Nawaikula: A very sad day

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Opposition member of parliament Niko Nawaikula. Picture: FT FILE

“TODAY is a very sad day for native indigenous people of this country.”

Opposition Member of Parliament Niko Nawaikula made this comment while addressing Parliament on Tuesday on why the Opposition did not support a Bill fast-tracked by Government to amend the iTaukei Land Trust Act.

The amendment to the iTaukei Land Trust Act will allow the iTaukei Lands Trust Board to appoint a chief executive officer.

Previously the Act only provided for the appointment of a manager and officers of the board, however, the board had already gone ahead and appointed a CEO which was not provided for in the Act.

The need to amend the law was pertinent to cater for this change. While objecting to the amendment during the debate, Mr Nawaikula told Government that Parliament could not just move ahead and amend the law.

He said there was a need to obtain the consent of the indigenous people.

“This is no ordinary legislation, this is an extraordinary legislation which we, the indigenous people call ‘taboo’,” he said.

“This legislation is taboo, you are not allowed to touch it. You are not allowed to do anything with it.

“You can laugh, and I am warning you indigenous honourable members on that side, do not laugh because this is serious. This affects your children.

“This is about the truth, the truth is their right to give their prior and informed consent. You can step on it but the truth, it is their right, right is permanent and inalienable.

“You can take it away, you can step on it but it will always be there. It will come up. You betray your own people, you are a traitor to them. It is something that you should be fighting for.”

He claimed there were three legislations that the indigenous people called ‘taboo’ and they were the iTaukei Trust Act which was about their land rights, the iTaukei Affairs Act, which was about their cultural autonomy and their Native Registration. In his right of reply, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said it was unfortunate that a lot of misinformation had been raised.

He said the Bill was a simple amendment.

“Nothing is being amended, not a single clause relating to licences, lease, rights of landowners, landowning units, nothing has been amended, absolutely nothing,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

“The only thing that is being amended, Mr Speaker Sir, is, “a manager” has been changed to “CEO” and how the CEO will be paid and the secretary’s position has been moved to another clause; that is the only amendment.”

Parliament passed a Bill to amend the iTaukei Land Trust Act and a Bill to amend the Company’s Act on Tuesday night.

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