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The Municipal Crescendo: A Research Paper On The Prospect of Democratizing Fiji's Municipal System (Revised Version)

The research paper titled 'The Municipal Crescendo' by Rokoua Mataiciwa explores the potential for restoring democratic governance to Fiji's local municipal system, which has been under national government control for over a decade. Through surveys, the study reveals widespread dissatisfaction among citizens regarding the current unelected local councils and highlights a strong desire for a democratic system that allows local representation. The paper aims to fill a gap in academic literature on local governance in Fiji and emphasizes the importance of community voices in discussions about local democracy.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
32 views50 pages

The Municipal Crescendo: A Research Paper On The Prospect of Democratizing Fiji's Municipal System (Revised Version)

The research paper titled 'The Municipal Crescendo' by Rokoua Mataiciwa explores the potential for restoring democratic governance to Fiji's local municipal system, which has been under national government control for over a decade. Through surveys, the study reveals widespread dissatisfaction among citizens regarding the current unelected local councils and highlights a strong desire for a democratic system that allows local representation. The paper aims to fill a gap in academic literature on local governance in Fiji and emphasizes the importance of community voices in discussions about local democracy.

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Rokoua Mataiciwa
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The Municipal Crescendo: A Research Paper on the Prospect of Democratizing


Fiji's Municipal System (Revised Version).

Research · March 2025


DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10791.05283

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Variis Studiis: Vakadidike no. 22

The Municipal Crescendo


A Research Paper on the Prospect of Democratizing Fiji’s Municipal System
(Revised Version)

Rokoua Mataiciwa

Date & Time Competed: 10/03/2025 @ 7:01pm

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Declaration

I, Rokoua Mataiciwa, declare that this research paper is my own personal work and that to the full
extent of my knowledge, does not have any material overlapping with material submitted for the
award of any degree at any institution, or any other manner, except where due acknowledgement
is provided in this paper.

Date: 10/03/2025.

Name: Rokoua Mataiciwa.

1
Author’s Note

This research was originally conducted as an assignment in 2021 at the University of the South
Pacific. This was in the course DG 400: Advance Research Methodology, which aimed to teach
students about conducting a thesis type research. Each one of us had to pick a topic and carry out
a research on a smaller, more simplified scale in terms of the sample surveyed and word
numberings, which is why this is paper is far more smaller and perhaps less extensive as what a
normal thesis would have.

Nevertheless, having recognized that the enormous potential this topic has, I personally hope to
re-do this research on a wider scale in the future.

Much of what is displayed in this paper is from the original assignment, with some adjustments
made in the form of the incorporation of this personal notes section, a proposition section and an
omitted appendices section.

Aside from this, it is hoped that the information would be of help and also be informative to you
the reader.

2
Abstract

The administrative structure of every country is mainly divided into 3 levels, the national
government at the highest level, the sub-national level of government below that consisting of the
provincial, regional or state administration, and the local government. For most local governments
around the world, they have functioned under democratic rule with local members being given the
chance to elect their representatives. However, in Fiji’s case, democratic rule at a local level has
been absent for over a decade. This research paper assesses this subject by analyzing the prospects
of restoring democratic rule to the local government system in Fiji.

To address this matter, a sample was formulated with the necessary guiding techniques, upon
which a number of individuals were questioned about their feelings, views and sentiments on the
current local government system in Fiji, which is currently controlled by the national government,
as well as the prospects of democratizing such a system in the future.

In spite of the varying views presented, it is found that the majority of respondents, based on their
opinions and experiences, are not satisfied with the current local municipal system. Aspects such
as the council’s status as an unelected body, as well as its failure to directly communicate with the
community, has left many with a negative impression of the entity. This in turn has led to the
arousal of people’s desire to have a democratic system of local governance, as they believe that
their voices will be heard and they will also be represented by people from their own locality.

3
Acknowledgements

This research study was completed with the help of a very few individuals.

Firstly, I wish to thank God for his provision and guidance over my life.

Secondly, I wish to thank my family as always for their prayers and support. Without them, I won’t
have the means to pursue this path, which I have come to learn and enjoy a lot.

