The Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is demanding the Government withdraw the iTaukei Land Trust (Budget Amendment) Act 1940 that was announced during the 2021-2022 National Budget announcement last Friday.
In a statement, SODELPA leader Viliame Gavoka called the amendment an act of bad faith and called on the Prime Minister personally to see to its withdrawal as chairman of the TLTB and guardian of the landowners’ interest.
“He cannot sit undisturbed in this move by his Attorney-General to water down indigenous rights on his watch as both the Prime Minister and chairman of TLTB.”
He said the proposed law would be tabled as a consequential Bill to the 2021-2022 National Budget and the FijiFirst Government wanted it to be debated in less than an hour of parliamentary time.
Mr Gavoka said the Bill would affect Section 12 of the iTaukei Land Trust Act 1940, which required the consent of the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) for any dealings related with the lease given to tenants.
“What the FijiFirst Government is doing is introducing a new subsection (1A) which will amend the law consequentially not requiring the consent of the board for any mortgage, charge, pledge, caveat or for any such lease to be dealt with by any court of law or under the process of any court of law,” he said.
“The new subsection three further reduces TLTB’s discretion or the landowners’ rights, interests, and wishes.
“Basically once the tenants take the lease, then, so long as the tenant is not in breach of any law, the tenant can effectively do most, if not all, the things that a commercial lessee and indeed a non-commercial lessee wishes without having to consider, through TLTB’s discretion, any rights, interests, or wishes of the landowners,” he added.
