RATU ISOA TIKOCAS SPEECH: Madam Speaker, ni sa bula vinaka. I take this golden opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment as Speaker of this august Parliament. Not only as the Speaker of Parliament, but historically, as the first lady Speaker for Fiji’s Parliament. I wish you well in your appointment and future deliberations and control of the parliamentary proceedings. Madam Speaker, at this juncture I wish to extend my appreciation and thank all those who voted for me in the General Elections. Due thanks also goes out of course to my hard working campaign team – Ratu Emosi Lagilagi, Ro Mereani, Tuisese, Matakibau from Bau, Manasa and Dainiteci, Manasa Kikau who assisted in my campaign visits to villages and settlements in the Tailevu South area and through the urban portion of Nausori. I also offer my gratitude as well to those who also financially assisted me with my elections campaign. Kivei kemuni na Turaga Bale na Vunivalu, Ratu Epenisa Cakobau, a very special thank you, Sir, for appointing me to stand for the people of Tailevu. Likewise to the Turaga Bale na Ratu, Turaga na Tui Nakelo, to all the chiefs and people in Tailevu, my humble vinaka vakalevu to you all. Vinaka vakalevu Tora Dreketi, Turaga na Vunivalu, Tui Nadaku, Vunikalou, my lost brother Tui Vuci, the people of Naceruku and my people of Lomanisau – vinaka saka vakalevu na dina kei na veitokoni. Most importantly, I pay humble tribute and appreciation to my family who have always by my side throughout the very difficult political path we toiled through. Madam Speaker, as opposed to the norm in the former parliamentary system, as an opposition member and given the new form our parliamentary system has transitioned to, I am now obliged to focus my address on national rather than constituency issues. Before I do Madame Speaker, I thought I would raise some very important issues of this Parliament. We appreciate Madame Speaker, that as the former President and elected Member of Fiji First, you will at times have difficulty in maintaining your impartiality and independence in all matters under your control in this august Parliament, which is not helped, Madame Speaker, by the unbecoming behaviour of the honourable Prime Minister and the honourable Attorney – General during presentations of Members if this side of the Parliament. Madame Speaker, both the honourable Prime Minister and Attorney-General should protect your independence and integrity by desisting from trying to direct your management of this Parliament from their seats. If they have a Point of Order, do the right thing, stand up in this august Parliament and call it. Another observation, a number of honourable Members on this side of the Parliament have been warned, Madam Speaker to refrain from making remarks that are alleged to have contravened Standing Orders 62. However, Madam Speaker, a number of Members on the Government side, including the honourable Prime Minister have referred to their ‘revolution’ yet none of them have been pulled up for breaching Standing Order 62. A revolution, Madam Speaker, can also be a rebellion, revolt, insurrection, mutiny or uprising so its use gives rise to a breach of Standing Orders 62(4). Rule of Law: I would like to thank the honourable Attorney-General for giving us a lesson on what is meant by the rule of law, and how it applies equally to everyone who is brought before the courts. He also stressed the need for truth and honesty, and in fact highlighted intellectual dishonesty, perhaps referring to his side of the Chamber because, Madam Speaker, on this side of the Chamber, we believe and base all of our contribution on facts, not the distorted facts of just a few from the other side. Perhaps he was either being evasive or just plain ignorant of one important fact, and that is in the 2013 Constitution, Chapter 10, the Immunity provides safe haven from prosecution for the President, the Prime Minister and honourable Members on that side of the Chamber, including the Military, the Police and the Judiciary, as well as civil servants for their part in the events of 2006. So, by placing themselves above and beyond the rule of law, where is the equal application of the rule of law that the honourable Attorney-General refers to? A shining example of the intellectual dishonesty that this side of the Chamber will expose for the people to see over the next 4 years. Rights of Indigenous People: Madam Speaker, your recent ruling on the use of our mother tongue when delivering in Parliament is evidence of the Governments strong standing on zero tolerance of anything indigenous in our society now. This is Fiji, the native tongue is Fijian. If one cannot speak and or decipher the English language well, then one must be allowed to speak in one’s native tongue, and which I note is also taught in the school curriculum in Fiji, and that is, Indians speak Hindu, English people speaks English, and to anyone who may choose to speak in English, they may do so. Madam Speaker, I congratulate the government for their attempt to serve the iTaukei landowners, but they must understand that they are encroaching in an area outside their jurisdiction. NLTB, now iLTB is a Native Authority charged and paid for by Fijian Indigenous Landowners to look after their native land. I personally asked the General Manager of iLTB at our Provincial Council Meeting in Tailevu of how much the Bainimarama-led government financially contributes to the running of the iTLTB? He replied I quote: “Nothing. The Landowners pays for all.” Madam Speaker, can the Government explain the reason for these Decrees that have been passed, that diminish the landowners