The grief in Coalition circles at the sudden passing of the Minister for Employment, Agni Deo Singh, is being compounded by the realisation that the law prevents anyone from filling his seat this close to an election.
According to Section 64 (3) of the Constitution, it is too late for the NFP to fill the seat with the “next cab off the rank” – a candidate who missed out on making the grade at the 2022 election. Who just happens to be Parmod Chand, the NFP’s Deputy President.
This means that the NFP now has four MPs, not five, for the next four months till election day, presumably when the Constitution stipulates it at the beginning of February.
The NFP and the Coalition are now short one vote during some critical parliamentary motions in the coming weeks, including on the new draft constitution. What impact will this have? We shall see. But it is a major setback for the NFP and the government as a whole.
Our condolences to Agni Deo Singh’s family and his colleagues in parliament and the trade union movement, to which he devoted his working life and earned the respect of a great many Fijians.
And then there were four.
Agni Deo failed on the Ferris Wheel Tragedy, allowing the equipment operator to escape overseas and the wrong person being charged. He made no efforts to compensate the young Indo Fijian girl’s family who died on the ride, another sister seriously hurt and the grieving father passing away months later.
Setting the politics aside, hailing from rural Labasa, the late Agni Deo Singh was a classic example of dedication, hard work and resilience. He carved out a career in teaching and eventually in the trade union movement, fighting for the welfare of teachers who were largely ignored by successive governments. His greatest contribution was in his capacity as secretary of the Fiji Teachers Union and as a member of the powerful FTUC. More recently he has been intimately involved with the seasonal worker programmes like PALM and the NZ equivalent.
He was the biggest catch for NFP for the last election. His rapport with teachers and the workers of the country made him an attractive vote winner. He will certainly be a huge loss to NFP in the next election, as there is no-one in the union movement who gets anywhere close to his profile and ability to garner support.
Above all, he was a decent human being, approachable, friendly and modest, underscored by his simple upbringings in Vanua Levu.
May his Soul Rest in Peace.
Rest in peace Agni. You were a good union mate. Politics don’t matter.
Vale Agni Deo.
He entered parliament on his own merits.
The notionally effed party will now be nationally effed.
They will not not be able to replace him.
Alan Lockington has departed our world hence why Sashi Kiran is not standing again – she swept into parliament on the back of his tireless electioneering.
It seems a lot of NFP members have been struck with tragedy. All male MPs have suffered personally. Is it a mere coincidence?
Pio’s daughter was brutally assaulted. Biman is being dragged through the courts over what some may consider trivial and now Agni, who seemed perfectly healthy, dies overseas on official government business.
Politics in Fiji is simply not worth it. My condolences.
The stress of having to sell out or risk your family’s wellbeing cannot be underestimated.
The stress of standing true to your values whilst being surrounded by corruption cannot be underestimated.
The stress of having your illusions of being able to make a difference shattered cannot be underestimated.
It’s far easier to manage the stress of taking a stand when you don’t reside in Fiji.
All of this takes a toll physically. No direct definitive link can be proven, but instead a death by a thousand cuts is observed by closed loved ones.
Thank you for this response. I agree with everything you have said, particularly the “death by a thousand cuts”. We really have no idea what people and their families are dealing with behind closed doors, the pressures placed on them, or the toll that politics can eventually take.
I also think we seriously need to rethink unnecessary overseas travel by MPs and our other political leaders, particularly our older politicians. It is 2026. We have Zoom, Teams and other forms of video conferencing. Fiji also has ambassadors and diplomatic representatives already based overseas who can represent us in many situations. Unless there is a genuine need for someone to physically be there, why are we continuing to send our leaders halfway around the world?
Look at the President’s upcoming trip to New York. The Fiji Times reported on 30 August 2026 that documents showed a quoted FJ$45,668 business/first-class fare for the President, with the costs of accommodation, visas, ground transport, meals and other expenses associated with the delegation not included. The official 2025–26 Budget Estimates also allocated FJ$562,500 for “Overseas Travel – His Excellency”. That is over half a million dollars budgeted for presidential overseas travel alone.
I understand that he is our Head of State and has official duties, but surely being Head of State should also mean thinking first about the welfare of the state and whether every trip is really necessary. With respect, I don’t believe another speech at an international meeting is going to transform the lives of ordinary Fijians. Our PM is now 78 and I think he too should seriously reconsider future overseas travel unless his physical presence is absolutely necessary.
There is also the human side. If somebody becomes seriously ill or dies overseas, their family is left in Fiji dealing with an incredibly difficult situation thousands of kilometres away, together with all the complications and costs of bringing that person home.
And even where travel isn’t paid for directly by Fiji taxpayers but through Australian aid or another donor, why can’t we ask the donor to redirect that funding towards facilities and services here in Fiji instead? If the answer is no, perhaps Fiji needs to learn to say “no thank you” to some funding for once. We don’t have to accept every dollar offered to us simply because somebody is willing to provide it.
Most of our MPs, our PM and our President need to be here in Fiji, on the ground, working directly with communities and seeing firsthand what ordinary people are dealing with. Use Zoom, Teams, our ambassadors and our overseas missions wherever possible.
And why isn’t the government thinking like this now? So much money is also spent within Fiji on unnecessary events, functions, conferences and hotels. Why not start putting that money towards making state-of-the-art hospital facilities available right here in Suva, and strengthening healthcare throughout Fiji?
We need to focus on Fijians’ health first. Women need access to Pap smears, cervical screening and cancer treatment, and men need proper cancer screening and treatment too. We need serious health campaigns to change our food habits. Small businesses could be encouraged to sell healthier food and use healthier oils. Even something as basic as providing more rubbish bins matters so less plastic ends up in our environment and oceans.
There is so much that needs doing in Fiji. Every dollar counts.
Indeed, the stress of politics, constant traveling, living out of suitcases, always eating unhealthy food at airport VIP lounge and the hotel, all combine and take a toll on the body and gradually snuffs the life out it.
Indeed, is it worth it as people are asking?
All their time away from the family, including your children and grandchildren, which is more precious than anything else. All lost in the pursuit of fame and fortune. The poor man never had a chance to say goodbye to his loved ones and he will never enjoy his substantial retirement pension built over decades of his working life, including his term as a parliamentarian. Agni was one of the better ones for sure. Talented, hard-working and committed. And death can’t strike anyone at any time. So it’s also a moment of reflection about life’s priorities