National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad says ownership of freehold land is inalienable and must never be taken away from its rightful owners, just as native land ownership must be protected.
His comments come amid renewed debate over land ownership following recent submissions to the Parliamentary Special Committee reviewing the Constitution (Amendment) Bill.
Professor Prasad said the NFP had consistently advocated for the protection of both freehold and Crown or State land since the party’s formation in 1963.
“Control of all Freehold lands must always remain with the freehold landowners and likewise control of State lands must always remain with the State,” he said.
“The NFP has never wavered from this position even during and in the aftermath of political upheavals and change of national leadership, both before the last 7 years of Fiji’s colonial rule and after independence.”
He said successive NFP leaders, including founder A.D. Patel, S.M. Koya and Justice Jai Ram Reddy, had maintained this position.
Professor Prasad recalled that former Prime Ministers Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Sitiveni Rabuka had previously considered returning Crown or State Schedule A and B lands to native ownership.
However, he said both leaders eventually accepted the arguments presented by NFP leaders against the move.
He claimed that in February 1999, Mr Rabuka withdrew two Bills originally tabled in 1996 after considering correspondence between Mr Reddy and Ratu Mara.
The correspondence, he said, highlighted the importance of retaining State land for the benefit of disadvantaged communities, particularly tenants.
“This was one of the key findings of the Burns Commission Report of 1960,” Professor Prasad said.
He also criticised former Prime Minister and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry over his Government’s handling of State Schedule A and B lands in 1999.
“Tragically, and in an act of political treachery on the pre-dominantly Indo-Fijian community, less than a month after becoming PM, the Fiji Labour Party leader, Mahendra Chaudhry while addressing the Great Council of Chiefs in June 1999, said his government would revert State Schedule A & B lands to Native lands,” he said.
Professor Prasad claimed the Chaudhry Government subsequently introduced legislation in October 1999 to facilitate the transfer.
He said the Bills lapsed following the overthrow of the Labour-led Government in May 2000 but were reintroduced in April 2002.
He accused Labour MPs of failing to strongly oppose the legislation and claimed the changes affected thousands of tenants.
“This affected a few thousand tenants on State A & B lands. In many cases, tenants were displaced,” he said.
Professor Prasad warned political leaders against using land ownership issues for political advantage.
“The lesson this should teach all political leaders and parties is that practicing exploitative politics with land is harmful to the livelihood of tenants and against national interest.”