rights to ownership of all resources that are owned by the indigenous Fijians, whilst on the other hand, Government cleverly manipulates blind support from landowners thorugh the provision of freebies such as $10 million alluded to by His Excellency the President in his address, and which I say is hardly sufficient for these tactics which later dethrone the Fijians from their authority and indigenous rights. Lorimer Fison in “land tenure Fiji” said, “The end of the whole matter is that the tenure of land in Fiji is tribal and that the title is vested in all the full blood members of the tribe - Commoners as well as chiefs – not in any individual or individuals to the exclusion of the commoners though the total lands in many places are divided or sub divided amongst households and individuals ye each owner holds for a group and not for himself alone. He cannot alienate the land from his tribes nor can he dispose of it as that his own heirs shall not inherit it” The job of iTLTB is to honor this. They are supposed to be responsible to landowners who are paying them. Madam Speaker, in the eye of the, land includes the surface of the land, everything beneath the surface and everything affixed to the land. Further, to the rights, carriers with its right to property over things in the air space above the land. Madam Speaker, the renewal of lease without the consent of land owners by the iTLTB and the land bank of the Ministry of Lands has again reminded me of Sir Arthur Gordon, former Governor of Fiji, who is known also as Lord Stanmore in London. In the House of Lords, (House of Lords Paper, No. 205, page52, paragraph 13) he reiterated and I quote; “All who are acquainted with the Fijian race know perfectly well that if you separate them from their Land, the race will die out”. I urge the Government to slow down and ensure the interests of the indigenous people are safeguarded for greater peace and prosperity for our beloved nation. Madam Speaker, it took 65 years of research for the United Nations to finally agree to establish the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP). Therein all 47 Articles, I will share some to inform the people of Fiji, that the United Nations in 2007 established the UNDRIP to protect the Rights of indigenous peoples. This is designed to be part of any system of governance either to be a core part of democracy or an apolitical institution of a governance that runs parallel and is the duty of government to support it as it will generate peace, security and prosperity in the said country. I will recall the incident in Bougainville, where our military too k part in creating peace in Bougainville. Papua New Guinea has decided to take so much of the resources out there but people rebelled. So, after a long case that happened in the history of Bougainville and Papua New Guinea, they resort to Bougainville to be given the autonomy. Just now it is an autonomous government of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. For a multi-racial country like ours, it should be the democracy with the Fijian characteristic that will generate balanced participation and the outcome will generate a stronger, secure and prosperous economy that Fiji’s needs most. I only wish, Madam Speaker, that the UNDRIP reached our shores before our Fiji gained its Independence in 1970, Fiji would be so much better than Singapore today. How? The economics, security, stability, Peace, Prosperity, Harmony, zero Disparity and equal Growth to the multiracial people in Fiji would have been scored qualifying us “as the way the world should be” The truth of what we are going through now is the conniving use of that famous tourist slogan about Fiji, “the way the world should be”. Let me inform the whole world today that Christianity had created a new indigenous people 180 years ago, who I today, without any reservation whatsoever, can categorically state that we are the kindest people in this world. All races living amongst us here through generation can testify to this. Giving is our core function, it is habitual to all indigenous Fijians to give, hence it is simply right to return ownership to us indigenous peoples, the nation and all races will bear fruit of a renewed democratic Fiji that embraces the rights of indigenous peoples and human rights. I, Madam Speaker, would like to touch on some Articles of the UNDRIP: 1. Article 4 states, “Indigenous people in exercising their right to self-determination have the right to autonomy or self government in matters relating to internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions. • Article 8 (26) states, “State shall provide effective mechanism for prevention of, and redress for any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their land, territories and resources”. In 1970, the instrument of independence reached our shores but the ownership of the resources was not handed over to the rightful owner, the indigenous Fijian People. Madam Speaker, Article 10 states, “Indigenous people shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place before, free prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and where possible, with the option of return”. We strongly believe that we were “short changed” in 1970. The Queen took it all but returned all, just for the political governance to intervene and assume ownership. We give credence to the political leadership then to strengthen the Great Council of Chiefs and other Fijian administrative structures, as part of the Government to ensure a slow transition of de-colonization was to be carried out over the years. This was to fully return what we gave Her Majesty Queen Victoria