‘Tighter protocols’ for VKB registration needed

‘Tighter protocols’ for VKB registration needed

Traditional leaders want to see tighter protocols restored to the registration process for Vola Ni Kawa Bula (VKB), the official record of iTaukei lineage. Great Council of Chiefs chairman Ratu Viliame Seruvakula said past reforms had weakened community oversight. “In the years gone by, if I wanted one of my kids to be entered in the VKB, I had to take him to the mataqali leader. Now, the law has been changed — anyone can go and enter names.” He…

GCC backs law change, land review

The Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) has strongly endorsed the removal of parts of the Constitution that infringe on the rights of indigenous Fijians. It has also called for a review of the iTaukei Land and Fisheries Commission, also known as the ‘Veitarogi Vanua’. GCC chairperson Ratu Viliame Seruvakula said certain aspects of the constitution stemmed from the colonial era and no longer met the challenges of today. The ‘Veitarogi Vanua’ was last r…