25 Facts About Tupeni Baba

Tupeni Lebaivalu Baba was a Fijian academic, politician, and Cabinet Minister.

Tupeni Baba unsuccessfully attempting to re-enter politics at the 2006 election under the banner of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, and again at the 2014 election as part of the Social Democratic Liberal Party.

Tupeni Baba was educated at the University of Sydney, graduating with a master's degree in education, before working as an education lecturer at the University of the South Pacific.

Tupeni Baba later obtained a PhD from Macquarie University in Australia, and while there was highly critical of South Pacific Commission, attacking it as a colonial organisation.

Tupeni Baba was later appointed registrar at USP, but resigned from the position in December 1984 to return to a teaching role.

Tupeni Baba was a founding member of the Fiji Labour Party and in 1986 was its vice-president.

Tupeni Baba ran as a candidate for the Labour-National Federation Party Coalition at the 1987 Fijian general election and was elected to the House of Representatives of Fiji in the Suva Fijian constituency, defeating Deputy Prime Minister David Toganivalu.

Timoci Bavadra was appointed prime minister, and Tupeni Baba was appointed Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports in his Cabinet.

Tupeni Baba was later part of the ousted government's efforts to negotiate a peaceful return to democracy through the Rabuka regime's constitutional review committee.

Tupeni Baba returned to his academic career at the University of the South Pacific, where he remained until 1999, when he was again elected to Parliament and became Foreign Minister and one of two Deputy Prime Ministers in the government of Mahendra Chaudhry.

Tupeni Baba then announced he was forming a new political party to contest the 2001 election.

Tupeni Baba subsequently launched the New Labour Unity Party in June 2001.

Tupeni Baba stood in Samabula Tamavua Open, but failed to secure election.

Tupeni Baba waited until 2005 to reiterate and clarify his reasons for leaving the Labour Party.

Tupeni Baba expressed disappointment at Chaudhry's failure as Leader of the Opposition to work with Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase on matters of national importance, saying that when the party negotiated with the government at all, it appeared more like a trade union than a political party.

On 22 December 2005, Tupeni Baba said that he would pursue academic and consultancy work after completing his four-year contract at the University of Auckland, which expired at the end of 2005.

Tupeni Baba was happy to be away from politics, he said, and was not inclined to return to it.

Tupeni Baba found recent political trends in Fiji depressing, especially the polarization of political parties on ethnic lines.

The book gave a history of the 2000 coup, informed by excerpts from Tupeni Baba's secret diary kept while he was a hostage, and generated controversy with its claims that the Labour coalition had been planning to oust Chaudhry before the coup.

In March 2006 the SDL party approached Tupeni Baba and asked him to be a candidate.

Tupeni Baba was approved as the party's candidate for the Tamavua Samabula Open Constituency.

Tupeni Baba's appointment was controversial as it bypassed the SDL's normal selection procedures.

Tupeni Baba briefly led the party in 2014, but made way for Ro Teimumu Kepa, a high chief and former Cabinet Minister.

Tupeni Baba was a candidate in the 2014 Fijian general election, but was not elected.

Tupeni Baba was arrested again and detained for a weekend in September 2016 after participating in a meeting to discuss the country's constitution.