Qoliqoli Bill will never be supported by FijiFirst Party - Bainimarama

FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama said the Qoliqoli Bill will never be supported by the party as it will destroy the tourism industry.

Bainimarama made this statement after he was asked by a Levuka resident on why the government does not want the Qoliqoli Bill.

The FijiFirst Leader has opposed the Qoliqoli Bill since 2006 and this was also one of the main reasons for the December 2006 takeover.

The main purpose of the Qoliqoli Bill was the transfer of the proprietary ownership of qoliqoli areas from the state to the qoliqoli owners.

The former Laisenia Qarase led government had said that the Qoliqoli Billed is about the rights of indigenous Fijians to their traditional fishing grounds.

Meanwhile Bainimarama also said in Levuka that the only reason why SODELPA and Fiji Labour Party want the Great Council of Chiefs back and decided to go into a coalition after elections is that they are worried that they may not get enough seats to form government.

Bainimarama said the GCC was running parallel with the government which avoided ordinary people from making development submissions straight to the Prime Minister's office or other government departments.

While speaking in Nauluvatu, Laisenia Qarase told the people that the Social Democratic Liberal Party will bring back the Qoliqoli Bill if they form government after the election.

Qarase said it was the decision of the GCC to request the government for the return of the qoliqoli rights to the landowners. 

He said the return of the qoliqoli rights was discussed in the GCC meeting in Bau Island in 1982.

He said this was never done by the previous governments including the Alliance led government, the SVT government and the Labour government.