If the Government gets too involved with the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), then taxpayers will need to have a say in its affairs, says FijiFirst MP Mosese Bulitavu.
To avoid this, he said the GCC needed to have its own regulatory mechanism in place once it chooses to operate independently.
“All of the administrative roles played by the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and ITLTB can come under it, plus other interests like the qoliqoli or customary fishing rights or fair share of royalties from minerals, rocks and gravel,” Mr Bulitavu said.
“The FijiFirst government enacted the Climate Change Act and this is another area where resource owners can gain monetary value while conservation is prioritised.”
Mr Bulitavu said the 1987 and 2000 coups advanced the indigenous cause and it was based on the iTaukei community being economically disadvantaged, or being resource-rich but cash-poor.
“Whenever the iTaukei community feels threatened due to economic disparity, they react and they begin to paddle views to take over political power.
“It’s always disastrous for the nation in terms of race relations, and it damages the economy.”
