The National Federation Party says Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora who has passed away at the age of 86 was a firebrand trade unionist and politician who practiced what he preached and never shirked from the ideals that he thought any situation demanded.
Tora who was also a member of the Taukei Movement, passed away at the Lautoka Hospital on Thursday after a short illness.
NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad says Tora became an integral and trusted member and ally of the NFP Leadership from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, serving under the leadership of the Party founder Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel and then his successor Siddiq Moidin Koya.
Prasad says a few years after the formation of the Federation Party, Tora merged his National Democratic Party in the 1960s thereby giving the now-infamous identity of NFP to the oldest political party in the South Pacific.
He says Tora served as an NFP Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives under the 1970 Constitution from 1972 to 1977.
Prasad says in the second elections of September 1977, he lost to a party founder member Ratu Julian Toganivalu.
He says Tora was not only a close ally of S M Koya but also a close family friend of the Koyas.an
Prasad says despite his changing political views, he remained a close friend of Koya and his family.
The NFP Leader says after joining the Alliance Party a few years following his defeat in 1All-Nationalrved as a MP for five years, and after 1987 coup was a Minister in Ratu Mara’s interim government.
Prasad says but as usual, after disagreements with Ratu Mara, he resigned to form his own political party, the ANC – All-National Congress, which had its roots mostly in the Ba Province.
He says before 1999, he formed PANU or Party of National Unity that formed a coalition with the Fiji Labour Party.
Prasad says Tora's party won 4 seats but Tora lost the Nadi Open Constituency after he was given the second preference by the FLP despite being a leader of a coalition party.
The NFP Leader says while many people would liken Tora to be a chameleon who forever changed his views, he remained steadfast to the ideals of multiracialism that was inculcated during his over a decade long active association with NFP.
He says this can be seen with who his closest friends were – mainly members of the Indo-Fijian community.
Prasad says the firebrand nature of politics and trade unionism that had become symbolic of Tora’s long career, has come to an end with his death.
Tora was also the longest-serving Turaga ni Yavusa in the vanua of Sabeto after acceding to the role in 1974.
He was instrumental in leading the nationalist Taukei Movement that was formed in the turbulent aftermath of the 1987 election and was an outspoken champion of indigenous rights.
In September 2005, he was sentenced to 8 months imprisonment for unlawful assembly in relation to the 2000 coup.
Tora and 12 other people took over a military checkpoint in Sabeto.
A family spokesperson says they are currently making arrangements and following due customary protocols for the farewell service which is scheduled for Friday.
The spokesman said this is expected to be a scaled-down affair given the restrictions and hardship imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The i-reguregu will be held on Thursday.
They are asking the public to respect that these are not normal circumstances and as a consequence, they are scaling back arrangements and attendance.
Tora is survived by ten children and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
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