Thirdly, I wish also give acknowledgement to those who I encountered in the DG400 course while
conducting this research back in 2021. These included Professor Vijay Naidu, Paea Kuma, Raijeli
Niubalavu, Taniela Laqeni and many others. Much thanks is accorded to them for helping me with
the project, understanding more about research and making my academic journey at that time a
memorable experience.

Fourthly, I wish to also thank those individuals who participated in answering the questionnaires
provided. Without their involvement, this research paper would not have been done.

Last but far from the least, I wish to thank you the reader. Much gratitude and appreciation is
accorded from me to you for taking your time out to read this research paper and it is hoped that
by the end of it, or at least wherever before that, you may come out informed, perhaps thought
provoked and even more so, acquire some interest to read further.

Thanks.

4
Table of Content

Declaration................................................................................................................................................... 1

Author’s Note .............................................................................................................................................. 2

Abstract........................................................................................................................................................ 3

Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Table of Content.......................................................................................................................................... 5

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................. 7

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 8

1.1: Background & Problem Statement. ................................................................................................... 8

1.2: Aims and Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 9

1.3: Research Questions ........................................................................................................................... 9

1.4: Rationale............................................................................................................................................ 9

2. Literature Review ................................................................................................................................. 11

2.1: Features and Models of Local Governance..................................................................................... 11

2.2: Application of Models to Countries in Academic Research ............................................................ 12

2.3: Fiji’s Historical developments in Local Governance ...................................................................... 13

3. Methodology and Methods ................................................................................................................... 16

3.1: Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 16

3.2: Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 16

3.3: Data Analysis Method ...................................................................................................................... 17

4. Limitations of the Research ................................................................................................................. 18

5. Data Analysis & Findings ..................................................................................................................... 19

5.1: Perceptions of Local Municipal Councils ....................................................................................... 19

5.2: Attitudes towards the Current Local Government System. .............................................................. 21

5.3: Prospects of a Democratic Municipal Council................................................................................ 25

5
6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 29

7. Implications ........................................................................................................................................... 30

8. Propositions ........................................................................................................................................... 31

9. Appendices ............................................................................................................................................. 33

9.1: Appendix A – Towns and Cities in Fiji ............................................................................................ 33

9.2: Appendix B – Photos of Municipal Councils .................................................................................... 34

9.3: Appendix C – An Opinion on the Future of Municipalities ............................................................. 38

9.4: Appendix D – Reconfiguring Town Settings .................................................................................... 41

References .................................................................................................................................................. 45

6
List of Figures

Figure 1: Has the Municipal Council reached out to your community? .................................................... 22

Figure 2: Municipal Council Type Preference ........................................................................................... 26

Figure 3: Map of Fiji Islands with Highlighted Towns & Cities. .............................................................. 33

Figure 4: Sigatoka Town Council. ............................................................................................................. 34

Figure 5: Savusavu Town Council ............................................................................................................. 34

Figure 6: Special Administrators of Lautoka & Ba.................................................................................... 35

Figure 7: Nadi Town Council .................................................................................................................... 35

Figure 8: Suva Municipal Boundary & Wards. ......................................................................................... 37

Figure 9: Map of Lami Town. .................................................................................................................... 41

Figure 10: Map of Lami & Suvavou Foreshore Area. ............................................................................... 42

Figure 11: Map of Lami Foreshore Area. .................................................................................................. 43

Figure 12: Map of Tavua Town. ................................................................................................................ 44

7
1. Introduction

1.1: Background & Problem Statement.

“Local governments are the foundation of democracy.”