and her family, to be fully returned to the Fijian indigenous people. Madam Speaker, the current Government has now removed all the safety catches designed to protect indigenous Fijians, and redirect the decolonization process to Government to fully own all the resources in Fiji. Madam Speaker; Article 26 states: • “Part 1 - Indigenous people have the right to their land, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned occupied or otherwise used or acquired. • Part 2 – Indigenous people have the right to own, use, develop, and control the lands, territories and resources that they posses, by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those they have otherwise acquired. • Part 3 - State shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories, and resources. Such recognition shall be conducted with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the indigenous peoples concern”. I wish to bring to light at this juncture, Madame Speaker, the fate of the people of Nausori. The kind chief and people gave their comfort and their very chiefly land to the Colonial Sugar Refinery Limited (CSR) to accommodate factories and residences of staffs during initial stage of the sugar industry in the yester years. As we learn to understand, when the decision to relocate the sugar industry to the west, the colonial government took advantage of the situation and established the Vunivivi Hill as the Government station and surprisingly, some significant portion of the land were converted to freehold land. The recent survey conducted by the late Ratu Luke Yavaca of NLTB, found only 18 aches now remain to the land owners of Nausori. Many governments have lead this country in the past. I, for one, as Commissioner of the Central Division have sounded all the ill effects and concerns of development and changes in the Nadonumai, Suvavou and Nausori Villages. The impact is catastrophic and the authority continues to expand and totally disregard restitution or where not possible just fair and equitable compensation maybe entertained as a token of appreciation to such a commitment. The Nausori Chief and their people, as well as Suvavou, are watching your government, to provide them a better deal. With the recent expansion of Nausori town the people of Nausori will continue to lose control of their land and resources. Suvavou village can no longer be extended, the new RB Patel supermarket location sealed it for good. Who allowed for this? It took 65 years for the United Nations to undergo detailed thorough research before endorsing this remarkable declaration, your 2013 Constitution is not even two years old. Is the United Nations racist, when simply it is merely stating the fact that the world must be educated to understand the simple fact that these are just the rights of indigenous people? I invite the honorable Members of this Parliament to at least read the Declaration, one could access it through the internet. I request if all of you gave reservations to the Declaration, then you may sound out your decisions so that the indigenous community of Fiji is informed of your views. Why are politicians covering the eyes of the people of Fiji by not educating the people of this Declaration? Our engagement with the United Nations has allowed Fiji to be widely recognized in the world, why have we been silent about this declaration since inception in 2007? Madam Speaker, I invite the Government to join the Opposition in our efforts to educate the people of Fiji of the UNDRIP. When this is addressed, the people then will be obliged to actively involve in the redesigning of a modern democracy with a Fijian character. The indigenous Fijian is of course resource very rich and whilst it is imperative that we undergo strenuous training on the art of business, we need to conduct proper management of resources. Indigenous Fijians are to be introduced thrift management skills and be tailored to a new business culture for modern indigenous Fijians. The economic disparity gap will finally disappear. Every Citizen will benefit from this new approach to economic prosperity. Security and Border Control Issues: Madam Speaker, I wish to now present my views on some security issues, especially border control. It is appalling to see the sudden influx of people of all races, some as far as “exotic” countries now entering our borders and residing in Fiji. Countries like New Zealand, Australia and even the United States with their robust border control capabilities continue to maintain control on international arrivals into their borders. Comparatively, Fiji with our inconsistent border control capabilities allow various persons, particularly from Asia, to enter Fiji, visa free, for a few hundred dollars, without the proper checks and balances that will ensure minimal border control issues and associated crime. Petroleum initiative: Madam Speaker, I note with some concern the recent developments relating to the petroleum potential in Fiji by this Government. A number of geological and seabed exploration tests have revealed that Fiji’s offshore basins had many similarities with the petroleum producing basins of East Timor and Papua New Guinea. Our source rocks and seabed are capable of generating oil and gas and the reefal structures potential for exploration. I refer Madam Chair to His Excellency’s address which refers to this. - End – (NB: Honorable Ratu Isoa Tikoca did not deliver the full speech due to time limitations. This speech excerpt as recorded in Hansard of Thursday 16th October, 2014)
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 01:34:08 +0000
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