Lotoala Metia
| Lotoala Metia | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Finance | |
|
In office 24 December 2010 – 21 December 2012 |
|
| Prime Minister | Willy Telavi |
| Preceded by | Monise Laafai |
| Succeeded by | Maatia Toafa |
| Minister for Finance, Economic Planning and Industries | |
|
In office 16 August 2006 – 29 September 2010 |
|
| Prime Minister | Apisai Ielemia |
| Succeeded by | Monise Laafai |
| Member of the Tuvaluan Parliament for Nukufetau |
|
|
In office 3 August 2006 – 21 December 2012 |
|
| Preceded by | Saufatu Sopoanga |
| Succeeded by | Elisala Pita |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Penieli Metia |
| a. ^ seat vacant from 22 December 2012 – 28 June 2013. | |
Lotoala Metia (died 21 December 2012) was a Tuvaluan politician and football player.
He played for Korogege football club, in forward position. He was selected into the Tuvalu national football team for the 1979 South Pacific Games. Coincidentally, the team also included Kausea Natano, who would later sit with him as a fellow Cabinet minister from 2010 to 2012.
He was first elected to Parliament at the 2006 general election, as MP for Nukufetau. He was then appointed Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Industries in Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia's Cabinet.
He retained his seat in Parliament in the 2010 general election, but was not selected for Cabinet by new Prime Minister Maatia Toafa. Three months later, in December, he supported Willy Telavi's successful attempt to oust the Toafa government in a motion of no confidence. Telavi became Prime Minister, and appointed Metia to his Cabinet, as Minister for Finance.
The following month, in January 2011, a number of his constituents demanded his resignation, reportedly displeased with the fact that he had joined the Telavi government. A peaceful protest march to demand that he step down took place in Funafuti, resulting in the Telavi government declaring a state of emergency and temporarily prohibiting any gathering of ten or more people. Members of the powerful council of elders or Falekaupule from his island sought to persuade him to defect to the Opposition and help bring it to power. When this directive was not followed the Falekaupule ordered Metia to resign as a member of parliament. When the Falekaupule attempted to enforce these directives through legal action, in Nukufetau v Metia, the High Court of Tuvalu determined that the directives of the Falekaupule should be rejected as the Constitution of Tuvalu was structured around the concept of a parliamentary democracy and that “[o]ne of the most fundamental aspects of parliamentary democracy is that, whilst a person is elected to represent the people of the district from which he is elected, he is not bound to act in accordance with the directives of the electorate either individually or as a body.”
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