Village By-laws on Hold

by Timoci Vula

Saturday, December 11, 2010

VILLAGE by-laws proposed by the Government to arrest criminal activities in rural areas will take some time before provisions are fully implemented.

Tailevu Provincial Council chairman Joseva Seruilagilagi made this comment after the two-day provincial council meeting yesterday saying for the province at least, it could be another year before villages would fully act under those by-laws.

He reasoned at present, the department of i-Taukei Affairs was in consultation with the Human Rights Commission, the Citizens Constitutional Forum and other relevant human rights and constitutional organisations to gather its views on those proposed village by-laws.

"It will take some time because right now, we need to get their (human rights and constitutional organisations) views because Fiji has signed up on a number of conventions and we need to ensure that that does not clash with the by-laws," Mr Seruilagilagi said.

The proposed by-laws for all villages in Fiji were prompted by the noted increases in disorderly conducts and criminal activities in villages.

At its earlier provincial council meeting in May early this year, it was discussed that the department of i-Taukei Affairs had also seen the difficulty of villages in formalising village laws, thus the proposed by-laws to speed up this process.

The provincial council's report stated that after the Government received and analysed submissions from all villages, it would then be discussed by the ministry and Cabinet before the by-laws are approved, gazetted and distributed to the villages as law.

Mr Seruilagilagi said this would take some time but it would greatly assist in law and order in villages.