THE Lau Provincial Council has been directed to revisit a proposal to establish its own company after concerns were raised about the need for a separate commercial entity and the risks it could pose to the province.
The proposal, presented by Lau Provincial Council chairman Akapusi Tuifagalele, was debated during the Bose ni Yasana o Lau at the Yatu Lau Hall in Suva on Thursday, where the Tui Nayau Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara questioned the rationale for creating another company when the province already had the Yatu Lau Company.
He said the proposed company would operate solely for the provincial council.
“This company will be solely for the operations of the provincial council to help with its day-to-day operations,” Mr Tuifagalele said.
However, the Tui Nayau urged the council to reconsider the proposal.
“Where will the funding come from?” Ratu Tevita asked.
“I request that you review it with a deeper understanding. You should do the work you were hired to do. If you decide to seek funding from external sources, that’s when you’ll start doing work that you’re not supposed to be doing,” he said.
“We already have the Yatu Lau Company, from which you requested funding, and it gave you $100,000.
“If the funding from the government is not enough, then reduce the work you are supposed to do.
“If anything happens to this company, we, the people sitting here today, will be held liable,” Ratu Tevita said.
In response, Roko Tui Lau Jioji Kalounivalu said the proposal stemmed from declining government funding.
“One of the challenges we face is that Government funding has decreased,” Mr Kalounivalu said.
“The proposal was to establish a small holding company to generate revenue to support our internal operations. We have been asked today to review it and return to the council with a better presentation.”
He said the council had been allocated $780,000 in next year’s budget to cover staff salaries, allowances for village headmen, district representatives and tribal heads and operational costs.
