Fiji-New Zealand Business Council president, partner in-charge of business services in KPMG and an accountant Renu Chand has lauded the Coalition Government for repealing the Act where women had to change their names on their birth certificates.
While speaking in the National Economic Summit during the plenary session on ‘Responsible, Responsive and Resilient Leadership’ on Thursday, she thanked the government for taking this bold step in their first 100 days.
“On behalf of many women, including myself, I want to thank the government, and a big vinaka for repealing the Act where we were told to change our birth certificate name,” Ms Chand said.
“You don’t know the impact it has made on women in remote and rural areas.
“We’ve got 44 per cent of our population living outside the city corridors, the impact it had made.
“You cannot open a bank account; you could not get a social welfare payment.
“When I travel, I have a booklet that I travel with to have all my documentation to show that I am using two names.
“So thank you very much for the government for being so bold and in the first 100 days to make that change.
“The women here need to thrive; you need to make things easier for us. And we’ve got to think about everyone outside Suva.
“I always say that. We need to think about our people in our rural and remote areas and believe it or not, half of our population is situated there.”