Government has introduced the Freehold Buy-Back Scheme program.
This was confirmed by Minister for Lands Filimoni Vosarogo who told Parliament the issue is being framed in racial terms, even though many people failed to recognise the historical dispossession that has left some villages with little more than the land they now possess.
“The scheme is not and never was designed to take land by force, as many have made this out to be,” Mr Vosarogo said.
“Out of the 24 parcels of land that were the subject of buyback in both the 1989 and 1993 schemes, all have been mutually negotiated between willing buyers and willing sellers of the freehold to the native-owned landowning units who once had landowning titles to them.
“This is always and will always be done on an arm’s length (basis) and no less.”
Mr Vosarogo welcomed the $5million allocation for this program.
He said to support the land development and modernising services, the ministry has introduced an e-lodgement of all survey plans, a significant step in their digital transformation journey.
“This system allows surveyors to submit their plans online, which means our staff can review and process them quickly and more efficiently.
“It not only saves time, but also improves transparency, makes important land data easier to access and speeds up decision-making for the ministry responsible for making one of the country’s most valuable assets, land.”
He said this is a critical move that will help them serve the public better, reduce delay and support faster development across Fiji.
