Roland Kun

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

The Honourable
Roland Kun
MP
Member of the Nauruan Parliament
for Buada
Assumed office
2004
Preceded by Vinson Detenamo
Personal details
Born (1970-05-06) 6 May 1970 (age 53)
 Nauru
Nationality Nauru Nauruan
Political party Naoero Amo
Spouse(s) Katy Le Roy
Children 3
Residence Buada
Alma mater James Cook University
Religion Christian

Roland Tullen Kun (born May 6, 1970) is a Nauruan politician and Member of Parliament.

Political career

MP and Minister

Kun was elected in 2004 to serve as a Member of the Parliament of Nauru and served as Minister of Justice.[1]

Kun was elected to the seat of Buada in 2004, 2007, 2008, in the April and June 2010 elections, and in 2013. He was a member of the Scotty government from 2004 to 2007, a member of the Stephen government from 2007 to 2012, and a member of the Dabwido government for much of the first half of 2013.

From December 2007 to November 2011 he was Minister for Fisheries and Minister for Education. From June 2012 until February 2013, he held portfolios of Finance & Sustainable Development, as well as Education and Justice & Border Control.[2]

Kun is also an expert on fisheries, one of Nauru's main industries.[citation needed]

Crossing the floor

Kun was one of the founding members of reform group Naoero Amo (Nauru First).[citation needed]

He was appointed finance minister in 2012 by then President Sprent Dabwido, but resigned and defected to the Opposition after a disagreement with President Dabwido[citation needed] over the latter's declaration of a state of emergency.[3]

In 2013, Kun stood for the presidency against Baron Waqa but his party lost 13 to 5[citation needed].

Suspension of Opposition members (ongoing current event)

In May 2014, Waqa suspended 5 of the 7 members of Nauru's Opposition from Parliament indefinitely, including Kun.[4]

The suspension of Kun and 2 of his opposition colleagues (Hon Dr Kieren Keke and Hon Mathew Batsiua) was made on the grounds that they had expressed views in the international media that were critical of the government and the breakdown of the rule of law.[5]

In June 2015, in a crackdown on Opposition MPs, the Waqa government arrested and cancelled the passports of certain opposition members claiming that they had been trying to destabilise the Government by talking to foreign media.[6][7]

As part of the move against opposition members, on 17 June 2015, the Government cancelled Kun's passport and had him forceably removed from a flight to New Zealand where he had been living with his wife and children since being suspended from Parliament in 2014.[8]

Nauru's Supreme Court was due on 27 June 2015 to hear an application by Kun for judicial review to have his passport returned but the court deferred the application until 8 July 2015.[8]

Personal

Roland Kun is the son of Ruben Kun, a former President of Nauru and a member of Nauru's Parliament for 26 years.

Kun's cousin Russell Kun was also a former MP.

See also

References