TheSocial Democratic LiberalParty (SODELPA) is demandingthe Government withdrawthe iTaukei Land Trust (BudgetAmendment) Act 1940 that wasannounced during the 2021-2022 National Budget announcementlast Friday.
In a statement, SODELPAleader Viliame Gavoka called theamendment an act of bad faithand called on the Prime Ministerpersonally to see to its withdrawalas chairman of the TLTBand guardian of the landownersinterest.
He cannot sit undisturbedin this move by his Attorney-General towater down indigenousrights on his watch asboth the Prime Ministerand chairman of TLTB.
He said the proposedlaw would be tabled as aconsequential Bill to the2021-2022 National Budgetand the FijiFirst Governmentwanted it to be debatedin less than an hourof parliamentary time.
Mr Gavokasaid the Bill would affect Section12 of the iTaukei Land Trust Act1940, which required theconsent of the iTaukei LandTrust Board (TLTB) for anydealings related with thelease given to tenants.
What the FijiFirstGovernment is doing isintroducing a new subsection(1A) which will amendthe law consequentially notrequiring the consent ofthe board for any mortgage,charge, pledge, caveat or forany such lease to be dealtwith by any court of law or underthe process of any court of law,he said.
The new subsection three furtherreduces TLTBs discretion orthe landowners rights, interests,and wishes.
Basically once the tenants takethe lease, then, so long as the tenantis not in breach of any law, thetenant can effectively do most, ifnot all, the things that a commerciallessee and indeed a non-commerciallessee wishes without havingto consider, through TLTBsdiscretion, any rights, interests,or wishes of the landowners, headded.
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