Parliament. The Fiji Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate consists of 22 members-eight nominated by the Council of Chiefs, seven nominated by the Prime Minister, six nominated by the Leader of the Opposition and one nominated by the Council of the island of Rotuma. Their appointments are for six-year term, except that, of the 22 nominated after independence, 11 were appointed for a term of only three years. The President and Vice-President of the Senate are elected from members who are neither Ministers nor Assistant Ministers. Upon Independence, the existing Legislative Council became the House of Representatives. Parliament was dissolved in April 1972 and a general election held for the 52 members of the new House of Representatives. They will be elected on the following basis: Fijian-12 members elected on the Fijian Communal Roll; 10 members elected by voters on the National Rolls. (The National Roll consists of all registered electors on the three communal rolls). Indian-12 members elected by voters on the Indian Communal Roll; 10 members elected by voters on the National Roll. General-3 members elected by voters on the General Communal Roll; 5 members elected by voters on the National Roll. (‘General' means persons who are neither Fijian nor Indian, e.g. Europeans). The House elects a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker from among its non-ministerial members. The official language of Parliament is English, but any member may also address the Chair in Fijian or Hindustani. Constituencies. Fiji is divided into 12 constituencies, each returning one communally-elected Fijian member; into 12 constituencies each returning one communally-elected Indian member; and into three constituencies each returning one communally-elected General member. For the National Roll elections there are 10 constituencies, each returning a Fijian and an Indian member, and these are combined into five pairs for the purpose of each returning one General member. Constituency boundaries are delimited by a Constituency Boundaries Commission. The Alliance Party won 33 seats at the general election and formed the Government and the National Federation Party won 19 seats and formed the Opposition. The Fiji Independence Bill was given an unopposed Second Reading by the newly elected House of Commons on 14th July 1970, and the Bill received the Royal Assent on 23rd July 1970. LAND POLICY Land in Fiji is owned by the Crown, private freeholders, and Fijians. The Crown owns 87,000 acres of freehold land plus a further 85,000 acres of land declared vacant by the Native Lands Commission and commonly known as Crown Land Schedule B, and 147,000 acres of Fijian land whose owning units have become extinct, known as Schedule A land. Much of the Schedule A land, plus some of the Schedule B, has been recommended for reservation for Fijian units which are short of land. Crown freehold may not be sold except in very special circumstances and only then with the approval of the Secretary of State. Crown land may be obtained by way of lease. The area of land owned by Fijians is 3,748,000 acres, owned communally by more than 6,600 recognised land-owning units. Administrative control of it is vested in the Native Land Trust Board by virtue of the Native Land Trust Ordinance. The Board is presided over by the Governor and contains a majority of Fijian members. A proportion of Fijian land has been reserved from leasing under a policy of securing to the owners adequate lands to provide for their future needs. This reserved land may be leased only to members of the Fijian race. Fijian owned land outside reserve may be leased by the Native Land Trust Board to anyone. In July of 1966 new legislation was passed giving tenants of agricultural land better security of tenure, protection against unduly high rents and certain rights of compensation when leases are not renewed to them on expiry. A minimum period of ten years is prescribed both for original leases and also for renewals of leases (of which there can be two). Prime Minister: Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, KBE Deputy Prime Minister: Hon. Ratu Sir E. T. T. Cakobau, KBE, MC, ED Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Social Welfare: Hon. Vijay R. Singh Minister of Finance: Hon. C. A. Stinson, OBE Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests: Hon. D. W. Brown, MBE Minister Without Portfolio: Hon. Ratu G. K. Cakobau, OBE Minister for Communications, Works and Tourism: Hon. Ratu P. K. Ganilau, Minister for Education, Youth and Sport: Hon. J. B. Naisara Minister for Fijian Affairs and Rural Development: Hon. Ratu W. B. Toganivalu Secretary to the Cabinet: Mr R. T. Sanders NOTE: Responsibility for Foreign and Home Affairs will be in the portfolio of the Prime Minister who will be assisted by the Deputy Prime Minister. ASSISTANT MINISTERS Agriculture, Fisheries and Forests: Mr Serupepeli U. Naivalu Communications, Works and Tourism: Mr Edward Beddoes Commerce, Industry and Co-operatives: Mr Sakiasi Butadroka Urban Development, Housing and Social Welfare: Mr Sakiasi Waqanivavalagi Fijian Affairs and Rural Development: Mr Militoni Leweniqila MEMBERS OF THE SENATE Hon. Senator R. L. Munro, CBE, President Hon. Senator Dr F. A. S. Emberson Hon. Senator Anaseini Qionibaravi Hon. Senator Eddie Wong, MBE Hon. Senator Wilson Inia MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE of RepresentATIVES The Hon. