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On the Governance of Rotuma
by Sosefo Inoke
I have a suggestion as to how Rotuma could be governed. My suggestion
is that a Rotuma Island Authority be set up there.
What would the Rotuma Island Authority and its responsibilities
be?
The Authority would be a corporate body and would be responsible
for the management and development of Rotuma Island. It would hold
funds given by government and others and acquire funds of its
own for the development of the Island.
The current responsibility of the Council of Rotuma Island for
matters other than development would remain with the Council.
What would the powers of the Rotuma Island Authority be?
The Authority would have the usual powers of any government authority
to invest funds, to sue and be sued and so on and to be accountable
to the government for its expenditures and activities.
Who would be its members?
The Authority would be made up of elected members, a government
representative, and a Council representative.
How can we make it happen?
This is only a conceptual idea and obviously the details need
to be discussed and agreed upon amongst Rotumans both here
and abroad, and between our representatives and the government.
The Rotuma Act could be appropriately amended, or a separate act
altogether passed, to provide for the legal framework and details.
What is the aim and purpose of having such an Authority?
The aim is to allow the government to allocate separate funding,
and for Rotumans to acquire their own funding to supplement it,
for development and maintenance of infrastructure on the Island
and to give Rotumans more autonomy in deciding what to do and how
to do it. It is the first step, I believe, in overcoming problems
of lack of development on the Island and other difficulties such
as the inability of Rotumans to invest in Fijian Holdings because
the current definition of who is a "Rotuman" is not acceptable.
Submitted 25 July 2004
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