THE relevance of the introduction of the village bylaws was questioned by Opposition Parliamentarian, Aseri Radrodro, during a submission by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs yesterday.
A delegation from the ministry led by its permanent secretary Naipote Katonitabua made submissions to the Public Accounts Committee when Mr Radrodro questioned the ministry’s officials.
He asked why it was necessary for the ministry to implement or introduce these new village bylaws.
Mr Katonitabua said since independence, the iTaukei communities in Fiji had been the most vulnerable in terms of its culture and traditions.
He said over the years, iTaukei communities could no longer safeguard and protect what their forefathers used to preserve in their various villages.
This was one of the reasons the ministry, through its board, gave approval to go ahead with the village bylaws consultations in 2015.
“There are a lot of disputes among the chiefly system, village boundaries and the demarcation of boundaries within its villages. We would like to reactivate what we used to have before independence,” Mr Katonitabua said.
“Over the years we have seen that our solidarity within the village settings is now quickly diminishing.”
Mr Katonitabua said the ministry had conducted consultations in eight provinces.
“It is important for the iTaukei to know their roles and structures within the village and the values that they would like to preserve for their children and grandchildren.
“We don’t like to be like any other indigenous community that have had their values and traditions eroded away over time.”
