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Send responses to this document to Rotuman Forum for posting. Please include your full name and current home city. |
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Send responses to this document to Rotuman Forum for posting. Please include your full name and current home city. |
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Rotuman Land Commission Bula all! Can someone please elaborate more on the future registration of Rotuman land in 2004? From what I hear a few Rotumans are proposing to have a similar VKB (Vola Ni Kawa Bula) for Rotumans. "Traditionallly, a Rotuman has ownership rights in respect of both paternal and maternal lands. This we believe should not be changed unless Rotumans overwhelmingly wish it." (Submission by the Council of Rotuma to the Constitution Review Commission, Ahau, Rotuma 18 May 2001). Therefore the question pending is why do we need a VKB for us Rotumans? Rosie Catherine Kamoe Disputes over land ownership in Rotuma have been an ongoing issue. It's been a thorn in the side of many of us Rotumans. The problem needs to be fixed and a proper process put in place for the future rather than being dependent on current precedents of hearsay and the Rotuman derivative of 'is kainag ma 'on fuaga, gou hanua tape' ma. Given the size of Rotuma and the total number of Rotumans around, the Council's submission to The Constitutional Review Commission in May 2001 was precise and hit the nail on the head. There must remain a dual ownership right for every Rotuman on the basis of both paternal and maternal lands. Otherwise we'll find ourselves in a situation where there are more clan members with less land who are stuck and unable to settle on their maternal lands as per the basis adopted by the Fijians. Also the reverse can occur where all the clan members are dead and no one is left to claim or inherit the land. Though hypothetical, such an extreme situation would result in ownership of the land being relinquished to Government. Such a drastic situation is contemptible and we Rotumans must not allow it to happen. We should ensure that the Commission is aware of this whilst in progress. Less we forget that pear ta ma 'on maf ka ma 'on 'al so it doesn't bring any armou 'e hanua to anyone. The Rotuman Land Commission has intrigued me a lot since it was first mooted. With my concerns, I have patiently waited for this to eventuate and be clarified by the Council. I have heard that there have been a lot of discussions and wrangling about the issues involved. After reading the recent Council Minutes of 15 March 2004, as posted on this website, I must congratulate the Chairman and the Council Members for their foresight and effort. They have done the right thing by all of us to register the land ownership rights of every Rotuman on both paternal and maternal sides. It's now up to the matas and the overseers of the lands to do the right thing by all of us and explain the issue to rest of the clan members. Faia'ksia Henry Enasio Voice of the People Fiji Times online Rotuma land I WISH to raise my concern on the politicisation of the Rotuman land issue, quite possibly for the 2006 general elections. If the Government was serious about the amendment of the Rotuma Land Act (1959) such that it harmonises with Rotuman culture and tradition (one has land ownership right through both parents, unlike the Fijian system), it would have solved the problem by now. However, it sacked several land committees, selected three years ago, prematurely without any reason. It was a hush-hush affair and mere window dressing. What boggles the Rotuman mind is that the Government wants to consult Rotumans about the land issue again when the election is near and then adopt the VKB which recognises inheritance through the male line only. Rotumans know what the Government means by consulting on land -- talk only to those who want the VKB version adopted and brush aside the majority of Rotumans who have opposed the VKB since it was first raised in the Rotuman Council in 1956. The frightening thing is that it was instigated at the behest of
a handful of powerful and influential Rotuman bureaucrats supported
by wealthy and well-educated Rotumans in the private sector. In the midst of all this, greedy and wealthy Rotuman big-wigs will now be able to buy large tracts of recently converted Freehold land from extinct kainaga lands (clan or tribal land) and make their millions without a care in the world. What is disturbing is that the clique has made no secret of their agenda that they will prevail and the VKB will be adopted. Rotumans should select very carefully the candidate of their choice in the coming general elections in 2006, given this information update, and ensure that the clique and their associates do not enter Parliament through the Rotuman ticket. John Fuata --o0o-- Send responses to this document to Rotuman Forum for posting. Please include your full name and current home city. |
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