VARIOUS clans under the leadership of the Tui Labasa in Naseakula Village will take part in a traditional reconciliation process tomorrow.
The traditional process known as veisorosorovi will be carried out by villagers and clans as they seek forgiveness for past wrongs.
This was revealed during a leadership and management training for the vanua o Labasa conducted by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs at Naseakula Village on Monday.
Speaking during the training, the ministry’s senior officer Niumaia Gucake said the main idea for the reconciliation was to solve the villagers’ differences and unite them.
“We have seen that the argument of leadership title or chiefly title is common in every village throughout Fiji and not only here in Naseakula and this argument over the leadership tittle or the chiefly title brings disagreement and it divides the people,” he said.
“These conflicts lead to the underdevelopment of a village and we hope that this training will change the mind-set of these villagers so they can forgive each other.”
Earlier, the traditional head of the sau turaga or the kingmaker’s clan, Peni Taloga Raiqiso, told this newspaper that a traditional reconciliation process was needed in Naseakula Village before they would select the new Tui Labasa.
Mr Raiqiso had said the successor of the late Tui Labasa would be chosen when the time was right after consultation within the sau turaga clan.
He had also said if anything, the vanua of Labasa needed to sit and clarify the appropriate traditional roles of clans within the vanua set-up.
However, when asked whether the reconciliation was the start of processes leading to the installation of the new Tui Labasa, Mr Raiqiso said it was not so.
He maintained that it was simply a reconciliation.
