Mere Samisoni


Adi Mere Tuisalalo Samisoni is a Fijian businesswoman and politician, from Lomaloma village on the island of Vanua Balavu in Fiji's Lau archipelago. Samisoni served as a Member of Parliament for the Opposition Party SODELPA but lost her seat in the 2018 General Elections. She holds a Doctorate and master's degree in Business Administration and owns Hot Bread Kitchen and resides in Suva Fiji's Capital. She has served as Mayor of Lami and as a member of the now-defunct House of Representatives.

Politics

In March 2018, Samisoni was sworn-in as the newest Opposition Member of Parliament under the Social Democratic Liberal Party succeeding the late Ratu Sela Nanovo MP who died due to an illness. During the 2014 Elections, Samisoni polled 1855 votes. Samisoni won the Lami Open Constituency for the ruling Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua Party at the parliamentary election held on 6–13 May 2006. It was her third attempt to win the seat: her previous campaigns in 1999 and 2001 had been unsuccessful.

Background

Samisoni is the second youngest daughter of Ratu Keni Naulumatua, who held the title of Turaga na Rasau, and his first wife, Mere Tuisalalo Fonolahi
. She is well known for establishing a successful chain of bakeries throughout Fiji, and was married to the late Jimione Isimeli Samisoni of Rotuma, a doctor, lecturer and former Dean of the Fiji School of Medicine who had a great influence in the medical fraternity in Fiji and the Pacific. Together they had four children; John, Selina, Vanessa and Phillip.

Recent history

In the wake of the military coup which overthrew the government on 5 December 2006, Samisoni was detained by soldiers for questioning at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Fiji Village reported, along with Daily Post General Manager Mesake Koroi. No reason was given for the questioning, but Samisoni had written a letter unsympathetic to the Military to the Fiji Times earlier in the week. In a letter to the Fiji Sun published on 15 December, Samisoni claimed that soldiers had told her that if she did not discontinue writing letters critical of the military regime to newspapers, she would be imprisoned on Nukulau Island.
In April 2009, Samisoni was awarded the Doctorate of Business Administration by the University of the Sunshine Coast.
In 2013, Samisoni's case was in the news again, when the Fiji government hired criminal attorney Clive Grossman to argue a jurisdictional matter related to the charges against Samisoni.

Footnotes