Patrick Joseph Manarewo Kalpuaso Crowby (6 July 1958 – 27 December 2013) was a Vanuatuan politician.
Crowby was born in Port Vila in 1958.[1] He began his career as a primary school teacher in 1978.[1] In 1987, he obtained the title of Manarewo as customary chief. In 1991, he became a member of the National Bureau of Tourism. He would subsequently preside over the Bureau from 2007 to 2008.[1]
In 1992, he was appointed president of a sub-committee of the Union of Moderate Parties, a francophone political party; Crowby himself is a francophone. In 1997, now representing the National United Party,[2] he became mayor of Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu, a position he held until 2004. He subsequently remained a city councillor until 2006.[1] Transparency International Vanuatu accused him of "mismanagement and corruption" during his term.[3]
From 2004 until 2008, he served as the Prime Minister's public relations officer, and government spokesman.[2] During that same time, he was President of Vanuatu's Broadcasting and Television Corporation, and permanent representative of Vanuatu to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.[1]
In 2008, he was elected to Parliament,[1] and was appointed Minister for Internal Affairs in Prime Minister Edward Natapei's Cabinet,[4] though he was subsequently dismissed during a Cabinet reshuffle. He returned to government in April 2011, when Prime Minister Sato Kilman (who had ousted Natapei in a vote of no confidence in December 2010) was in turn ousted in a vote of no confidence, and succeeded by Serge Vohor. Vohor appointed Crowby Minister for Internal Affairs.[5] Three weeks later, however, Vohor's election and premiership were voided by the Court of Appeal, and Crowby lost his position in government.[6]
On 16 June, Kilman's election and premiership were themselves voided by the Supreme Court, on constitutional grounds, and previous Prime Minister Edward Natapei became caretaker Prime Minister until a new leader could be elected. Crowby was restored as caretaker Minister of the Interior.[7] On 26 June 2011, Sato Kilman was elected Prime Minister by Parliament, and Crowby lost his position in government.[8]
Crowby later sat as a government backbencher, until 20 March 2013 when he was one of eight MPs to cross the floor and bring down the Kilman government.[9] New Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil appointed him to the position of Minister for the Interior three days later.[10]
He died, aged 55, in New Caledonia on 27 December 2013, several days after having been rushed to hospital there as an unspecified emergency.[11]