Teburoro Tito

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Teburoro Tito (born 25 August 1953) is an I-Kiribati politician and diplomat who served as the third president of Kiribati from 1994 to 2003.

Early lifeEdit

Teburoro Tito was born in Tanaeang, a village in Tabiteuea North, on 25 August 1952 or 1953.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite press release</ref>Template:Sfn Template:Efn In 1971, Tito received a government scholarship to attend the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. He was the president of the students' association in 1976 and 1977. Tito graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science and a Certificate in Education. Afterwards, he stayed at the university until 1979 as the student coordinator.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Early political careerEdit

In 1980, Tito returned to Kiribati and became a Scholarship Officer for the Ministry of Education. In 1982, he went on a thirty-day study tour in the US "for future leaders." Tito served as Senior Education Officer from 1983 to 1987. Tito, a keen soccer player, also chaired the Kiribati Football Association from 1980 to 1994.Template:Sfn

In March 1987,Template:Sfn Tito was elected as member of parliament for the Teinainano Urban Council constituency in South Tarawa. In the presidential election later that year, Tito was one of three final candidates.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Opposition leader Harry Tong had originally been considered as a candidate, but he stepped aside in favour of Tito. The other two candidates, Ieremia Tabai and Teatao Teannaki, were the incumbent president and vice-president.Template:Sfn

Tito built a reputation as "an energetic, highly articulate man" and, as a Catholic candidate, garnered the favour of Catholic voters,Template:Sfn who formed much of the opposition to Tabai's government.Template:Sfn Both Tabai and Tito limited their campaigning to the islands where they were most popular—Tabai in the south and Tito in the north—forgoing any attempt to garner votes from the other candidate's strongholds.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite periodical</ref> Tito lost to Tabai, but received the highest vote share for any opponent of Tabai's government since independence with 42.7%.Template:Sfn It was speculated that Teannaki, an ally of Tabai, split the Catholic vote in a way that made him a spoiler candidate for Tito.<ref name=":4" />

As part of the Christian Democratic Party (MTM), Tito became opposition leader until 1990, when he served as deputy leader until 1994.Template:Sfn<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tito was also a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 1987 to 1990 and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee from 1988 to 1989, attending overseas conferences and meetings.Template:Sfn

PresidencyEdit

1994Template:Endash1998Edit

In 1994, Tito and three other candidates, all from the MTM, were nominated for the presidential election. There had been claims of misconduct against the outgoing government, and a brief constitutional crisis ensued when acting president Tekiree Tamuera was forcibly removed. Tito won the election in a landslide victory with 51% of the votes.Template:Sfn<ref name=":1" />

Tito has called attention to the detrimental effects of global warming on Pacific Island nations.<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has complained that large countries do not do enough to offset their contributions to climate change, while small countries such as Kiribati suffer the effects. He compared the situation to ants on a leaf being bothered by elephants roughhousing in the pond. "The problem isn't the ants' behavior [but] of how to convince the elephants to be more gentle."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Still, Tito is sceptical of scientists and politicians who say that rising sea levels will inevitably submerge Kiribati, citing Genesis 9:11.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The International Date Line used to run through Kiribati. Fulfilling a campaign promise, Tito declared that the Date Line would run along his country's eastern border effective 1 January 1995. This made the Line Islands of Kiribati the first region in the world to see the new day. The decision attracted little attention until other Pacific countries disputed the claim after the millennium celebrations approached.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn Other Pacific nations tried to move the Date Line, temporarily implement daylight saving time, and claim the "first territory", "first land", "first inhabited land" or "first city" to enter 2000.<ref name="Harris">Template:Cite journal</ref>

1998Template:Endash2002Edit

The Christian Democratic Party and the main opposition both lost seats in the 1998 parliamentary election. On 27 November, Tito was re-elected with 52% of the vote, while Harry Tong received only 46%.Template:Sfn

On 14 April 1999, Tito wrote a letter requesting Kiribati's admission to the United Nations,<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> which was accepted.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Tito attended the millennium celebrations on Caroline Island, which the government had renamed Millennium Island. As the easternmost of the Line Islands, Caroline would be the first place in the world to enter 1 January 2000. BBC News' Mike Donkin reported that Tito spoke with emotion as his country found itself at the centre of attention. "Our elders tell us that in our ancient myths and legends these islands were where creation began," Tito said. "This particular moment in history seems to confirm the mythology of our ancestors."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2002Template:Endash2003Edit

In February 2003, Tito was re-elected over Taberannang Timeon by 547 votes. A major election issue was the Chinese satellite tracking station on Tarawa. Set up in 1997, it was China's only offshore satellite facility and played a role in the Chinese space program by tracking the first person they sent into space. However, there were concerns about potential military use and allegations that it was used to monitor the US Kwajalein Missile Range.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn When MP Harry Tong asked Tito to release details about China's 15-year lease, Tito refused. He also asked Tito about Chinese ambassador Ma Shuxue acknowledging that the Chinese government had donated $2,850 to a cooperative society linked to Tito.Template:Sfn There was another controversy when Tito leased an ATR-72-500 aircraft at the government's expense, losing A$8Template:Nbspmillion during the first six months.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In March, parliament was dissolved after a 40Template:Endash21 vote of no confidence against the Tito government.Template:Sfn

Post-presidencyEdit

In September 2017, Tito resigned from parliament to become the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2018, President Taneti Maamau appointed Tito as Ambassador to the United States.

In June 2024, Tito offered Leticia Carvalho a potential high-level staff role at the International Seabed Authority, the body which regulates mining on the seabed, in exchange for ending her bid to become its secretary general. This would leave the candidate Kiribati sponsors, incumbent Michael Lodge, unopposed. Kiribati struck a deal with The Metals Company to secure mining access to Pacific Ocean sectors governed by the Seabed Authority, which would be thwarted if conservation-minded Carvalho was successful. Carvalho refused.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Tito is married to Keina Tito, with whom he has one child.Template:Sfn He also has a granddaughter.<ref name=":0" />

Before Tito became president, Lodge was his family lawyer. He represented them when Tito's sister died during childbirth after being improperly sedated.<ref name=":3" />

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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BibliographyEdit

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