Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the Government will facilitate the Great Council of Chiefs’ transition to a fully independent institution, ensuring its autonomy in serving the true interests of our community.
Rabuka said this complies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
He said the first paper for information and discussions that GCC members will be on the document adopted by the UN in the 1990s after Fiji has had its own upheavals in 1987.
The Prime Minister also revealed its plans to review other indigenous institutions: the Fijian Administration, the Native Lands Commission and the Native Land Trust Board.
He called on the members to listen to one another as they discuss.
“Members of the GCC will hold different views on the issues they discuss. Ambition will be in conflict. And they may have serious disagreements about how best to serve.”
“They know that however sharp and heartfelt their disputes, however keen their ambitions, they have an obligation to work collaboratively about how best to serve the i-Taukei and the national interest.
Rabuka said the restoration of the GCC is not a step back into the past, but a leap forward, recognising the indispensable role of the GCC is not only safeguarding the interest and well-being of the i-Taukei but in its broader mandate to foster inclusivity and harmony amongst all.
“The re-establishment of the GCC heralds a new era of governance, one that recalls its illustrious past achievements while embracing the challenges and opportunities of the present and future,” he added.
