Saula Telawa was a Fijian

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as President of the now-defunct New Nationalist Party, which advocated indigenous Fijian paramountcy. He also championed the establishment of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, the faith of most indigenous Fijians, as Fiji's official religion. He claimed to be the heir to the legacy of the late nationalist leader Sakeasi Butadroka. Telawa made media headlines on 12 January 2006, in the midst of a virtual breakdown in relations between the government and

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, which fuelled public fears of a possible

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. The Qarase government's failure to amend the Agriculture, Land, and Tenants Act, which he described as "the heart and soul of the Fijian people," had forfeited its legitimacy with indigenous Fijians, Telawa said, and it should resign. He also called on

Police Commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Andrew Hughes to stay out of the dispute between the government and the Military, saying that the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n Hughes, as a non-Fijian, had no right to interfere and in so doing risk the lives of Fijian people. Telawa made a surprising statement to the Fiji Sun on 19 January 2006, reversing his party's previous demand for the repatriation of

Indo-Fijians Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

, some 38 percent of the population, to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Provided that they were Christians, Telawa said, persons of Indian descent would be welcome to join the party and contest the upcoming election under its banner. References from a Fijian chief and a church

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

would be required, to certify that a prospective candidate had been a

born again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

Christian for at least three years. In September 2006 he called for non-Christian religions to be banned from indigenous land, and for the Native Land Trust Board to prohibit it as a condition of land leases. Following the

2006 Fijian coup d'état The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 was a coup d'état in Fiji carried out by Commodore (rank), Commodore Frank Bainimarama against Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and President Josefa Iloilo. It was the culminatio ...

he criticised dictator

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (; born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian former politician and naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst party, which he founded in 2014, he began his c ...

's inclusion of

Indo-Fijian Indo-Fijians () are Fijians of South Asian descent whose ancestors were Girmitiyas, indentured labourers. Indo-Fijians trace their ancestry to various regions of the Indian subcontinent. Although Indo-Fijians constituted a majority of Fiji's ...

s in his cabinet. He subsequently apologised to Bainimarama after being taken to the military barracks. In August 2008 he was detained by police and interrogated after publicly criticising the military regime's draft

People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress The People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress (initially, People's Charter for Change and Progress) was a proposed legal document which would have complemented the 1997 Constitution of Fiji. It would have established compulsory guidelines f ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Telawa, Saula Year of birth missing (living people) Living people I-Taukei Fijian politicians Fijian nationalists