Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama [left] and former Opposition Leader Sitiveni Rabuka

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says that it is only the 2013 Constitution that provides true protection to iTaukei landowners.

This comes after former Opposition Leader Sitiveni Rabuka defended the ‘land swap’ on Momi and Denarau under his SVT government as a mechanism enacted in law, to enable and facilitate development.

Bainimarama says land swap aside, the fact is that iTaukei land did get transferred to freehold land and then sold off to private parties in Denarau and Momi.

He says this shows that previously it was legally possible to permanently alienate iTaukei land from the iTaukei landowners.

Bainimarama adds it is only the 2013 Constitution that prohibits such dealings and now landowners can never be permanently alienated from their land.

This, he says is expressly enshrined in the Bill of Rights contained in the 2013 Constitution.

The Prime Minister also says Rabuka should read the 2013 Constitution as all previous laws and his constitution of 1997 did not protect the iTaukei land.

He has again assured that the rights, ownership and protection of iTaukei, Rotuman and Banaban land under Sections 28,29, and 30 of the Constitution will remain protected.