Ahmed Ali

Dr. Ahmed Ali (1938 - 8 June 2005) Fiji ke ek sikchhak aur politicain rahaa jon ki Fiji ke Government me 1982 se Minister rahaa. Jab ki Fiji ke jaada Hindustani logan National Federation Party (aur baad me Fiji Labour Party) ke support karat rahin, Ali Ratu Mara ke Alliance Party aur baad me SVT aur SDL ke support karat rahaa.

Dr Ahmed Ali

Jawani ke din

Ali ke baap daada logan girmit me India se Fiji aain rahaa. Uske janam Suva me bhais rahaa aur uske parrhai Marist Brothers' Primary aur Secondary School me bhais rahaa. Ali aapan MA khatir University of Auckland aur PhD khatir Australian National University me parrhis.

Sikchha me safalta

Politics me join kare se pahile, Ali ek High school teacher aur University of the South Pacific ke lecturer rahaa. Uu History ke lecturer rahaa aur promotion kead Senior Lecturer aur Reader bhi banaa. Uske fir Head of School of Social and Economic Development, Dean of Academic Affairs, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor aur Director of the Institute of Social and Administrative Studies bhi banaawa gais rahaa. Ali Fiji ke Hindustani aur girmit ke baare me dher book likhis rahaa.

Coup se pahile politics me

In 1982, Ali accepted the invitation of the leader of the Alliance Party, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, to enter politics contest the Lau/Cakaudrove/Rotuma national seat as Ratu Mara's running mate. He easily won the safest Natioanl seat for the Alliance and was appointed the Minister of Education. In his effort to upgrade facilities in ethnic Fijian schools, to staff them with better trained teachers and to provide better opportunities to Fijian students at University, he closed down the Nasinu Teachers College and turned it into a dormitory for University of the South Pacific’s Foundation (mostly Fijian) students to provide them with more tutorial help and an environment more conducive to studying. Ali's policy of large-scale arbitrary transfer of teachers brought together the two teacher's unions for the first time to oppose Government policy. There was also a hunger strike by final year students from the University of the South Pacific after the government refused to guarantee them jobs as teachers. In 1986, he was appointed Minister for Information, responsible also for broadcasting and the negotiations of the introduction of television in Fiji.

Coup ke baad politics me

Ali was an early supporter of Sitiveni Rabuka's 1987 coup and served in his first administration as Minister for Information. He was Minister without Portfolio in the Interim Military Government from October to December, 1987. He then took on a career in the public service becoming Permanent Secretary for Youth, Employment Opportunities and Sports, Foreign Affairs and External Trade and Information and Communications. He also served in the diplomatic service as High Commissioner to Malaysia and earlier as Consul-General in Auckland.

Following the parliamentary election held in 2001 to restore democracy following the coup d'état the year before, Ali was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Qarase. (9 of the 32 Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister). Ali was subsequently chosen as Vice-President of the Senate, a position he held until 20 December 2004, when he was appointed Minister for Information and Media Relations in the Qarase cabinet. He was to hold this portfolio till his death.

Following a short illness, Ali died at the Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia, on 8 June 2005. His funeral was held the next day at Sydney's Lakemba Mosque. The Fijian government was represented at the funeral by George Konrote, Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia, and by Ratu Meli Malani, Fiji's Consul to Sydney. Time constraints made it impossible for any Cabinet colleagues of Ali's to attend the funeral, which had to be held the day after his death in accordance with Muslim protocol.

Ali was survived by his wife, Bessie, and their two sons, Usman and Hashim.