Pal Ahluwalia

Pal Ahluwalia is a Kenyan academic and the Vice-Chancellor of University of the South Pacific.[1]

Ahluwalia in 2020

Ahluwalia was born in Nairobi, Kenya,[2] and educated at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and Flinders University in Australia.[3][4] He worked as a professor of politics at the University of Adelaide[4] and then as Pro Vice-Chancellor and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of South Australia.[3] In October 2014 he was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Portsmouth.[5] In June 2018, Ahluwalia was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.[3]

Dispute with Fijian Government

In 2019, Ahluwalia raised concerns about mismanagement and abuse of office at USP under the leadership of the previous Vice-Chancellor, Rajesh Chandra.[6] An investigation by New Zealand accounting firm BDO substantiated the allegations, and the report was subsequently leaked online.[7] In June 2020, a special council meeting led by Pro-Chancellor Winston Thompson suspended Ahluwalia for unspecified "misconduct".[8] Staff protesting the suspension were questioned by Fijian police.[9] On 19 June Ahluwalia was reinstated by a full meeting of the USP council,[10] and the allegations against him were dismissed in September 2020.[11]

The Fijian government refused to accept Ahluwalia's exoneration, and on 24 September 2020 halted all funding to the university.[12] On 4 February 2021, the Fijian government summarily deported Vice-Chancellor Ahluwalia for being "a person who is or has been conducting himself in a manner prejudicial to the peace, defence, public safety, public order, public morality, public health, security or good government of the Fiji Islands".[13][14][15][16] On 25 May the university's council issued a new three-year contract to Ahluwalia and relocate the Vice-Chancellor's office to the Alafua Campus in Apia, Samoa.[17] In August 2021 the Fijian government announced that it would not fund the university as long as Ahluwalia was vice-chancellor.[18]

Following the 2022 Fijian general election, the new government led by Sitiveni Rabuka revoked the prohibition order on Ahluwalia, allowing him to return to Fiji.[19]

Publications
  1. Politics and Post-colonial Theory: African Inflections[20]
  2. Post-colonialism and the Politics of Kenya
  3. Plantations and the Politics of Sugar in Uganda[21]
  4. Post-structuralism's Colonial Roots[22]

References
  1. Reporter, P. M. C. "Pal Ahluwalia: 'My vision is to make USP one of the world's great universities' | Asia Pacific Report". Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  2. "How Prof Pal fell in love with Fiji and his love for God". Fiji Times. 18 August 2019 – via PressReader.
  3. "USP appoints new vice-chancellor and president". RNZ. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. "Pal Ahluwalia: 'My vision is to make USP one of the world's great universities'". Pacific Media Center. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. "PROFESSOR PAL AHLUWALIA". Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  6. "USP to enforce report on mismanagement and abuse of office". Radio New Zealand. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  7. "BDO report about mismanagement at USP". Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  8. "Commotion at USP over Vice-Chancellor's suspension". RNZ. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  9. "USP saga continues with Fiji police questioning of staff". RNZ. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  10. "USP Council reinstates suspended VC". RNZ. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. "USP Vice-Chancellor cleared". RNZ. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  12. "USP crisis continues as Fiji govt halts funding". RNZ. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  13. "Head of Pacific university to be deported by Fiji". RNZ. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  14. Ben Doherty (4 February 2021). "Whistleblower vice-chancellor deported after midnight raid by Fiji police". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  15. Liam Fox (4 February 2021). "Fiji deports Australian university professor during 'incredibly damaging' day for Pacific unity". ABC News. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  16. "Fiji immigration officials, police deport USP chief Ahluwalia in swoop". Asia-Pacific Report. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  17. Samisoni Pareti (25 May 2021). "University of the South Pacific VC Ahluwalia gets new contract". Islands Business. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  18. "Fiji govt says it won't fund university while professor is VP". RNZ. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  19. Apenisa Waqairadovu (26 December 2022). "Rabuka directs lifting of prohibition orders". FBC News. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  20. Ahluwalia, Pal (2012-12-06). Politics and Post-Colonial Theory : African Inflections. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-18789-0.
  21. Ahluwalia, D. Pal S. (1995). Plantation and the Politics of Sugar in Uganda. Fountain Publishers. ISBN 978-9970-02-057-7.
  22. Ahluwalia, Pal (2010-09-01). "Post-structuralism's colonial roots: Michel Foucault". Social Identities. 16 (5): 597–606. doi:10.1080/13504630.2010.509563. ISSN 1350-4630. S2CID 144301079.
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