Ritika Pratap 
[Photo Credit: Fiji Government/ Facebook]
The Bose Levu Vakaturaga, or the Great Council of Chiefs meeting has ended.
Yesterday, the Chiefs concluded the meeting with the adoption of key recommendations tabled by traditional leaders during breakout sessions.
Chiefs canvassed issues of concern in their three confederacy or Matanitu Vanua groupings – Kubuna, Burebasaga, and Tovata – and presented the outcomes of their group discussions.
President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, in his remarks, addressed critical issues such as land ownership, indigenous rights, legal reform, and environmental stewardship.
President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu. [Photo Credit: Fiji Government/ Facebook]
Discussions during the two-day meeting covered several key topics, including the Fiji Pine Trust, the Vola ni Kawa Bula, the Native Land Trust Act, the Native Lands Act, and the authority vested in the two reserves commissioners under these laws.
A major concern raised by the Burebasaga Confederacy was the consistency of VKB registration, especially for iTaukei children born overseas.
Under an earlier policy, such children were automatically registered in the VKB.
To address indigenous grievances and provide legal clarity, Ratu Naiqama proposed the establishment of a Tribunal tasked to oversee the Deed of Cession rights.
A subcommittee of the BLV was established to look further into this proposal.
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