Naama Maheu Latasi

Who is Naama Maheu Latasi?

Naama Maheu Latasi made history as the first woman ever elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu, winning the constituency of Nanumea in the 1989 general election and serving until 1997. During her time in office she served as Minister of Health, Education and Community Services in the government of Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu. She remained the only woman to have ever sat in Tuvalu's Parliament for more than two decades, until Pelenike Isaia won the Nui by-election in August 2011. Latasi was married to Sir Kamuta Latasi, who served as Tuvalu's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister from 1993 to 1996 and later as Speaker of Parliament, making the couple one of the most prominent political partnerships in the country's post-independence history. In recognition of her public and community service, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1993 New Year Honours. Her election broke new ground in a Parliament that has historically had very few women members, and Pacific women's political networks continue to cite her as a pioneering figure for female representation in Tuvaluan and wider Pacific Island politics.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Naama Maheu Latasi" · Pacific Women in Politics (PACWIP), "Hon Naama Maheu Latasi" country profile · U.S. Embassy Suva, public commemorative post on Naama Maheu Latasi