(Reichardt, 2019)

The administrative structure of every country is mainly divided into 3 levels, the national
government at the highest level, the sub-national level of government below that consisting of the
provincial, regional or state administration, and the local government consisting of the municipal
councils in the towns and city areas (OECD, 2018; Three Levels of Government, n.d.). Out of the
three levels mentioned above, the local government level is considered to be the most important
as it is closest to the citizens and its administrative work intersects with their everyday needs and
concerns (Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, 2016). Part of its function is the
exercise of democracy. It is a widely accepted notion that democracy is viewed as a central pillar
to a civilized and modern society (Han and Dong, 2006). While the focus of democracy’s exercise
has been trained at a national level, the real base is at the local government level as it is the most
effective platform that allows active participation for the community (Mill, 1861; Smith, 1998).
For most local governments around the world, they have functioned under democratic rule with
local members being given the chance to elect their representatives. However, in Fiji’s case,
democratic rule at a local level has been absent for over a decade. This was due to major reforms
in the local government system in 2009 and since then, local municipal councils have functioned
with an unelected status, under the direction of the national government. It is here where the
problem is founded and the context of this research is established as the absence of local democracy
denies ordinary people their right to elect their own representative who could raise their concerns
and address issues relating to their own locality.

8
1.2: Aims and Objectives
The overall aim of this research is to study Fiji’s current local governing system and determine the
prospects of restoring democratic rule. The significance of this aim is due to the absence of
democratic rule in the local government system for over a decade and the importance local
governance has towards citizens in terms of being a foundation to community participation and
democracy. The objectives attached to it are as follows:

 To explore what people’s perceptions are about local municipal councils;


 To know what are the local’s attitudes towards a government appointed municipal council
and a democratically elected municipal council;
 Identify the factors local communities have in wanting to have or not have a democratic
form of local governance.

1.3: Research Questions


The questions that will be posed in this research are:

1. Is the current centralized system of local governance in Fiji satisfactory to local


communities? and
2. Does a desire for a democratic system of local governance exist?

1.4: Rationale
In rationalizing this research, there is a need to acknowledge its importance from a number of
areas:

i. Gap in academic literature


The first factor that justifies this research is the fact that there is a gap in academic literature
with regards to the subject of local governments in Fiji. Though there have been studies
conducted on Fiji’s local government system by Qalo (1984), Khan (2007) and even the
Commonwealth Local Government Forum (n.d.), there hasn’t been any other study done
aside from these three works. Furthermore, the first two studies were done while elected
municipal councils were still in place, prior to the reforms in 2009 while the study carried
out by the CLGF only provides an overview of the history, structure and organizational
functions of municipal councils, but not on the debate regarding the current status of local
governments. In essence, all three works do not reflect the atmosphere of local
governments in recent times and also does not take into account the issues concerning the

9
prospects of democratizing the system after years of direct control, which is the context
this research is founded upon.

ii. Lack of attention towards local government democracy


In relation to the first point, the second factor is that there is a lack of attention given
towards local governments and the prospects of democracy. Much of the attention of
academics has been to the national level and this is left little focus on local governments,
its development in the past decade and the prospects of democracy at their level.

iii. Absence of voices from local communities on local governments in literature


The third factor is the absence of voices from the local communities themselves within the
context of literature. Given that it is they who pay the municipal rates and receive the
services of the local council, it is these people whose voices should matter on whether the
current systems of local government are satisfactory and if they wish to have elected local
representatives. More importantly, while some calls from the public regarding the local
government system have been made through newspaper and even social media, none of
these have been used in formal research work, which also relates to the first point in the
lack of coverage in this area.

10
2. Literature Review

2.1: Features and Models of Local Governance


The subject of local governments and how they operate has been the focus of many academic
research. Much of these works pertained to the general relationships local governments have with
their counterparts at the national level, namely in terms of decentralization. Within the context of
political governance, decentralization is a concept that involves the loosening of central control
and the empowering of local areas to make decisions and manage their affairs through their elected
representatives (UN-HABITAT, 2002; UNDP, 1999; Nasser and Donsimoni, 2012; Kasim and
Agbola, 2017). Proponents of the concept suggest that it brings about a number of benefits for the
members of the locality. These include the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery towards
locals and even more so, the platform it provides for participation by anyone in the community,
including women and minority groups (Misuraca, 2007).

One factor that enables these benefits is the ability of local community members to elect their
representatives. Given its close proximity to local citizens, democracy plays a central role and the
involvement of many members in the democratic and decision making process is essential since
local authorities are at the center of professional and political attention (Vlaj, 2005; Ndreu, 2016;
McCarney, 1996).

