199 traditional titles vacant in Macuata

Five chiefly titles of the vanua, forty titles of Yavusa and 154 titles Mataqali are vacant

There are 199 nine traditional titles vacant in the province of Macuata. This was revealed by the Tui Nadogo Ratu Ilisaniti Malodali during the Bose ni Yasana (Provincial Meeting) at Khastriya Hall in Labasa on Thursday.

Of the 199 there are five chiefly titles, 40 liuliu ni yavusa (sub-clan leaders) and 154 turaga ni mataqali (leader of the clan).

Five chiefly titles of the vanua, forty titles of Yavusa and 154 titles of Mataqali are vacant.

Chairman Ratu Wiliame Katonivere said these traditional titles need to be filled because law and order is not followed when a leader is not installed in a mataqali (clan), tikina (district) and yavusa (sub clan).

“When there is not a chief of the vanua, the people do their own things and there is confusion,” Ratu Wiliame said. “Then people do not follow the law and procedures of the vanua as how it should normally run,” he said. “The people of Macuata need to work in unity, if we achieve this then we will be able to move Macuata forward,” he said.

Macuata is one of the three provinces in the Northern Division. The other two are Cakaudrove and Bua.

It is also part of the Tovata confederacy, one of the three traditional chiefly hierarchies of Fiji. The other two are Kubuna and Burebasaga.

There are 12 tikina (districts) and 112 villages in the province of Macuata.