Minister for Lands Jone Usamate says that the SODELPA MP Lynda Tabuya has been spreading blatant lies on social media about the Bill to amend the iTaukei Land Trust Act.
While responding to the 2021-2022 National Budget address, Usamate says these are the same lies that the Opposition used prior to the 2014 and 2018 elections where they tried to scare the iTaukei population.
He says Tabuya said that the authority of the TLTB to award leases has been removed but this is a lie.
Usamate also highlighted that Bill 16 of the State Lands (Budget Amendment) Act 2021 does not change the state’s ownership rights of the state land and this is also true for Bill 17.
He says it does not diminish the rights of TLTB over the land that it manages in the trust of the iTaukei landowners. Usamate also says that the 2021/2022 National Budget is a brave and sensible budget.
He says Members of the Opposition have referred to what the Government does as freebies and this implies that people getting the assistance do not really need it.
Usamate says these are not freebies, this is looking after the needs of those who need it and putting the interest of ordinary Fijians first.
