CAMPAIGN 2014 SODELPA TEAM NORTH NATEWA On Saturday last, at about 10PM I had arrived at Natewa village.My ca mpaign manager, Gilbert Vakalalabure had decided that rather then to wait around at Buca for the church service to finish, that was then taking two hours already, we should use time to visit Vusa & camp at Natewa until Monday when we start at Wailevu west. Good because whilst we waited around Natewa we managed to visit Vusa & Dawa. Then Monday until Wednesday 25: 6; 14, after presenting our sevusevu to the Tui Wailevu we managed to cover Dawara, Keka, Natuvu, Naiqaqi & Valeni. Had to return to Suva on Wednesday when our vehicle broke down and to look for cash to continue campaignig. That portion of my effort has been made possible by donations of $1000 by CBM Adelaide & $500 sent by Mr & Mrs Setareki Savu, of USA who have promised another $500. Before the start of this campaign I had feared the villagers ignorance & lack of education will blind them from the real issues .Bainimarama had flooded these villagers with gifts to buy votes. Each village we visited confirmed receipt of at least two sewing machines each. Wailevu has a new secondary school fully paid by government & named after their chief called Uluivalili Secondary The Wailevu road is freshly graveled with machines working as we passed to anf fro. Bainimarama had even traveled to open the Nursing station at Bagasau & attend to the villagers at Vatuvonu. He is due to travel again to Savusavu to open the new legal aid office. Over the radio on all stations there are at least 10 advertisement by himself per day. All that while he is a civil servant holding the position of Prime Minister. Other government department contribute to his campaign . There is an ad by the Prime ministers office saying native land is better protected now then ever before.The ministry of housing has a program handing out $5000 to first home owners.There is a one hour daily program by a Mr Kisoko & a weekly program by Capt. Raturala. One estimate has it that Bainimarama has spent over $3M on these . The off side is a foreign debt of over $24Billion. I am suprised however how despite all these the native villagers have been firm, albeit quitely in their opposition. The chief of Dawara village even had the idea of writing down the names of SODELPA candidates. As he searched through the pages of an old diary while we waited, he said this is in order that I remember to confirm when you come around to meet you.The reception at every single village has been the same. But there is fear in their eyes. I asses what is difficult to erase from them is the anger and concern of the dictator forbidding the bose o viti to convene and passing laws to terminate the GCC and alienate controll of native land. For our part we explained carefully the need to remove this evil from power by our votes. We said the followig, The policy of this dictatorship is the removal of all rights of the taukei to their customary institutions, their land and all that hold them distinctly as an ethnic group with its identity. It is called mainstreaming & it is boldly exptessed in the peoples charter and Fijis report to the UN. Despite the UN disagreement the Dictatorship has passed many laws and continue to do so in its mainstreaming exercise. They include : 1. The Fijian affairs GCC regulation of 2007 to suspend the GCC. 2. The GCC amendedment decree of 2008 to teminate GCC nominees to the Fijian Affair Board to be replaced by govt appointees. 3. The Fijian Affair ( Provincial Councils ) amendment regulation of 2008 to terminate attendance at Provincial Councils of educated urban I taukei. 4. The Fijian Trust Fund ( amendment ) Decree No 2 of 2009 that terminated the GCC as appointing authority for the Fijian Trust Board & replacement by government. 5. The Native Land Trust (amendment ) decree No 31 of 2009 to terminate the appointing authority of the GCC to the Native Land Trust Board and its replacement by government alone . 6.The Native Land Trust (amendment ) Regulation of 2010 that terminated the share of royalty income for the chiefs. 7. The Mahogany Decree No 16 of 2010 that terminated NLTBs power and authority over mahogany leases & NLTBs power to fix & negotiate financial return on Mahogany and its replacement by a council headed by Bainimarama & Kaiyum. 7.The Surfing Areas Decree No 25 of 2010 that terminated control of surfing areas by Itaukei & their trustee Tltb vesting all rights under the Director of Lands. 8. The Fijian Affair (amendment ) Decree No 31 of 2010 that took away Fijian as their name replaced by i Taukei. 9 The Native Land Trust (Amendment ) Decree No 32 of 2010 that removed the President as chiefly representative & chairman of Tltb Board and replacement by the Prime Minister. 10. The Land Use Decree No 36 of 2010 that gives to the Prime Minister unfretted power to designate native land to a land bank to be administered by the land use unit & Director of lands. 11.The Native Land Trust (amendment ) Decree No 20 of 2010 that terminated the GCC authority over extinct mataqali land. 12. The Native Land Trust (amendment ) Decree No 20 of 2012 that terminated the power of the GCC to determine customary ownership of extinct mataqali land. 13 The Taukei Affairs(amendment ) Decree No 22 of 2012 that terminated the existence of the GCC. 14. The Taukei Trust Fund (amendment ) Decree No 23 of 2012 that terminated the GCC administrative power of the Fijian Trust Fund. 15. The 2013 Constitution that removed the entrenched provisions allowing the government of the day to change native land legislation without first obtaining the prerequisite prior consent of native owners These laws are proof to you of the governments intentions so do not be blinded by gifts parcelled out as development. Our only chance is on 17 September to defeat this evils &we do so by our votes. This is the only way we are getting our message to you because we have been denied the radio, newspaper, &TV. Our visit is not just campaign. It is also to educate you to be aware and appreciate the risks to your right as Inidigenous people . Because if we lose we must have a fallback position which is to continue to fight in all means allowed under our laws until our rights are fully restored as the UN has directed. I felt we were understood and appreciated by all adience in these villages. This picture : Natewa village shoreline & Natewa village looking from Vusa side .sorry cannot be uploaded .
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 04:30:28 +0000
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