Adi Lagamu Lewaturaga Vuiyasawa is a Fijian businesswoman and former politician. On 4 November 2005, she was appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

to complete the unexpired term of her de facto husband, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata, who forfeited his seat owing to his imprisonment on charges related to his role in an army mutiny that followed the Fiji coup of 2000. Vuiyasawa became one of 9 nominees of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

in the 32-member Senate; another 8 are chosen by the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

, 1 by the

Council of Rotuma The Council of Rotuma is a municipal body on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. Owing to the unique character of Rotuma, the powers of this council are greater than those of other municipal bodies in Fiji and in some ways it approximates a ...

, and 14 by the

Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs ''(Bose Levu Vakaturaga'' in Fijian) was a constitutional body in Fiji from 1876 to March 2012. In April 2007, the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "inte ...

. Her appointment was made retrospective to 20 October. Her career in the Senate came to an end with the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of 5 December 2006.

Education and career

Vuiyasawa was educated at Saint Anne's Primary School and St Joseph's Secondary School, Fiji, and

Kay International College of Hairdressing The name Kay is found both as a surname (see Kay (surname)) and as a given name. In English-speaking countries, it is usually a feminine name, often a short form of Katherine or one of its variants; but it is also used as a first name in its own r ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. She subsequently set up her own

hairdressing A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be re ...

business and served on the Naitasiri Provincial Council. At the time of her appointment to the Senate, she was also President of the Naitasiri branch of the '' Soqosoqo Vakamarama,'' a women's organization.

Personal life

Vuiyasawa hails from Nairukuruku Village in

Naitasiri Province :see also Naitasiri District Naitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight located on Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. Geography and infrastructure Naitasiri covers an area of , and occupies the area mostly to the north of Suva ...

. She is the daughter of the late Ratu Alipate Baledrokadroka, himself a former Senator and Chief of northern

Naitasiri :see also Naitasiri District Naitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight located on Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. Geography and infrastructure Naitasiri covers an area of , and occupies the area mostly to the north of Suva, ...

, who held the title of Turaga Taukei ni Waluvu. Her mother, Adi Silafaga Kamikamica, came from the tokatoka Nacokula, Lasakau village, on

Bau Island Bau (pronounced ) is a small island in Fiji, off the east coast of the main island of Viti Levu. Bau rose to prominence in the mid-1800s and became Fiji's dominant power; until its cession to Britain, it has maintained its influence in politics an ...

. Vuiyasawa was previously married to the late Ratu Ilaitia Vuiyasawa, with whom she had five children and two grandchildren. Her brother,

Jone Baledrokadroka Colonel Jone Baledrokadroka is a former career soldier who joined the Army in 1981 and was commissioned after attending an Officers commissioning course in Fiji. He was briefly the Acting Land Force Commander in January 2006. He was dismissed fr ...

, was a senior

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer, who was dismissed on 13 January 2006 for alleged

insubordination Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior. It is generally a punishable offense in hierarchical organizations such as the armed forces, which depend on people lower in the chain of command obeying order ...

. Vuiyasawa's relationship to Takiveikata became known to the public only after her appointment to the Senate, and Opposition parliamentarian

Poseci Bune Poseci Waqalevu Bune (born 1945/1946) is a former Fijian civil servant, diplomat, politician and Cabinet Minister. He has served as chair of the Public Service Commissioner, secretary to the Prime Minister, and as Fiji's permanent representativ ...

declared her appointment in such circumstances to be unethical, a position rejected by Prime Minister Qarase. Vuiyasawa herself defended her appointment on 5 December, saying that it was based not on her relationship to Takiveikata, but on her own ties with Naitasiri Province as the President of the Naitasiri Soqosoqo Vaka Marama. Her relationship to Takiveikata was irrelevant, she considered. ''"We are individuals,"'' she said. She also denied being Takiveikata's de facto wife, distinguishing that term from "partner," the term she used. Adi Lagamu and Ratu Inoke were legally married after Ratu Inoke was released from Prison in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuiyasawa, Lagamu I-Taukei Fijian members of the Senate (Fiji) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua politicians I-Taukei Fijian people Politicians from Naitasiri Province