Dr Gunasagaran Gounder
Member of House of Representatives (Fiji)
In office
1999–2006
Assistant Minister for Health (Fiji)
In office
1999–2000
Minister for Curative Health Services (Fiji)
In office
2006–2006
Personal details
Political partyFiji Labour Party
ProfessionMedical Doctor

Dr Gunasagaran Gounder is a Fiji Indian medical doctor who, as a Fiji Labour Party candidate, defeated the Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Reddy of the National Federation Party, in the contest for the Yasawa Nawaka Open Constituency seat in the 1999 general election. He was subsequently appointed Assistant Minister for Health in the Peoples Coalition Government led by Mahendra Chaudhry from 1999 to 2000.[1]

He was taken hostage in the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and held for 56 days.[1] He was released on 13 July 2000.[2]

On 19 May 2000, he was among the 43 members of the People's Coalition Government, led by Mahendra Chaudhry, taken hostage by George Speight and his band of rebel Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) soldiers from the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit. He was released on 13 July 2000 after 56 days of captivity.[3]

From 2001 to 2006, he represented the Nadi Rural Indian Communal Constituency, one of 19 reserved for Indo-Fijians, which he held for the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) in the parliamentary elections of 2001 with almost 69 percent of the vote.[4]

In 2003, Goundar was offered the portfolio of Minister for Health Promotion, together with 13 other FLP parliamentarians who were offered cabinet positions by the Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase but the FLP refused to accept this offer.[5]

At the 2006 general election, Gounder transferred to the neighbouring Nadi Urban Indian Communal Constituency and held it for the FLP with more than 76 percent of the vote.[6] He was subsequently named as one of nine FLP Ministers in the multi-party Cabinet that was formed and served in the Cabinet as Minister for Curative Health Services.

Gounder was removed from his ministerial offices as a result of the military coup that took place on 5 December 2006.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b "The doctor who was a hostage". Fiji Times. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ^ "The Fiji hostages". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Fiji Labour Party - Activities Report: 1999-2000". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  4. ^ "REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 25 AUGUST TO 1 SEPTEMBER 2001". Psephos. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. ^ PM announces 14 FLP Ministers Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 6 MAY 2006". Psephos. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  7. ^ Fraenkel, Jon; Firth, Stewart; Lal, Brij V. (1 April 2009). The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to End All Coups?. ANU E Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-1-921536-51-9.
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