BY GEORGE MANFORD
AUKI
THE United Nation peace programme together with the Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace and Malaita province will host a three-day summit on traditional governance and customary land system.
Deputy Director from the Ministry of Traditional Governance, Peace and Ecclesiastical Affairs Mr Genesis Kofana said the idea behind the summit is Malaita province wants to come up with a land law especially to pave way and allow land in Malaita province for development especially for investors.
“We try to understand ourselves on what we have in our traditional systems where we can engage developments.
“As development comes from the western society it will remove some of our laws in the traditional system and some will still remain us our fundamental laws.
“Those fundamental laws of the customary land including tribal ownership and equal sharing for resource owners still remain based on customary land value.
“This is the main concept behind this summit that the Malaita provincial government has agreed upon that all lands in Malaita province must be free for development purposes.
“We will also be looking at creating a legal frame work which includes management, leasing, benefit sharing, and registration so that the same formular will apply to all kinds of development in our lands.
“Some of our senior state’s men will be available during the three days summit.”
“It is enough of talking about land but we need to move forward in development.”
Mr Kofana also highlighted that a group presentation concerning customary land reform will be made during the summit by some local chiefs who visited Fiji last year.
