Penalties For Breaking Bylaws To Be Decided By Bose Vanua
The Bose Vanua will decide on penalties for those who break the village bylaws, says deputy chief executive officer of the iTaukei Affairs Board Apakuki Kurusiga.
He said this during the Village Bylaws Consultation in Namoli Village in Lautoka yesterday.
“The Bose Vanua exists at each level of the iTaukei traditional structure, that of Village, District (Tikina) and the Provincial (Yasana) level,” Mr Kurusiga said.
In the village, the Turaga-ni-yavusa shall chair the Bose Vanua and the Turaga-ni-mataqali are members of the forum.
He said: “This will be depended on the Bose Vanua what sort of band penalties they are giving, either they can be asked to do some chores in the village.
“They can be asked to do it for how long and for how much.”
Mr Kurusiga said this after mata-nitikina from Naviti, Paula Nakarawa, proposed for penalties to be enforced in the village saying penalties in the village had changed.
Mr Nakarawa said: “One of the villages was seen with drugs, and so we told him to leave the village for five years.
“He then went and brought him back, and presented yaqona for bulubulu and was accepted back. Now he is really performing well, so it is dependent on the Bose Vanua and elders of the village which suits or what penalty to give.
Mr Kurusiga said if villagers had committed serious crimes like murder, abuse that was where the Police came in. They would work with the Turaga-ni-koro and the committee.
The Bose Vanua exists at each level of the iTaukei traditional structure, that of Village, District (Tikina) and the Provincial (Yasana) level Apakuki Kurusiga Deputy chief executive officer of the iTaukei Affairs Board