RATU David Toganivalu, the late former Minister for Labour, caught the attention of many locals and surprisingly made the daily in February 1978 by driving his maroon minibus to work.

The attention wasn’t solely fixed on him travelling to work but was on what he drove to work at the time.

Before making important decisions from his ministerial office, the late Ratu David would simply drive his maroon minibus to work — a rare sight to see for anyone holding ministerial office position in the country.

On February 14, 1978 this newspaper reported that the late Ratu David would wheel to and from his ministerial office at the Ministry of Labour in his maroon minibus in preference to his official government vehicle that was provided from the ministerial car pool.

He said his official car had a hole in it and he often got a dust bath every time he used it on a gravel road in Tailevu.

The newspaper reported that Ratu David lived in Bau which was about 20 miles from Suva hence the early dust bath.

“I find it convenient to travel in my own van,” he said.

The Fiji Times noted that under the new government regulation then, ministers were allowed to use their own cars and claim mileage.

Ratu David under the new government regulation claimed about $100 a month.

This newspaper reported that Ratu David was always a familiar sight in his minibus bowling along Kings Rd in the morning traffic and sometimes even stopping over to give people a lift.

Ratu David later became the deputy prime minister of the country under the Ratu Mara-led Government.