The Government has refuted the allegations and malicious misinformation which are being circulated through Social Media and other mediums by certain Political Parties and their supporters that the Registrar-General is no longer allowing the registration of the mataqali, yavusa, koro and tikina of all i-Taukei Fijians.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the registration of births, deaths and marriages is and has always been done under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the Act expressly provides that for a registration of i-Taukei Fijians, the information on mataqali, yavusa, koro and tikina which is provided by the applicant must be entered in any registration.
He said any allegation or rumor that the information about an i-Taukei person’s mataqali, yavusa, koro or tikina is being removed from birth certificates is also completely false and malicious.
Sayed-Khaiyum said to remove such information will be contrary to the Act and will be unlawful.
According to Sayed-Khaiyum, the government also refutes the allegations that a person is no longer entitled to register their children with hereditary title of Ratu and Adi in their names.
He said such titles can also be added to the name of any person whose birth is already registered which can be done via a Deed Poll.
