“IT will be quite difficult.
“Right now, there are no plans to have another one.”
These were the words of iTaukei Affairs Minister Ifereimi Vasu regarding the possibility of there being another session of the Veitarogi Vanua (iTaukei Lands and Fisheries Commission) last Thursday during an interview at his office.
Mr Vasu was answering a question about traditional leadership positions being filled through the facilitation of Government. It was put to him that in some cases, those positions were vacant because of differences within the extended families of the decision makers for the titles. These disputes, sometimes, arose because of discrepancies in official records and that of villagers’ oral history.
He said the officials of the commission worked with the version that was in their records. Given the possibility of many contending versions of oral history, working outside the official records would bring about a lot of problems.
Mr Vasu explained this move by Government to fill vacant titles was a consequence of a trip to China by some members of the Great Council of Chiefs last year. Upon their return, it was decided that certain initiatives would be trialled in the province of Rewa.
“The province of Rewa asked for the Veitarogi Vanua so that traditional leadership titles that had been vacant could be filled.
“So when that was done, it was seen to be good,” Mr Vasu said.
“It is true that there are some challenges in some vanua but these are the minority.”
For some iTaukei people, Mr Vasu said it was the norm to wait for things to happen. Since the installation of traditional leaders, a marked difference had been seen.
“When there is good leadership, things are much clearer. When it is absent, we go in different directions.
“And if there are major differences, no one speaks with authority for the people to follow.”
- More on this in this week’s Na iLalakai edition.
