Tui Cakau queries Voreqe's comment

SERAFINA SILAITOGA
Friday, May 16, 2008

THE Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has questioned where interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama's comment is coming from regarding his call for provincial councils to reconsider their stand on the People's Charter and the changes to the Great Council of Chiefs.

Ratu Naiqama said the decisions made by provincial councils represented the views of the Fijian people from grassroots level.

He said Fijians lived communally and the decisions made by the councils were the collective views of the people.

"As such, it is difficult to fully understand where Bainimarama is coming from in terms of trying to force issues to the people to accept what they put forward especially when we still have our freedom to accept or reject their proposals or issues.

"What the people want matters and whether they reject or accept is a decision by them and whatever decisions provincial councils have made is not made by the chiefs only but a collective decision of all Fijians at village meetings to district level and provincial level."

Ratu Naiqama said people's freedom was not at stake as the Constitution was still intact.

However, he said it would be hard to expect the interim regime to accept the decisions by the provincial councils because it was not an elected government.

"The regime was not voted by the people so it's hard to determine whether they will accept or respect out decisions made on their proposals."

He said it was important to understand the Fijian structure in order to get an idea of how decisions are made.

Meanwhile, Cakaudrove has rejected the People's Charter and Fiji's former High Commissioner to the UK, Emitai Boladuadua, is the new Cakaudrove provincial council chairman.

He replaces Sitiveni Rabuka who returned the post despite being nominated.

Mr Boladuadua said major development plans were included in his vision for the province.