ITaukei Land

Saverio Baleikanacea, Delainavesi

I fully support the statement made in Parliament by the SODELPA Member of Parliament (MP) Niko Nawaikula, on Friday 26/05/17, that the iTaukei people do not have control over their land in spite of the Acting Prime Minister (PM) Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum's insistence that it is guaranteed under our Constitution. My question to the Acting PM is that if the iTaukei’s control and ownership over their land is guaranteed then why do they remain denied the ownership, control occupation and/ or benefits of their land which are still under the State's control and which are usually known as Crown or State Land?

Unfortunately, either, the honourable Nawaikula or your newspaper failed to highlight this issue.

This is in spite of the so many requests by iTaukei Land Owning Units (LOU's) for the return of their lands which are still under the control without any justifiable reasons furnished by the State to their original iTaukei owners.

For the information of your readers, the State (Government) is only supposed to be holding onto land which it considers important for public and essential services.

Logically, the lands it does not need for this purpose, the State has no right and no justification to be holding onto. And if it continues to do so, then it is required by law under our Constitution (Sections 27 and 28) to negotiate honestly, promptly, fairly and justly with the identified iTaukei LOUs, for an agreement on the compensation rates and other terms and conditions.

The same process should also apply in the case of iTaukei land which is still categorised as Crown/State Land which the State wants to retain for public and essential services and to negotiate and agree on the level of compensation and terms and conditions which should be fair and just, and the effective date.