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, KBE, Prime Minister The Hon. Ratu Sir Edward Cakobau, KBE, Deputy Prime Minister The Hon. Vijay R. Singh, Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Social Welfare The Hon. D. W. Brown, MBE, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forest The Hon. Ratu G. K. Cakobau, OBE, Minister without Portfolio The Hon. Ratu W. B. Toganivalu, Minister for Fijian Affairs & Rural Development The Hon. K. S. Reddy, Indian Member South-Eastern The Hon. Ratu David Toganivalu, Fijian member for South Central-Suva West The Hon. H. W. W. Yee, General Member for Suva and Central The Hon. R. J. Beddoes, General Member for Vanua Levu/Lau The Hon. Ratu S. Nawalowalo, Fijian Member for Kadavu-Suva City West The Hon. M. Ramzan, Indian Member for Suva City East OPPOSITION: The Hon. S. M. Koya, Indian Member for Lautoka The Hon. K. C. Ramrakha, Indian Member for Nausori-Levuka CIVIL ESTABLISHMENT Governor-General of Fiji: His Excellency Sir Robert Foster, GCMG, KCVO OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER Secretary for the Public Service: C. Walker Commissioner: Central Division: A. F. Mataika Eastern Division: G. Commissioner: Western Division: J. B. Commissioner of Police: R. T. M. Henry, Government Printer: T. Sanerive CROWN LAW OFFICE Attorney-General: J. N. Falvey, OBE Administrator-General: A. D. S. Anderson MINISTRY OF FINANCE Secretary for Finance: M. Qionibaravi MINISTRY OF FIJIAN AFFAIRS AND Secretary, Fijian Affairs & Rural Deve- MINISTRY OF Agriculture, FISHERIES Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Director of Agriculture: W. Thompson MINISTRY OF LANDS, MINES AND Secretary for Lands, Mines & Mineral Secretary for Home Affairs: R. J. B. Ackland MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, Secretary for Education: J. D. Gibson DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION FIJI REPRESENTATIVES IN OTHER Britain: Joshua R. Rabukawaqa, мVO, MBE COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONERS Australia: Rowen F. Osborn; Britain: J. R. FIJI REPRESENTATIVES IN Rabukawaqa, MVO, MBE (Ambassador) (resident in London); United Nations (Permanent Representative) and United States (Ambassador); S. K. Sikivou, CBE (resident in New York). FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVES IN FIJI Korea: Choong Sik Min (resident in Canberra); France: Count Christian de Nicolay (resident in Wellington); Israel: Mr Moshe Erell (resident in Canberra); U.S.A.: R. Skiff, Chargé d'Affaires (Ambassador resident in Wellington); Pakistan: M. M. Abbas (resident in Canberra); Arab Republic of Egypt: K. A. R. El-Ayouty (resident in Canberra); Netherlands: H. C. Jorissen (resident in Wellington). READING LIST DERRICK, R. A. The Fiji Islands. Government Printer, Suva, Revised edition, 1957. FURNAS, J. C. Anatomy of Paradise. Gollancz, London, 1950. BELSHAW, Professor Cyril S. Under the Ivi Tree. Routledge and Kegan Paul, BURNS, Sir Alan. Fiji. H.M. Stationery Office, London, 1963. Handbook of Fiji, 1965, edited and compiled by Judy Tudor. Pacific DERRICK, R. A. A History of Fiji, which deals with the period up to 1874. LEGGE, J. D. Britain in Fiji, 1858-1880. Macmillan, London, 1958. MILNER, G. B. Fijian Grammar. Government Printer, Suva, 1956. SNOW, P. A. A Bibliography of Fiji, Tonga and Rotuma. University of THOMSON, Basil. The Fijians. Heineman, London, 1908. Fiji Annual Report 1970. H.M.S.O. April 1972. SBN 11 580048 4. T THE GAMBIA HE GAMBIA lies on the west coast of Africa between latitudes 13° and 14° north of the equator. Surrounded by Senegal except at the coast, it is called after the River Gambia which it straddles for over 200 miles (as the crow flies) eastwards from the Atlantic Ocean to longitude 13° 45' west of Greenwich. At the estuary its northern and southern boundaries are 30 miles apart, but from about 90 miles inland these narrow to enclose two ribbons of land, each only about 6 miles wide, which faithfully follow the winding course of the river, forming its north and south banks. The country's total area, land and water, is just over 4,000 sq. miles. The river, one of the finest waterways in Africa, is The Gambia's principal geographical feature and indeed the background to its history and the source of its life. The capital and seaport of Bathurst, on the island of Banjul near its mouth, can accommodate ocean-going vessels of up to 26 feet draught, while smaller freighters of up to 17 feet draught can sail 120 miles upstream to the groundnut-handling township of Ka-ur. The Gambian climate is of the two-season type. It is cool and dry from November to April, with temperatures sometimes as low as 60°F, but during the other half of the year it is hot and humid, the thermometer at midday up-river often going well beyond 100°F. The rain falls almost exclusively during the hot season, the annual average being about 40 inches although considerable fluctuations occur both from year to year and from place to place. The city of Bathurst has its own form of local government. The rest of the country is divided for administrative purposes into five Divisions each with a Commissioner. The Divisions are sub-divided into Districts. The growth of representative local government is being fostered by gradually increasing the responsibilities of Area Councils, of which there are six. The names of these administrative units (with their headquarter towns indicated within brackets) and their populations at the last census in 1963 are: |