1953 Fijian general election
General elections were held in Fiji on 29 August 1953.[1]
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Fiji |
Electoral system
The Legislative Council consisted of 32 members, including 16 'official' members who were civil servants, fifteen 'unofficial' members (five Europeans, five Fijians and five Indo-Fijians), and the Governor sitting as President of the Council.
For Europeans and Indo-Fijians, three of the five representatives were elected from single-member constituencies, with the other two appointed by the Governor. All five Fijian members were appointed from a list of ten candidates submitted by the Great Council of Chiefs.[2]
Voting for Europeans remained restricted to men aged 21 or over who had been born to European parents (or a European father and was able to read, speak and write English), who were British subjects and had been continuously resident in Fiji for 12 months, and who either owned at least £20 of freehold or leasehold property or had an annual income of at least £120.[2] For Indo-Fijians, eligibility was also restricted to men aged 21 or over. They had to be a British subject or from British India, have lived continuously in the Fiji for at least two years, be able to read or write in English, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Hindi, Tamil, Telegu or Urdu, and for the previous six months, have either owned property with an annual value of five years, had a net annual cash income of at least £75, or held a Government or municipal licence worth at least £5 annually.[2]
Campaign
Leaders of the Muslim Indo-Fijian community urged a boycott of the elections, calling for separate representation and for Urdu to be taught instead of Hindi.[3]
Results
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European members | ||||
| Eastern | Harold Brockett Gibson | 227 | 49.7 | Re-elected |
| Fred Archibald | 210 | 46.0 | ||
| William Edmund Willoughby-Tottenham | 20 | 4.4 | ||
| Northern and Western | Maurice Scott | Unopposed | Re-elected | |
| Southern | John Falvey | 487 | 59.8 | Elected |
| James Burton Turner | 238 | 29.2 | ||
| Charles Phillips | 89 | 10.9 | ||
| Indo-Fijian members | ||||
| Eastern | James Madhavan | 886 | 55.7 | Re-elected |
| Odin Ramrakha | 706 | 44.3 | ||
| Northern and Western | Ayodhya Prasad | 2,043 | 47.5 | Elected |
| A. D. Patel | 1,919 | 44.6 | ||
| Tulsi Ram Sharma | 280 | 6.5 | Unseated | |
| Babubhai Patel | 54 | 1.3 | ||
| Hari Shankar | 5 | 0.1 | ||
| Southern | Vishnu Deo | 2,365 | 64.5 | Re-elected |
| Hari Charan | 1,288 | 35.1 | ||
| Hari Charan Akheel | 12 | 0.3 | ||
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | ||||
Nominated members
| Type | Member |
|---|---|
| Unofficial members | |
| Europeans | Stanley Cowled |
| William Granger Johnson | |
| Fijians | Edward Cakobau |
| Kamisese Mara | |
| Indo-Fijians | K. S. Reddy |
| Abdul Samad | |
| Official members | |
| Accountant General | W.E. Donovan |
| Commissioner of Police | E.K. Laws |
| Comptroller of Customs | A.R. Smith |
| Director of Agriculture | C. Harvey |
| Director of Education | G. Arthur |
| Director of Labour | C.S. Reay |
| Director of Lands | R.V. Cole |
| Director of Medical Services | J.M. Cruikshank |
| Director of Public Works | J.P. Bruen |
| Secretary for Fijian Affairs | Lala Sukuna |
| Appointed | George Cakobau |
| C.R. Nott | |
| Brahmanand Raghvanand | |
| Ex officio | |
| Attorney General | Brian Andre Doyle |
| Colonial Secretary | H.W. Davidson |
| Financial Secretary | E.R. Bevington |
| Source: Fiji Elections, Pacific Islands Monthly | |
References
- Fiji Election Results: Few Changes in New Legco Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1953, p16
- 1940 Legislative Council Election Fiji Elections Archive
- Tropicalities Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1953, p75
