Grievances raised by iTaukei leaders and institutions over changes to traditional governance, land and representation are “real” and must be addressed, acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting his ministerial statement on strengthening iTaukei rights and institutions under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Mr Turaga highlighted major changes made between 2007 and 2022.
“The grievances raised by chiefs, provincial councils, landowning units and members of the vanua are real,” he said.
He said the great Council of Chiefs was suspended in 2007 before its statutory foundation was removed by decree in 2012.
Mr Turaga said the legislative framework governing the iTaukei Land Trust Board was amended five times between 2009 and 2011, while dedicated communal representation in Parliament was abolished under the 2014 Electoral Decree.
“These matters are not simply historical footnotes. They continue to inform how many iTaukei view the relationship between their communities, their institutions and the State.”
He said the Government’s reforms were anchored in UNDRIP, including indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination, free, prior and informed consent, and to maintain and strengthen their institutions.
“The Declaration recognises, among other things, the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination, to free, prior and informed consent in decisions affecting their lands, territories and resources, to maintain and strengthen their own institutions, and to seek redress where appropriate for historical wrongs.”
However, Mr Turaga stressed reforms must remain within Fiji’s constitutional and legal framework.
“The task before Government is, therefore, not simply to remove legislation, it is to ensure that the legal framework we establish is fair, workable, constitutionally sound and capable of serving generations to come.”
