[11]

Fiji was a British colony up until 1970; British occupation lasted almost a century. Because of the
abundance of forest, mineral, and fish resources, Fiji is one of the most developed economies in the
Pacific island realm.
Government:
Politics of Fiji normally take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic,
whereby the Prime Minister of Fiji is the head of government, the President the head of state, and of a
multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both
the government and the Parliament of Fiji. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the
legislature.
Since independence there have been four coups in Fiji, two in 1987, one in 2000 and one in late2006.
The military has been either ruling directly, or heavily influencing governments since 1987.

IndoFijians:
Indo-Fijians (38.1%), descendants of Indian contract labourers brought to the islands by
theBritish colonial powers in the 19th century to work on sugarcane plantations. These were
complemented by the later arrival of Gujarati and Punjabi immigrants who arrived as free settlers. The
percentage of the population of Fijian Indian descent has declined significantly over the last two decades
[34]
due to migration for various reasons. The Fiji coup of 2000 provoked a violent backlash against the
Indo-Fijians for a time.
The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijiannationalists
against the elected government of a non-native (ethnically Indian) Prime Minister,Mahendra Chaudhry, on
19 May 2000

Well-known Indo-Fijians

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji's Attorney-General since 8 January 2007.

Ajit Swaran Singh, district court judge in New Zealand

Anand Satyanand, Governor General of New Zealand

Bobby Singh, retired professional American and Canadian football guard

Imrana Jalal, human rights advisor to the United Nations Development Program and as a member of
the International Commission of Jurists

Jai Ram Reddy, former leader of opposition in Fiji and member of the International Criminal Tribunal
for Rwanda

Julian Moti, former Attorney General of the Solomon Islands.

Lisa Singh, Australian Senator

Mahendra Chaudhry, 4th Prime Minister of Fiji

Rajen Prasad, member of parliament in New Zealand

Rajesh Chandra, first Vice-Chancellor of University of Fiji and present Vice-Chancellor of the
University of the South Pacific.

Satya Nandan, chairman of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Tanita Tikaram, singer-songwriter based in Germany

Vijay Singh, former world number one golfer