Another factor that helps establish a properly functioning local government is the well-defined
boundaries of powers and relations it has with the central government. Kjelberg and Dente (1988)
divided the nature of such relations into two models, the first is the separationist model,
alternatively known as the autonomous model and it involves the central governments granting
local governments autonomy with little interference while the second model is the integrationist
model whereby the central government actively interferes with the administration of local
governments.

The two overall factors that ensure a properly functioning local government system are the ability
for local communities to participate in decision making and a well-defined relationship between
local governments and the central government.

11
2.2: Application of Models to Countries in Academic Research
The models developed by Kjelberg and Dente have been applied to various countries in terms of
the central government’s relations with local governments. In their comparative study of local
governments systems in Europe, Kukovic and Hacek (2019) had observed that different countries
in the region had adopted various systems of governances but all under one of the two models of
separationist and integrationist. In their study, they found that countries like Sweden were found
to be of separationist nature as their local governments have minimal interference from the state
while other countries like the United Kingdom had more of an integrationist type of system as the
central government interfered with local governments. While their work was focused on Europe,
the models were not applicable to the region alone as subsequent studies conducted in other areas
have shown similar findings.

A comparative study done by Chowdhury and Al-Hossienie (2012) focused on the local
government systems between Japan and Bangladesh and they observed the difference that existed
in both countries using the separationist and integrationist models. With use of these concepts, the
authors found that Japan’s local government system incorporates a separationist type of
administration as the local people are given the choice to elect their representatives who bears a
wide range of roles and responsibilities. In performing such tasks, Japanese local governments are
also found to have carried out their functions with comprehensiveness, using strong accountability
measures while maintaining their autonomy.

By stark contrast to this, the local government system in Bangladesh fell on the lines of the
integrationist model as their local councils are directly influenced by the central government. It
was also found that not only did they lack autonomy from the state, but also lacked the necessary
accountability measures, making way for maladministration and even more evidently there were
instances where the state had actively interfered into the affairs of local councils. This was the case
with the elected local government of Upaliza Parishad as it was dissolved by the central
government and replaced by central appointed staffs. The consolidation of political control was
the probable reason for the event as ruling political parties feared losing their support bases. This
study not only puts into application the integrationist and separationist models, but also shows the
depth of relations local governments have with their central overlords.

12
Similarly, a series of researches by Nazrul and Mohabat (1997) and Haq and Akber (2015)
analyzed the developments of Pakistan’s local governments. Their studies shed light on the events
where the provincial governments of the North West Frontier, Sindh and Punjab had dissolved
their elected local governments in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively, citing corruption and
administrative deficiencies as the reasons for their actions. In their places, government appointed
administrators were sent to run the affairs of these areas and local elections were delayed. Given
its history of turbulence with various political parties coming into power with their own agenda,
coupled with the occurrence of military coups, the authors discovered that in spite of efforts to
reform and development an effective local government system, much of it was still plagued with
corruption, mismanagement of resources and overall bad governance. This particular study shows
that Pakistan’s local government is more of an integrationist in nature with local governments
being prone to interference from the provincial and central government, but even more so it also
shows the extreme length higher tiers of power can seek to control local governments for their
political benefit.

2.3: Fiji’s Historical developments in Local Governance


Having discussed the literature conducted on local governments in other countries and the models
that are used to denote their respective statuses, the focus now turns to Fiji and its development
with local governance. Like many other countries in the Pacific and even beyond, Fiji can trace
the origins of local governments to colonial times (Olowu, 2012; Hassall and Tipu, 2008). The
oldest municipality in Fiji is at Levuka, which was established in 1877 (Cava, 2021). Since then,
other areas in Fiji have gone on to attaint municipal status. In total, two city councils have been
established in Suva and Lautoka while eleven town councils were formed in Sigatoka, Nadi, Ba,
Tavua, Rakiraki, Nausori, Nasinu, Lami, Labasa, Savusavu and Levuka (Ministry of Local
Government, n.d.; The Fijian Government, 2012; CLGF, 2019). Overtime, the nature and
structures of local governments had evolved. This culminated in the Local Governments Act 1972
which established that all municipal councils had to be elected and was granted some
administrative autonomy (LAWS OF FIJI CHAPTER 125 LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 1985). Even
with legislative provisions defining its scope, there were some questions towards its functions.

