HE
René Reynaldo Harris (November 11, 1947 – July 5, 2008) was
PresidentThe president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government.-List of Presidents since independence:...
of the Republic of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
four times between 1999 and 2004. He was a Member of
ParliamentThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
from 1977 to 2008.
He was educated at
Geelong CollegeThe Geelong College is an elite independent, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Newtown, an inner-western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia....
in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Prior to his election to parliament, Harris worked for the
Nauru Phosphate CorporationThe Nauru Phosphate Corporation was a government-owned company controlling phosphate mining in Nauru, now known as the Republic of Nauru Phosphate, or RONPhos. The economy of Nauru has been almost wholly dependent on phosphate, which has led to environmental catastrophe on the island, with 80% of...
(NPC) and was the Manager of the
Nauru Pacific LineThe Nauru Pacific Line is the national shipping line of the Republic of Nauru. Its fleet consists of five owned and two leased ships, which travel throughout all of Oceania. It is loss-making and gets subventions from the state.-See also:...
.
He was first elected as an MP for
AiwoAiwo is a district in the Pacific country of Nauru.It belongs to Aiwo Constituency.-Location and features:It is located in the west of the island. It covers an area of 1.1 km² and a population of 1300...
in 1977. His first term was quite short though; after seven days he had to resign on court conviction.
HE
René Reynaldo Harris (November 11, 1947 – July 5, 2008) was
PresidentThe president of Nauru is elected by Parliament from amongst its members. He is both the head of state and head of government.-List of Presidents since independence:...
of the Republic of
NauruNauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 km to the east...
four times between 1999 and 2004. He was a Member of
ParliamentThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
from 1977 to 2008.
Background and early career
He was educated at
Geelong CollegeThe Geelong College is an elite independent, co-educational, day and boarding school, located in Newtown, an inner-western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia....
in
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. Prior to his election to parliament, Harris worked for the
Nauru Phosphate CorporationThe Nauru Phosphate Corporation was a government-owned company controlling phosphate mining in Nauru, now known as the Republic of Nauru Phosphate, or RONPhos. The economy of Nauru has been almost wholly dependent on phosphate, which has led to environmental catastrophe on the island, with 80% of...
(NPC) and was the Manager of the
Nauru Pacific LineThe Nauru Pacific Line is the national shipping line of the Republic of Nauru. Its fleet consists of five owned and two leased ships, which travel throughout all of Oceania. It is loss-making and gets subventions from the state.-See also:...
.
He was first elected as an MP for
AiwoAiwo is a district in the Pacific country of Nauru.It belongs to Aiwo Constituency.-Location and features:It is located in the west of the island. It covers an area of 1.1 km² and a population of 1300...
in 1977. His first term was quite short though; after seven days he had to resign on court conviction. His second term started in June 1977 in the following by-election and lasted for 31 years. Harris was elected Deputy Speaker of the Parliament in 1978 and Speaker in 1986. In 1992 he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NPC.
In 1998, Harris was convicted of assault and jail-breaking by forcibly freeing three of his relatives from the Nauru Police lock-up with the help of two accomplices. The
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
television program "Foreign Correspondent" also claimed that as Chairman of the NPC, Harris spent more than A$231,000 on luxury items, holidays and a property in Melbourne. Harris maintained a luxury penthouse suite on the 51st floor of Nauru House in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
.
Presidential terms of office
Harris first became President on 27 April 1999 and remained in that post until 20 April 2000 when he was replaced by
Bernard DowiyogoHE Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo was President of the Republic of Nauru.-Background and early career:He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973...
, who retained that office until Harris resumed the presidency on 29 March 2001 following a vote of no-confidence in Dowiyogo. The situation assumed farcial proportions in January 2003, when both men held the office twice. Dowiyogo eventually retained the presidency, although his death in March 2003 prompted another round of uncertainty. Harris was finally reelected President on August 15, 2003.
Harris was quoted as saying he was re-elected by the nation's parliament because the MPs "didn't see the light" with his predecessor,
Ludwig ScottyLudwig Derangadage Scotty is a two-time former President of the Republic of Nauru. He served as President from May 29, 2003 to August 8, 2003, then from June 22, 2004 to his ousting in a vote of no confidence on December 19, 2007.-Background and earlier career:Scotty grew up in Anabar in the north...
. Harris successfully broke the Nauruan government's deadlock when he was able to pass legislation through parliament in 2003.
His government was responsible for the housing of Australian asylum seekers on the island and also Nauru's admission to the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
and full membership in the
Commonwealth of NationsThe Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-three independent member states. Most of them were formerly part of the British Empire. They co-operate within a framework of common values...
. Mr. Harris was criticized by the Nauruan opposition party (Naoero Amo) and the international community for corruption and violations of
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
.
Harris received monthly kidney dialysis treatment for his diabetes in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
. His health was a major concern for at least the last 5 years of his life because diabetes ended the life of one of his political opponents,
Bernard DowiyogoHE Bernard Annen Auwen Dowiyogo was President of the Republic of Nauru.-Background and early career:He first became an elected member of Nauru's 18-seat parliament in 1973...
, at the age of 57 in early 2003. In December 2003, Harris collapsed in Nauru's parliament building and was revived by Dr.
Kieren KekeKieren Aedogan Ankwong Keke is a Nauruan politician and medical doctor. He is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs and has previously been speaker of the island's parliament.-Background:...
.
On June 22, 2004, due to a political defection, he was ousted as President, and Ludwig Scotty succeeded him.
Post-Presidency and controversies
In parliamentary elections later in 2004, Scotty's supporters won a majority of the seats and Harris made no further attempts to be reelected president. In the
parliamentary electionParliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 25 August 2007. There were more than 80 candidates for the 18 seats available. Fifteen MPs were reelected, among them fourteen supporters of Ludwig Scotty's government; the only opposition politician to be reelected was René Harris...
held on August 25 2007, Harris was the only opposition member of parliament to be re-elected; Scotty's supporters won an even larger victory and it was believed that Harris might have no political supporters in Parliament.
After Nauru's main police station was burned on March 7 2008 by protesters in Harris' Aiwo constituency who were upset by phosphate dust, the government accused Harris of instigating the protesters.
Harris's periods as President of Nauru were sometimes owing to his alliance with the influential
Kinza ClodumarHE Kinza Godfrey Clodumar is a political figure from Nauru who was President of Nauru from 1997 to 1998.-Background:Clodumar was born in Boe. He is a member of the indigenous population of Nauru, and he is concerned with environmental issues...
, himself a former President, but also exercising considerable negotiating weight in the
Parliament of NauruThe Parliament of Nauru has 18 members, elected for a three year term in multi-seat constituencies. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of the Parliament.The members of the Parliament of Nauru are elected by a positional voting system....
.
April 2008 election and loss of parliamentary seat
In the
parliamentary electionParliamentary elections were held in Nauru on April 26, 2008, following the dissolving of Parliament by President Marcus Stephen on April 18. The decision came after what Stephen referred to as "months of political deadlock"...
held on April 26 2008, Harris stood again but lost his seat; supporters of President
Marcus StephenMarcus Stephen is the current President of the Republic of Nauru, having taken office in December 2007. In addition to the presidency, he holds the offices of Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust, Minister for Police, Prisons, & Emergency Services, and...
won a majority. After 31 years in Parliament, this was the first time he lost his seat.
Death
Harris had a heart attack on July 4 2008 and died as a result on the morning of July 5. A state funeral was held for him later on the same day. He was aged 59 at the time of his death, and although relatively young, his political generation had been to some extent been superseded by a government ministerial team about 20 years younger than he.
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