Sidiq Koya

Siddiq Moidin Koya
Member of Legislative Council
In office
1963–1972
Member of House of Representatives
In office
1972–1977
Succeeded byJai Ram Reddy
In office
1982–1987
Leader of the Opposition
In office
1969–1977
Preceded byA.D. Patel
Succeeded byHarish Sharma
Personal details
Born1924
Ba, Fiji
Died1993 (aged 68–69)
Lautoka, Fiji
Political partyNational Federation Party
ChildrenFaiyaz Koya
ProfessionLawyer
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Siddiq Muhy'Ddin Kwaja, officially known as Siddiq Moidin Khoya (29 February 1924 – 25 April 1993)[1] was a Fijian politician, Statesman and Opposition leader. He succeeded to the leadership of the mostly Indo-Fijian National Federation Party (NFP) on the death of the party's founder, A. D. Patel, in October 1969, remaining in this post until 1977. He later served a second term as leader of the NFP, from 1984 to 1987.

Koya is credited with his role in paving the way for Fijian independence from Britain in 1970. The National Federation Party had been opposing plans for independence without significant changes to the constitution. The NFP, in particular, wanted a legislature to be elected by universal suffrage from a common electoral roll of all voters – a demand rejected by the main ethnic Fijian politicians, who wanted a communal franchise with parliamentary seats allocated among the different ethnic groups, elected from ethnic electoral rolls. Sidiq Koya was more willing to compromise than his predecessor, and he was instrumental in persuading his party and his people to accept independence with a communal franchise.

  1. ^ British documents on the end of empire. The Stationery Office. 22 September 2006. ISBN 9780112905899. Retrieved 12 July 2007.

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