Tora spoke about his role in the Taukei Movement in 2000. He said the group did not plan to overthrow the government. He claimed another group used their march to cause trouble.

A military leader, Commodore Bainimarama, accused Tora of trying to scare voters. He said Tora had questions to answer about his actions in 2000. Bainimarama claimed Tora asked him to remove the President, Ratu Iloilo, soon after he became President. He questioned why Tora, who claimed to fight for native Fijian rights, would try to remove a chief from his own area.

Bainimarama also accused Tora of misleading people. He said Tora was using land and fishing issues to stir up feelings. He stated that land would always belong to Fijians.

Tora immediately denied these claims. He said the meeting Bainimarama mentioned happened before Iloilo became President, not after. He said Bainimarama must be confused. Tora said he was preparing a document to defend himself.

Other politicians also expressed shock at the claims against Tora. They said it showed that the 2000 events were not about native Fijian rights. Instead, they were about personal goals, and the Fijian people were used without knowing it.

On August 29, Tora strongly denied being in any meeting where removing President Iloilo was discussed. Tora said the military commander himself had forced the previous President to resign in May 2000. So, it was "absurd" for him to accuse others of plotting against Iloilo. He said the commander was harming the military's reputation. Tora asked him to resign and let "a real army man" take over.

An army spokesperson rejected Tora's criticism. He said the commander had the full support of his soldiers.

On August 31, Tora defended his strong statements about race. He said that racial politics was a reality in Fiji. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Qarase supported Tora's version of events. Qarase said he was at the meeting where the request to remove Iloilo was supposedly made. He said no such question ever came up.

Court Case

In a separate but related matter, Tora appeared in court with 12 other people on September 5. They were charged with taking part in an unauthorized gathering. This was related to them taking over a military checkpoint on Queens Highway in Nadi in July 2000. Tora was first found not guilty in 2004. But the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed this decision.

On September 19, a High Court judge overturned Tora's earlier acquittal. The judge set the last week of September for their sentencing. Tora's lawyer said he would appeal after the sentencing.

On September 26, the judge ordered Tora and his 12 friends to be held in custody until their sentencing the next morning. Tora's lawyer said Tora was leading a peaceful protest. The protest was to ask for Ratu Josefa Iloilo, a chief from his area, to be made President. The lawyer also said the country was in chaos at the time. He added that Tora and the military had later made peace according to Fijian cultural traditions.

Tora's lawyer told the court that Tora agreed to face the full force of the law for his actions. As a leader, he was ready to take responsibility for his friends' actions. They had to obey him because of Fijian traditions. The lawyer quoted Tora as saying, "any punishment given by the court should be for me only, not for any of my co-accused." He asked for a lighter sentence for Tora because of his old age.

On September 27, the judge sentenced Tora to eight months in prison. His friends received four months each. The judge said a fine or a suspended sentence would not be enough because the offense was serious. He also said that as a traditional leader, Tora should have set a good example, but he failed to do so in 2000. The judge stated, "Those with the power to lead must lead in the right way and not encourage others to break the law."

The state lawyer had told the court that the maximum sentence for an unauthorized gathering was twelve months.

Tora's lawyer asked for bail while he appealed the conviction. But the judge refused this request on September 28. On October 1, the lawyer appealed to a higher court. He mentioned Tora's poor health and the health of two of his friends.

Even though he was in prison, Tora still received his pay from Parliament. A prison sentence of less than 12 months did not automatically make him lose his seat.

On September 29, the Prisons Commissioner said that because of Tora's age and health, he would not have to do any work in prison.

Early Release

On October 14, Tora's lawyer announced he had asked for Tora to be released early. This decision was up to the Minister for Justice.

On November 18, it was announced that Tora was granted early release due to his health. He would serve the rest of his sentence outside of prison.

The military strongly criticized Tora's early release. A military spokesperson said it looked like history was repeating itself. He mentioned other cases where people jailed for coup-related charges were released early. He said Tora's release raised "national security" concerns. He also questioned the timing, as it happened when it was discovered that Fijian agents had been involved in illegally training a group in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. He said these events showed that the "undercurrents" of the 2000 events were still active.

However, Opposition Leader Mahendra Chaudhry, who was often Tora's opponent, defended the release. Chaudhry said he accepted that Tora was in poor health and should be released for compassionate reasons.

Personal Life

Tora was a tribal chief from the village of Natalau in the Sabeto area of Ba Province. He held the traditional title of Taukei Waruta. Tora was married three times. His first marriage lasted one year. His second wife was Jane Leweniqila. In 1975, he married Melania Ganiviti, who passed away in February 2006.

Mohammad Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora died on Thursday, August 6, 2020, after a short illness. He was survived by 10 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

See Also

• Fijian coup d'état