Fiji's British colonial rulers established the office of Chief Minister in October 1967, along with the Cabinet system of government. This was part of an ongoing move to forge modern political institutions to prepare Fiji for independence, which was granted on 10 November 1970.
The Chief Minister, who was appointed by the colonial Governor, had to retain the support of a majority of the Legislative Council. As Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara's Fijian Alliance controlled a majority of the seats, he was appointed to this post, which was renamed Prime Minister upon independence.
Famous quotes containing the words chief and/or minister:
“The chief imagination of Christendom,
Dante Alighieri, so utterly found himself
That he has made that hollow face of his
More plain to the mind’s eye than any face
But that of Christ.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“[T]he minister preached a sermon on Jonah and the whale, at the end of which an old chief arose and declared, “We have heard several of the white people talk and lie; we know they will lie, but this is the biggest lie we ever heard.””
—Administration in the State of Miss, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)