Naitasiri Provincial Meet: Concerns Raised On iTaukei Chiefly Disputes

Concern has been expressed at the rising number of dis­putes over iTaukei chiefly titles all over the country, with a senior Government official saying such disputes signalled disunity.

The concern was raised by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, Saimoni Waibuta, at the Naitasiri Provincial Council at Matailobau Village, almost 60 kilometres from Nausori via the Serea-Laselevu Road.

He said because of the disputes many chiefly and head of clan posi­tions were vacant.

In the province of Naitasiri, he said, from the 438 chiefly and head of the clan positions only 246 were filled and 192 still remained vacant.

The disputes, he said, signalled disunity in the provinces, districts and villages.

Mr Waibuta said with no recog­nised leadership in the villages, there had been a rise in illegal activities such as rape, thefts, vio­lence against women and children and many others.

He said it was time for the people of Naitasiri offer their support to their chiefs and work faithfully to see that they were carrying out their duties for the province.

Mr Waibuta reminded the del­egates of the five pillars of the ministry – Good Governance, Well­being, Economic Empowerment, Conservation, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management and Traditional Leadership.

The new way forward for the min­istry, he said, was, “a transformed iTaukei family for a better Fiji”.

Mr Waibuta stressed that parents should prioritise the education of their children.

The Prime Minister Voreqe Bain­imarama-led FijiFirst Government has put a lot of emphasis on educa­tion and parents should make good use of the help it had put in place, he added.

Edited by Epineri Vula

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