FBC News 
A Fijian woman has been elected into the Scottish Parliament.
Simita Kumar, a Scottish National Party member for Edinburgh South Western, secured her seat by scooping 11,727 votes at the Scottish Parliament election. Elected on 7 May, the 38-year-old is believed to be the first Fiji-born person to have achieved this in the United Kingdom.
Kumar, who was born in Fiji and attended Samabula Primary School and Dudley High School, emigrated to Glasgow in 2005 with her parents, Ajay and Sarita Kumar.
She immersed herself in the National Health Service and public health working for NHS Lothian and Public Health Scotland, and children’s charities — laying the foundation and building a rapport of the communities she would later seek to represent in the House.
However, her desire to seek public office is believed to have been inspired by her maternal grandfather, a political activist in Tailevu.
Kumar was elected as a City of Edinburgh Councillor for Southside/Newington in 2022, quickly rising to lead the SNP group on the council — becoming the first person of colour to lead any party group in Edinburgh’s history.
The former Samabula resident has been described by colleagues as a rising star within the SNP, and she has spoken passionately about Scottish independence.
In her election night speech she called on political colleagues across all parties to “let kindness and civility guide us, even in disagreement.”
Her parents, Ajay and Sarita Kumar, reportedly said they were excited at their daughter’s achievement. “We feel truly blessed,” said Sarita Kumar. “This is an extraordinary achievement and we could not be more proud of her.”
