Permanent Secretary for iTaukei Affairs, Pita Tagicakirewa, has emphasized that once the Great Council of Chiefs is operational, its members will exclusively scrutinize bills that impact the iTaukei community.

This clarification as there is a widespread misconception regarding the role of the GCC.

Tagicakirewa sys says the GCC will be independent and politically neutral and its main role is to look after the good governance and well-being of the iTaukei.

“Scrutinizing the bills that affect the iTaueki. Only those bills, not all the bills, only the ones that affect the iTaukei. Then it will be taken to the GCC. The analysis, the assessment will be taken to the GCC before it’s referred to cabinet and eventually parliament. So there’s nothing to be there’s nothing to be worried about in that respect.”

The GCC will be reinstated after a lapse of 16 years and Tagicakirewa admits that many youths are not aware about its role.

PS for iTaukei Affairs Pita Tagicakirewa

He adds the GCC Implementation Team will help them address this issue by creating awareness.

“So we will have to recruit a very good communications person to help us with the awareness. What is the GCC, what was it before, what was its role before, how it contributed to iTaukei governance, how it contributed to national development and what is the role of the new GCC going forward?”

The GCC will be funded by a Trust Fund which has investments from both locally and abroad.