Traditional leaders want to see tighter protocols restored to the registration process for Vola Ni Kawa Bula (VKB), the official record of iTaukei lineage.
Great Council of Chiefs chairman Ratu Viliame Seruvakula said past reforms had weakened community oversight.
“In the years gone by, if I wanted one of my kids to be entered in the VKB, I had to take him to the mataqali leader. Now, the law has been changed — anyone can go and enter names.”
He warned that without communal validation, the integrity of lineage records was at risk.
“That’s why the 60 percent rule is a problem (approval required by the mataqali).
“The structure has changed, and now it’s creating more division than unity.”
He said in some communities, vasu (maternal relatives) now outnumbered traditional landowners, leading to further disputes.
“Unfortunately, in some cases the vasu are more than the original landowners, so they are making decisions on the land, and that is causing friction.”
