Amasone Kilei

Amasone Kilei
MBE
Member of the Tuvaluan Parliament
for Nui.
In office
7 December 2000 – 2005
Succeeded byTaom Tanukale
Personal details
Died2005
Political partyIndependent

Amasone Kilei was a Tuvaluan politician who represented Nui.[1] He was appointed the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, in the government of Lagitupu Tuilimu,[1][2] who was acting prime minister from 8 December 2000 to 24 February 2001.

In 1992, Amasone Kilei was the Deputy Secretary to the Government.[3] In the 1998 New Year Honours, Kelei was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for public service and services to the community and education.[4][5]

Political career

The Electoral Provisions (Parliament) Act of Tuvalu was amended in May 2000 to increase the membership of parliament from 12 to 15 MPs.[6] Kilei was elected in a special election in November 2000, (together with Saufatu Sopoanga and Namoto Kelisiano) and they attended their first parliamentary session on 7 December 2000.[1] Kilei was re-elected in the 2002 general election. Following the general election, Saufatu Sopoanga, became prime minister in August 2002,[7][8] defeating Kilei by 8 votes to 7,[9] and Kilei became the leader of the opposition. It was expected that Tuvalu would have a period of political stability. However the Sopoanga government lost its majority in May 2003, following the results of the 2003 Nanumea by-election and the 2003 Niutao by-election.[10]

As leader of the opposition, Kilei wrote to the governor-general on 10 May 2003 advising that he commanded the support of a majority of the members of parliament and they were ready to form a government. On 20 June 2003, Kilei commenced an action in the High Court of Tuvalu seeking order regarding the appointment of a speaker and the calling of parliament. As it happened, the governor-general had, on 19 June 2003, issued a notice for the meeting to elect a speaker. In June 2003 opposition MP Faimalaga Luka became speaker of parliament.[11] However parliament was not called.[12] On 6 August 2003 the High Court declined to make the declaration that the prime minister must resign; however the Chief Justice delivered directions as to how the governor-general should proceed to take any action the governor-general considers to be appropriate under Section 116(1) of the Constitution of Tuvalu, acting in his or her own deliberate judgment, rather than as advised by the Cabinet of Tuvalu.[13] That is, the governor-general could consider whether it was appropriate to exercise their reserve powers in calling parliament.

On 9 September Sopoanga arranged the appointment Faimalaga Luka as governor general, depriving the opposition of its crucial one-seat majority and triggering the 2003 Nukufetau by-election. The winner of the October by-election, Elisala Pita, joined the government's benches, enabling it to survive a while longer. The Sopoanga government was eventually brought down by an eight-to-six motion of no confidence in August 2004.[14] Maatia Toafa was elected prime minister on 11 October 2004 with a vote of 8:7.[15] Kilei died in 2005.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c Clements, Quiton (December 2000). "Tuvalu Legislative Needs Assessment". UNDP. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  2. ^ "With Unanimous Adoption Of 'Battle Plan' For Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Assembly Concludes Historic Three-Day Special Session". UN General Assembly Plenary - Twenty-Sixth Special Session: Press Release GA/9888. 27 June 2001. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Report on travel to Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia". South Pacific Forum (SPC). 3 December 1992. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Commonwealth except New Zealand". BBC. 31 December 1997. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  5. ^ Tuvalu list: "No. 54998". The London Gazette (6th supplement). 30 December 1997. pp. 39–40.
  6. ^ Paulson Panapa & Jon Fraenkel (2008). "The Loneliness of the Pro-Government Backbencher and the Precariousness of Simple Majority Rule in Tuvalu" (PDF). Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Palamene o Tuvalu (Parliament of Tuvalu)". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2002. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Two Candidates Vie For Tuvalu Prime Minister's Position". Inter-Pacific Island Report. 2002. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  9. ^ Political Handbook of the World 2008. SAGE Knowledge. 2008.
  10. ^ Hassall, Graham (2006). "The Tuvalu General Election 2006". Democracy and Elections project, Governance Program, University of the South Pacific. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Tuvalu has new speaker". Radio New Zealand International. 24 June 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Tuvalu opposition still has numbers to overturn the government". Radio New Zealand. 26 August 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Amasone v Attorney General [2003] TVHC 4; Case No 24 of 2003 (6 August 2003)". PACLII. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Palamene o Tuvalu (Parliament of Tuvalu)". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  15. ^ "New Tuvalu leader seeks stability". Radio New Zealand. 11 October 2004. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  16. ^ Paulson Panapa & Jon Fraenkel (2008). "The Loneliness of the Pro-Government Backbencher and the Precariousness of Simple Majority Rule in Tuvalu" (PDF). Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2015.