Noor Dean

Noor Dean is an Indo-Fijian lawyer and politician who served in the Suva City Council and was elected to the House of Representatives of Fiji in 1987.

Noor Dean
Member of House of Representatives (Fiji)
Labasa/Bua Indian Communal Constituency
In office
1987–1987
Preceded byMohammed Sadiq
Succeeded byConstitution abrogated
Personal details
BornSuva, Fiji
Political partyNational Federation Party
Residence(s)Melbourne, Australia
ProfessionLawyer

Early life

He was born in Suva, Fiji in 1946, the oldest boy in a family of 12. His father, the late Rahmat Dean was a popular architect who designed the Toorak Mosque in Suva. He worked as a school teacher, and then became a lawyer[1] after training as a Barrister at Gray's Inn.[2]

Political career

Dean served in the Suva City Council since 1972, representing the National Federation Party (NFP) and was elected Suva's Lord Mayor for the 1982–1983 term.[1] Noor served the NFP as Branch Secretary, Youth Leader, National Organising Secretary[1] and National Vice-president.

For the 1987 general election, the NFP-Labour Coalition chose him as a candidate for the Labasa/Bua Indian Communal Constituency which he won easily. He was elected the Deputy Speaker[3] but was a member of Parliament for a month before the 1987 Fijian coups d'état ended his political career. He was detained by the military regime,[4] but released after a few days in custody.[5] He later claimed that the coup had been carried out not by Fijians, but by American mercenaries.[2][6]

Post-coup

After the coup he left Fiji and worked as a lawyer in Australia. He was a Partner in Victoria law firm, Buxton and Associates, and then Principal at MLC Lawyers in Melbourne. In 2006 he was found guilty of professional misconduct, fined $3000, and ordered to pay $13000 in compensation after failing to file a visa application for a clinet, resulting in them being classified as an illegal immigrant.[7] In 2019 he was again found guilty of professional misconduct, and fined $8000.[8]

References
  1. Michael C. Howard (2011). Fiji: Race and Politics in an Island State. UBC Press. p. 385.
  2. "The U.S. in Fiji - A Coup In Question" (29 ed.). The Pacific: Covert Action Information Bulletin. December 1988. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. "Qereqeretabua continues NFP tradition". FijiLive. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  4. "Judges defy Rabuka order of obedience". Canberra Times. 28 September 1987. p. 5. Retrieved 23 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Bavadra, released from jail, hopes for a peaceful solution Fiji republic plans 'put on hold'". Canberra Times. 1 October 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "The Fiji Coup: Was America to Blame?". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 58, no. 10. 1 October 1987. p. 48. Retrieved 23 March 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Lawyer leaves couple in the lurch". The Age. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  8. "Vic-based sole practitioner reprimanded, fined $8k for professional misconduct". Lawyers Weekly. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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