Vijay R. Singh - Political Legacy

Political Legacy

In 1965, together with Ratu Kamisese Mara, and other organizations opposed to the Federation Party, he was involved in the formation of Fiji's first multi-racial political party, the Alliance Party. He joined the Alliance Party independently of Ayodhya Prasad's National Congress of Fiji and worked himself to a position of influence within the Party by taking up the posts of Treasurer and Publicity Manager. When the Congress was wound up in 1967, its members joined the Indian division of the Alliance Party, the Indian Alliance, with Vijay R. Singh as President. In the 1966 election, he was elected to the Legislative Council from the East-Central cross-voting seat which covered Vanua Levu and Lau. The Federation Party had no hope of winning the seat and to confuse voters selected another Vijay Singh. From then on he started to use the name, Vijay R. Singh (Vijay Raghubar Singh - using his father's first name as his middle name.) The ploy by the Federation Party backfired, as Vijay R. Singh's opponent was a clerk and he asked the electorate, "Which Vijay Singh do you wish to vote for - the clerk or the lawyer?"

Following the Alliance Party's win in the election, he was appointed the Minister of Social Services, a portfolio that had been held by A.D. Patel prior to the election. The portfolio encompassed Health, Education, Housing and Social Welfare. It was during his term as Minister that the University of the South Pacific was established. He also introduced a program to extend secondary education to rural areas by the establishment of Junior Secondary Schools. He was later appointed the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives and was instrumental in the establishment of a flour mill, steel rolling mill and a second brewery in Fiji. He played an active part in multi-party talks held in London, culminating in the new constitution and Fiji's independence in 1970.