Nanise Nagusuca

Nanise Nagusuca (born 1953) is a former Fijian politician, who was elected to the House of Representatives in a special election on December 11, 2004.^[1] The byelection for the North East Urban Fijian Communal constituency (one of 23 seats reserved for ethnic Fijians) was held to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Filimone Banuve, the previous member. Like Banuve, Nagusuca was a member of the Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua (SDL), the party of the Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase.

Nagusuca said she intended to make women's issues and the fight against poverty a priority in Parliament. She said that many women who had business skills could not afford to start their own business, and there were single mothers who needed support. "Nobody in Fiji should be poor because we have so much food available," she declared.

Observers were surprised when, just five days after Nagusuca's election to Parliament, Prime Minister Qarase reorganized his Cabinet on December 16 and named Nagusuca to the new portfolio of Assistant Minister For Fijian Affairs, Culture, and Heritage. Her appointment brought the size of the cabinet to 27.

A resident of Nokonoko in Ra Province, she is married to Meli Nagusuca, with whom she has four children. She has Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of the South Pacific. A career librarian, Nagasuca worked on attachment in the United States and Canada for three months, as well as at the Western Regional Library in Lautoka.

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