75% of parliament and registered voters need to vote for any changes on Itaukei land

75 percent of the members of parliament and 75 percent of registered voters in the country have to vote for any changes to the 2013 constitution which includes the sections dealing with protection of Itaukei land.

This amendment process is clearly stated in the constitution which means that any changes dealing with land needs to get the green light of three quarters of parliament and a national referendum has to come back with a result of three quarters of the registered number of voters agreeing to the change.

Section 28 of the constitution said that the ownership of Itaukei land shall remain with the customary owners of that land and Itaukei land shall not be permanently alienated whether by sale, grant, transfer or exchange except to the state when it is needed for a public purpose.

It is further stated that any Itaukei land acquired by the state for a public purpose after the commencement of the constitution or under any written law shall revert to the customary owners if the land is no longer required by the state.

Leader of the FijiFirst, Voreqe Bainimarama said people should not listen to politicians who are spreading misleading information about land and other issues.

National Federation Party Leader, Doctor Biman Prasad said their main focus is to have better relationships between the landlords and tenants. 

When asked on whether NFP believes that Itaukei land is well protected under the constitution as 75 percent of parliamentarians and registered voters have to agree to any changes, Doctor Prasad said he does not want to turn the land issue into a political debate.

Meanwhile the leader of the Fiji Labour Party wants the same provisions relating to land as stated in the 1997 constitution.

Mahendra Chaudhry says their main concern is that the provisions for the Agricultural Landlords and Tenants Act leases which were protected by the way of entrenchment in the 1997 Constitution is not in the 2013 constitution.

When asked on the Fiji Labour Party’s stand on the equal distribution of land lease money introduced by the Bainimarama led government, Chaudhry says they will leave this to be determined by the landowners.