SOME 2000 indigenous women, members of Fiji’s oldest surviving iTaukei institution the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei, will gather in Suva today to celebrate its 100 years of existence — and changes to its decades-old Constitution that will allow it to go into business.
“The theme of the 100 years celebrations is: ‘The Future and New Beginnings’,” Bau chief and national president of the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei (SSV), Adi Finau Tabakaucoro said.
“We’re looking at making changes in our Constitution to create a more vibrant and more effective and efficient organisation through its membership so we will change the criteria for membership or create different criteria for different groups of membership.
“We’ll also make changes in our Constitution to allow the soqosoqo to begin looking at business.”
While details are still under wraps for now, Adi Finau said the organisation and its 200,000 members in Fiji’s 14 provinces, 189 tikina and 1192 villages will be making money using a template similar to that of Fijian Holdings Ltd (FHL).
FHL is listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange and its public shareholding is limited to iTaukei who are registered in the iTaukei ethnic registry or Vola ni Kawa Bula.
“One of the things we’re looking at is wealth creation. So we want wealth creation for the organisation and for the members,” Adi Finau said.
Likening the organisation to “a tired old woman”, Adi Finau said the time has come to change its image.
“The way to do that is to change the structure, change the membership and that will come with the leadership change.”
She said the organisation owed its strength and resilience to its members, “women who continue to selflessly contribute their time and effort to ensure that SSV remains relevant.”
Registered as a charitable trust in the early 1900s where initially it served as an avenue for iTaukei women to showcase and preserve traditional arts and crafts, promote home economics, home management, child care and food preservation, the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei now works with other peer groups and NGOs to help empower iTaukei women, help them preserve culture and heritage, uplift the standard of living of iTaukei village and rural communities.
“According to its Constitution, every iTaukei woman at the age of 16 is a member. There’s no such thing as registration. You become an automatic member at 16. But for your participation, you need to go back to your province and work there in some capacity or just contribute to the fundraising programs that come,” Adi Finau said.
Over the years, the organisation has been a cradle and source of iTaukei women leaders who have come through the ranks at village and tikina levels, a few of them even going on to take on national leadership roles.
And being the oldest and only iTaukei institution that still stands today with a quarter of Fiji’s population as its members by virtue of their ethnicity and gender, and who are now better educated and economically empowered, the time is ripe for change.
The organisation was established in 1924 by Mr and Mrs Ronald Derrick, pioneers of technical education in Fiji.
By 1944, it had become a Fiji-wide movement that the couple decided to traditionally hand over its stewardship to Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, whose then wife Lady Maraia Sukuna became its first national president.
Today’s celebrations will be opened by the British High Commissioner to Fiji Dr Brian Jones and invitations have been extended to Government, the diplomatic corp and civil society groups.
