Roland Kun
Roland Kun (born May 6, 1970 ) is a former Nauruan politician and was a member of the Nauruan parliament from 2003 to 2014 . He is the son of former President Ruben Kun and the cousin of former Attorney General Russell Kun . After disputes with the Nauruan government, he applied for New Zealand citizenship and has lived permanently in New Zealand since 2016.
Career
After completing his school education in Nauru, Kun completed his law studies at James Cook University in Townsville . In 2003 he was elected to the Nauruan parliament for the constituency of Buada and has been the country's justice minister since 2004. He is also the hotel manager of the Menen Hotel in Meneng and previously held administrative positions in the Nauruan section of the University of the South Pacific as well as at Air Nauru and the Fisheries Authority.
On November 10, 2007, he resigned along with Minister of Health Kieren Keke and Minister of Industry Frederick Pitcher after a falling out with Foreign Minister David Adeang . When President Scotty was ousted by Marcus Stephen by a vote of no confidence on December 19, 2007, Stephen appointed him Minister of Justice and Education.
In the election on June 8, 2013, Kun was re-elected to parliament with the most votes in his constituency. In May 2014, however, he was suspended along with two other members of parliament after they had criticized the government of President Baron Waqa in the media . He then denied the legality of the suspension.
After his suspension, Kun lived in Wellington , New Zealand with his wife and three children after his Australian-born wife's visa was revoked by Nauru. In June 2015, the political situation in Nauru came to a head, protests broke out over allegations of corruption against the government. Three of the five suspended parliamentarians were temporarily arrested. In an interview with ABC, Kun was critical of the decreasing freedom of speech in Nauru. A week later, his passport was declared invalid and his departure to New Zealand was prevented. He was accused of taking part in a riot outside the parliament building, which Kun denied. In September 2015, the government announced an investigation into him for manslaughter in a car accident in 1991. However, no charges were brought.
In December 2015, Kun applied for New Zealand citizenship, which Peter Dunne finally granted him on humanitarian grounds. In the election of the 22nd Nauruan parliament in July 2016, Kun did not run again. Instead, the next day he left the country with a New Zealand passport and returned to his family.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Suspended Nauru MPs accused of high treason by the speaker of parliament. In: Australia Network News. June 27, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ Nauru opposition MP Roland Kun prevented from leaving country after ABC 7.30 interview. In: ABC News. June 18, 2015. Accessed August 14, 2015.
- ↑ a b Daniel Flitton: Escape from Nauru: how ex-MP Roland Kun slipped the net to New Zealand In: The Sydney Morning Herald . July 15, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- ↑ Roland Kun flees Nauru with NZ passport. In: Radio New Zealand . July 12, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kun, Roland |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Nauruan politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 6, 1970 |