Timoci Qiolevu Silatolu, sometimes known by his chiefly title of ''

Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to r ...

,'' is a former

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an politician. A

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

engineer by profession, he originates from the Chiefly village of Lomanikoro in the province of Rewa. He is married to Salome Silatolu, a school teacher. They have four children.

Political career

As a candidate of the

Fijian Association Party The Fijian Association Party (FAP) is a former political party in Fiji. It played a significant role in Fijian politics throughout the 1990s but lost all of its seats in the House of Representatives in the parliamentary election of 2001. The F ...

, Silatolu was elected to represent the Rewa Fijian Communal Constituency in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

of 1999. Although his party formed part of the People's Coalition government that was subsequently formed, Silatolu was not appointed to the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

. Silatolu was appointed Assistant Minister of Health in the interim government organized by

Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Fiji, sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the military quashed the 2 ...

in July 2000. He contested the

held to restore democracy in September 2001 as a candidate of the Conservative Alliance, comprising mostly Speight-sympathizers, but lost his seat to his cousin,

Ro Teimumu Kepa RO or Ro may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Ro (company), an American telehealth company * Royal Ordnance, a British armaments manufacturer * TAROM, a Romanian airline, IATA airline code RO Places * Rø, Denmark * Ro, Emilia-Romagn ...

of the ''

Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua The United Fiji Party (, , SDL) was a list of political parties in Fiji, political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister of Fiji, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alli ...

.''

Support for Unity Bill

Silatolu said that he supported the

Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill The Reconciliation and Unity Commission was a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 was passed. The legislation proposed to empower t ...

, a controversial piece of legislation promoted by

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Qoriniasi Bale Qoriniasi Babitu Bale (1941 — 21 March 2014) was a Fijian barrister, solicitor and politician who served twice as Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, most recently from 2001 to 2006, when he was deposed in the military coup of 5 December ...

. The legislation would have established a Commission empowered to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of coup-related offenses.

Coup

Silatolu was convicted of involvement in the

2000 Fijian coup d'état The 2000 Fijian coup d'état was a civilian coup d'état by an armed group of indigenous Fijian nationalists supported by the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit, against the elected government of Indo-Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chau ...

and was sentenced to imprisonment. At one time he was facing a death sentence. Fiji coup convicts warned they may face death sentence
, tonews.com, August 2010, accessed December 2010 As of 2015, Silatolu is still serving his sentence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silatolu, Timoci I-Taukei Fijian members of the House of Representatives (Fiji) Living people Fijian Association Party politicians Conservative Alliance-Matanitu Vanua politicians Fijian chiefs Politicians from Lomanikoro Year of birth missing (living people)