Fiji Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ====Responsible government and independence==== [[File:Kamisese Mara.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kamisese Mara]]]] A constitutional conference was held in [[London]] in July 1965 to discuss constitutional changes with a view to introducing responsible government. Indo-Fijians, led by [[A. D. Patel]], demanded the immediate introduction of full self-government, with a fully elected legislature, to be elected by universal suffrage on a common voters' roll. These demands were vigorously rejected by the ethnic Fijian delegation, who still feared loss of control over natively owned land and resources should an Indo-Fijian dominated government come to power. The British made it clear, however, that they were determined to bring Fiji to self-government and eventual independence. Realizing that they had no choice, Fiji's chiefs decided to negotiate for the best deal they could get. A series of compromises led to the establishment of a cabinet system of government in 1967, with [[Kamisese Mara|Ratu Kamisese Mara]] as the first [[Chief Minister of Fiji|Chief Minister]]. Ongoing negotiations between Mara and [[Sidiq Koya]], who had taken over the leadership of the mainly Indo-Fijian [[National Federation Party]] on Patel's death in 1969, led to a second constitutional conference in London, in April 1970, at which Fiji's Legislative Council agreed on a compromise electoral formula and a timetable for independence as a fully sovereign and independent nation within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. The Legislative Council would be replaced with a bicameral [[Parliament of Fiji|Parliament]], with a [[Senate of Fiji|Senate]] dominated by Fijian chiefs and a popularly elected [[House of Representatives of Fiji|House of Representatives]]. In the 52-member House, Native Fijians and Indo-Fijians would each be allocated 22 seats, of which 12 would represent [[communal constituencies]] comprising voters registered on strictly ethnic roles, and another 10 representing [[national constituencies]] to which members were allocated by ethnicity but elected by universal suffrage. A further 8 seats were reserved for "[[general electors]]" β [[European ethnic groups|Europeans]], [[Chinese people|Chinese]], [[Banaba Island|Banaban Islanders]], and other minorities; 3 of these were "communal" and 5 "national". With this compromise, it was agreed that Fiji would become independent. The British flag, the [[Union Jack]], was lowered for the last time at sunset on 9 October 1970 in the capital Suva. The Fijian flag was raised after dawn on the morning of 10 October 1970; the country had officially become independent at midnight. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page