13
In his research on Fiji’s local governments, Ropate Qalo (1984) noted that though there was
significant progress, there were calls for greater decentralization of certain administrative
responsibilities towards local governments from the central government who plays a supervisory
role over them. However, he also highlighted that major faults existed in local governments and
such areas needed improvement. Qalo stated that:

“Undoubtedly there is much in current municipal government in Fiji that requires attention,
particularly in public relations, finance and other forms of decision making, internal relations,
party discipline, personnel management and training. These and other areas all bear directly or
indirectly on the issue of increasing the public accountability of urban authorities.”

Though Qalo’s study was focused on the local government system in Fiji during the 1970s and
early 1980s, these issues were asserted in later studies.

For instance, Khan (2007) highlighted that all town councils needed the central government’s
approval when it came to their fiscal functions. He also added that one of the major challenges
plaguing municipal councils was the lack of necessary resources available, incapacitating them
from meeting their objectives. He concluded his study by recommending a drastic revision of
legislative frameworks and the promotion of greater collaboration between municipal councils and
stakeholders. Not long after Khan’s study, major reforms took place in the local government
system which was initiated by the then interim Military government. In late 2008 and early 2009,
all municipal councils were dissolved and the elected office holders were replaced by the town
clerks, who were renamed to Chief Executive Officers, working under the government appointed
Special Administrators (Chand, 2008; Former Suva mayor questions Fiji municipal councils'
dissolution, 2009).

Since then, the central government had taken direct control over the affairs of local governments
and there have been calls to restore democratic rule from some politicians. National Federation
Party members Lenora Qereqeretabua and Biman Prasad criticized the government’s stance in
delaying municipal elections, stating that is was a denial of people’s right to participate and an
outright dictatorship, cementing their political control knowing that if local elections were allowed,
the opposition parties would win (Rounds, 2019; Fiji govt criticized over handling of municipal
councils, 2019; Prasad, 2021). In response, the government had dismissed such suggestions, saying
that it was a matter administrative malpractices serving as the reasons for the delay. The minister

14
of Local Government Premila Kumar stated that during the times of elected municipal councils,
there were multiple cases of corruption and questionable dealings and that local elections would
take place when necessary reforms are made (No municipal elections for Fiji until "major reforms",
2019). In comparing Fiji’s current local government system to that of the countries in the academic
literature above, it can be said that Fiji is integrationist in nature, with heavy involvement from the
State and an absence of democratic representation, resembling that of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

15
3. Methodology and Methods

3.1: Methodology
The research will be qualitative in nature. A qualitative research is one that seeks to understand
how people view the world they live in and the experiences they get out of it (Merriam, 2009).
Given that qualitative research focuses more on society’s views and experiences, this strategy
would be helpful in getting to understand how people view the current local government system
and what are their opinions and thoughts about possibly having democratic representation restored.

Moreover, the use of the qualitative methodology grounds the research in the social constructivism
approach. The approach of social constructivism involves the constructing of knowledge through
social interacting (Mckingley, 2015). To construct this knowledge, there are several notions that
should be acknowledged. According to Kim (2006), social constructivism is underpinned by three
assumptions, the first being that reality is built on a social invention, the second is that knowledge
is formed based on people’s interaction with their environment and thirdly, people learn when
engaging in with one another. In essence, by learning from others and gaining knowledge from
their surrounding environment, people are able to invent what they perceive as reality and it is
from this stance where the research establishes its qualitative nature and subsequently, the data
collection tools shall be associated with this approach.

3.2: Methods
In the course of the research, one method of the qualitative approach was employed and that is the
questionnaires survey. The questions were semi structured in nature and incorporated both open
and closed questions. The sampling technique used is a combination of the snowball sampling
method and the convenience sampling method. According to Taherdoost (2016), the snowball
method is a technique where one or more participants are used to recruit others into the sample
while the convenience method is one that involves the recruitment of readily available people who
are easy to contact. The reason for using both methods was due to the restrictions face from the
outbreak of the second Covid-19 wave, which will be explained further in the limitations section.

