Call for separate CEO to fix iTaukei Affairs Board governance issues

Opposition Member of Parliament Hem Chand has called for the immediate appointment of a separate chief executive officer (CEO) for the iTaukei Affairs Board to address governance confusion and improve service delivery to iTaukei communities.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday during debate on the Auditor General’s consolidated report, Mr Chand said the current overlap between the permanent secretary and chief executive officer (CEO) roles was causing operational problems.

“Where responsibilities overlap and accountability is diluted, staff become uncertain about reporting lines, decisions are delayed, and service delivery to the grassroots suffers,” Mr Chand said.

He explained that the permanent secretary's role was to provide administrative leadership and ensure policy compliance, while the CEO should focus on operational execution, managing programs and delivering services directly to communities.

“If these roles are not properly defined and respected, operational efficiency declines,” he said.

Mr Chand strongly supported the committee's recommendation that the Ministry formalise and appoint a new separate CEO to lead the iTaukei Affairs Board.

He also stressed that all appointments must follow Open Merit Recruitment and Selection guidelines to ensure fairness and professionalism.

“When appointments deviate from merit-based processes, the public service suffers, performance weakens, staff morale declines, service delivery becomes inconsistent, and confidence in the institution erodes,” Mr Chand said.

Minister for iTaukei Affairs Ifereimi Vasu responded that a paper on the CEO role has been tabled before the HR Committee.

“Once the CEO job description has been endorsed by the HR Committee, the position will be advertised to ensure a transparent and merit-based recruitment process,” Mr Vasu said.

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