Narube calls for constitutional reform to give landowners mineral rights

Unity Fiji leader Savenaca Narube has proposed amending the 2013 Constitution and the Mining Act to grant landowners ownership of minerals found on their land.

Speaking during a public consultation and legislative review of the Mining Act 1965 and the Quarries Act 1939 at the Shree Sanatan Dharam Kshatriya Hall in Suva yesterday, Mr Narube said the current system, where the State holds all mineral rights, was a colonial relic that disenfranchised indigenous communities.

Indigenous landowners are being left behind by a mining sector that prioritises corporate profit over community welfare, Mr Narube said.

He highlighted what he described as an unfair distribution of benefits, noting that communities living near mining sites often bear the brunt of environmental damage while seeing little financial return.

Mr Narube called for a comprehensive legislative overhaul, saying the existing laws were ill-equipped to handle the complexities of modern mining.

He also called for a complete review of the compensation system, describing it as inadequate and outdated.

“We need a system where the benefits are not just a trickle-down, but a direct result of ownership,” Mr Narube said.

He criticised the lack of transparency and weak environmental compliance mechanisms.

“The financial benefits from mineral resources are simply not reaching those who own the land,” he said.

The proposal would require a significant shift in Fiji’s supreme law, moving away from a state-centric model to a community-ownership model.

Mr Narube said without constitutional change, any reform to the Mining Act would be “cosmetic” and fail to address the root causes of landowner dissatisfaction.

In his submission, he urged Government to use the review to introduce strict transparency requirements to prevent under-reporting of mineral volumes exported from Fiji.

He also urged Government to prioritise the voices of communities whose lives and livelihoods were most affected by mining activities.

Consultations will continue across the Central, Western and northern divisions from March 9 to April 18, providing all Fijians the opportunity to contribute in ways most comfortable to them, whether through formal submissions or interactive discussions.