Ieremia Tabai
Ieremia Tienang Tabai AO | |
---|---|
1st President of Kiribati | |
In office 12 July 1979 – 10 December 1982 | |
Vice President | Teatao Teannaki |
Preceded by | himself as Chief Minister Reginald James Wallace (as Governor) |
Succeeded by | Rota Onorio (acting) |
In office 18 February 1983 – 4 July 1991 | |
Vice President | Teatao Teannaki |
Preceded by | Rota Onorio (acting) |
Succeeded by | Teatao Teannaki |
Personal details | |
Born | Nonouti, Gilbert and Ellice Islands (present day Kiribati) | 16 December 1949
Political party | National Progressive Party Boutokaan te Koaua Kamanoan Kiribati Party |
Spouse | Meleangi Kalofia |
Children | Thori |
Residence | Tarawa Palace Razidans |
Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
Ieremia Tienang Tabai
Biography
He was born in Nonouti in 1949, and went to New Zealand to receive his education (St Andrew's College, Christchurch and then the Victoria University of Wellington). He returned to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, married with a woman from Ellice Islands and worked one year as an accountant at the Treasury.[1] One year later, in 1974 general election, he was elected to the House of Assembly of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, representing Nonouti.
In 1976, the Gilbert Islands, now separated from Tuvalu a few months earlier, received self-government, and Tabai served as leader of the Opposition in a Westminster system dominated less by formal political parties than by loose coalitions of like-minded members. In this position, he regularly expressed criticism of the perceived centralist tendencies of Chief minister Naboua Ratieta's government, expressing particular distaste for Ratieta's plans for an expensive defence department and the westernisation he was bringing to Kiribati. He fought in favor of traditional Gilbertese culture, helped to publicise the complaints of village copra growers, and criticized what he saw as a disproportionate amount of government expenditure on Tarawa over the other islands.[2] Tabai became elected Chief Minister in March 1978, aged only 27, the youngest ever in the Commonwealth of Nations.[3]
He demonstrated a talent for negotiation when he led his government in discussions with the
In 1982, he received an
Tabai was a member of the
After retiring from politics, Tabai served as Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum from 1992 until 1998.
He received the highest honor of Kiribati, the Kiribati Grand Order, in 1992.[4]
In May 1996 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, "for service to Australian-Pacific Islands countries relations, particularly as Secretary-General to the South Pacific Forum".[5]
In 1999 he was fined for trying to establish an independent
Tabai returned to politics and was re-elected to the Kiribati parliament, again representing Nonouti, in
References
- ^ a b c d e Callick, Rowan. "STARVE TREK:Special comic edition". Archived from the original on 26 January 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Rulers.org". Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ^ Barrie Macdonald (July 1983). "Elections in Kiribati". psu.edu. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Kiribati" (PDF). Pacific Island History Poster Profiles. Queensland University of Technology. p. 13. Retrieved 28 July 2022 – via QUT ePrints.
- ^ It's an Honour
- ^ "Pacific Media Watch". Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ^ "Kiribati president returned at general election, likely will form new government", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), August 23, 2007.