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Parveen Bala

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The Honourable
Parveen Bala
MP
Bala in May 2016
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 October 2024
LeaderInia Seruiratu
Minister for Employment, Productivity, Industrial Relations, Youth and Sports
In office
21 November 2018 – 24 December 2022
Prime MinisterFrank Bainimarama
Preceded byLaisenia Tuitubou
Succeeded byAgni Deo Singh
Minister of Infrastructure and Transport
In office
12 May 2015 – 21 November 2018
Preceded byPio Tikoduadua
Succeeded byJone Usamate
Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment
In office
23 September 2014 – 21 November 2018
Succeeded byPremila Kumar (local govt and housing)
Mahendra Reddy (environment)
Mayor of Ba
In office
1996–2009
Succeeded byNone (position disestablished)
Member of the Fijian Parliament
for FijiFirst List
Incumbent
Assumed office
17 September 2014
Personal details
Political partyNational Federation Party
FijiFirst (2014–2024)
Independent (2024–present)

Parveen Kumar Bala is a Fijian politician and former Cabinet Minister. He served as Mayor of Ba from 1997 to 2009, and in the Cabinet of Frank Bainimarama from 2014 to 2022. He is a former president of the Fiji Local Government Association.[1]

Local government

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Bala was first elected Mayor of Ba in 1997, becoming the youngest mayor in the country. He held the position for 12 years, until the military regime disestablished elected local government following the 2006 Fijian coup d'état.[2][3]

Bala was also an unsuccessful National Federation Party candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2001 election. He polled 28 percent of the vote in the Ba East Indian Communal Constituency.[4] He stood again at the 2006 election, but again failed to win the seat.[5]

Following the 2006 Fijian coup d'état, Bala was appointed Special Administrator of Lautoka.[6] The new Special Administrator for Ba (a non-elected position roughly analogous to mayor) is Arun Pravad.[7]

Member of Parliament

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On November 2013, he was charged with dangerous driving causing death after a road accident in Lautoka.[8] The trial was delayed,[9] and despite facing charges he was selected as a candidate for the FijiFirst party in the 2014 Fijian general election and was ruled eligible to stand by Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem.[10][11] He was elected with 6,358 votes. He was acquitted of the charge in July 2016.[12][13]

Following the election he was appointed Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment.[14] In May 2015 he was appointed Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Pio Tikoduadua.[15] As a Minister he promised to restore local government elections, but failed to do so.[16]

He was re-elected in the 2018 Fijian general election with 5,063 votes.[17] He was subsequently appointed Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, replacing Jone Usamate.[18]

He was selected again as a FijiFirst candidate for the 2022 Fijian general election,[19] and was re-elected, winning 3604 votes,[20] but FijiFirst lost its majority, and he became an opposition MP.[21]

On 10 October 2024, Bala had been named deputy leader for the G16 faction.[22]

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parveen Bala.
  1. ^ "Nasinu mayor wins". Fiji Times. 15 April 2007. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  2. ^ "Ba ex-mayor says Fiji municipal reform was expected". RNZ. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Town bids Bala farewell". Fiji Times. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  4. ^ "REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 25 AUGUST TO 1 SEPTEMBER 2001". Psephos. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  5. ^ "REPUBLIC OF THE FIJI ISLANDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 6 MAY 2006". Psephos. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Bala is new Lautoka Special Administrator". Fiji Gold. 8 May 2010. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  7. ^ Felix Chaudhary (18 December 2010). "Timely gift for Ba town". Fiji Times. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  8. ^ "Fiji Minister's trial date set for June". RNZ. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Fiji minister in court over road death". RNZ. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Boycott at Fiji's elections candidate list draw". RNZ. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Fiji PDP 'shocked' at court decision". RNZ. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Fiji minister acquitted on dangerous driving charge". RNZ. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Parveen Bala acquitted of his charges in court". Fiji Village. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Fiji's New Cabinet Ministers Were Sworn In Today At Government House". Fiji Sun. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Fiji has ministerial reshuffle after resignation". RNZ. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Gov minister predicts FijiFirst landslide". RNZ. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  17. ^ "2018 General Elections Dashboard". Fiji Elections Office. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Fiji Government ministers sworn in". RNZ. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Bulitavu and Riddhi Damodar named as FijiFirst proposed candidates". Fiji Village. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Parveen Kumar Bala (478)". Fiji Elections Office. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Sitiveni Rabuka is Fiji's new prime minister". RNZ. 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Bala is G16 deputy leader". The Fiji Times. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
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