The questionnaires were distributed online through email to 24 individuals, out of which only 13
responded. Twelve of these respondents are given codenames to preserve their anonymity. The
codenames of the participants are R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12. The

16
letter “R” is in reference to the first letter in the term “Respondent” while the numbers are assigned
to each person for identification purposes. In addition, one special questionnaire, also semi-
structured, was given to a Special Administrator, who serves in two Municipal Councils and the
individual will be given the codename SA1, with the letters “S” and “A” in reference to the title
the person holds (i.e. Special Administrator).

The rationale for using this qualitative tool stems from the understanding that such a technique
falls in line with the qualitative approach of this research. Having a semi-structured questionnaire
would see a combination of information desirably gathered with closed questions, and the open
questions providing respondents with the freedom to express their views and opinions of the local
governing system.

3.3: Data Analysis Method


Once the necessary data was collected from the respondents, it had to be analyzed under a
particular method and the approach used was the thematic analysis approach. According to Braun
and Clarke (2012), thematic analysis enables the researcher to view and make sense of people’s
experiences and opinions towards a particular subject. This analytical approach is useful for the
research, given that it seeks to identify and uncover what people think and feel about their local
municipal councils.

17
4. Limitations of the Research

Like all other research works, this one did have a number of issues and limitations. Much of this
was the result of the second wave of COVID-19 that swept Fiji from late April. As result of the
outbreak, there were three limitations encountered.

The first limitation was regarding the restrictions made on the distribution of questionnaires.
Initially, it was planned to have questionnaires distributed to students of the university and
community members in a particular locality, with the use of the purposive sampling technique is
the sampling method. However, since the Delta variant of the COVID-19 outbreak led to strict
movement conditions and a curfew, the physical distribution of questionnaire papers became
difficult and somewhat impossible as everything had to be done online via email. Moreover, due
to the inability to reach the targeted population, the questionnaires were given to a number of easily
contactable people, who then attempted to recruit others, hence the employment of the convenience
and snowball sampling methods.

The section limitation experienced was the small sample size. The planned target range was
between 15 to 20 participants at the least, however in the end there were only 13 respondents. In
spite of the underwhelming numbers, this shortcoming was made up for in the form of the
satisfactory level of information provided by the respondents.

18
5. Data Analysis & Findings

The issue of local governments has been one that has continuously been discussed on the national
stage. While much of this subject has been raised by politicians and ordinary people alike, this
research gives emphasis on the latter and the data collected from them, seeks to identify the
patterns based on their responses and construct the social realities forged by their experiences and
opinions.

Based on the perspective of the common person, the analysis will be divided into three parts which
are firstly, the perceptions of local municipal councils, their attitudes towards the current municipal
system and lastly, their views on the prospects towards an elected municipal council. These three
parts are closely linked and are even rooted in the three objectives set out for this research.

5.1: Perceptions of Local Municipal Councils


The first part of this analysis is on the perspectives of local municipal councils. It mainly seeks to
uncover what people view and think about the municipal council as an institution and this is
essential as before any opinions and viewpoints can be constructed, there is a need to identify first
what is their general understanding is about the subject matter. In observing their response, it
became a clear trend that all participants possessed a fairly adequate knowledge about the
institution and the important roles they play, though this was made to varying extents. Six
respondents (R1, R2, R5, R7, R10 and R12) plainly viewed them as an entity whose importance
stems from the provision of services to ratepayers within their boundaries in the form of grass
cutting, rubbish collection, drainage maintenance and general beautification. Other respondents
(R4, R6, R8 and R9) took an extensive view to the municipal council and saw them as not only a
service providing body, but also a platform of potential importance for community governance
and development. This was captured by the statement made by two of the respondents:

“They are very important because they play a major role in terms of managing a area particular
and filling the gap for the government. Providing wide range of services for example making sure
the houses are built according to the guidelines, community awareness, working with police to
decrease the crimes. Also beautifying the area/community”. (R6)

19
“I understand that it is an important body of any government that listens and deal directly with the
community in terms of issues relating to economy, public health, public security and safety. The
council should be the focal point of government when interacting with matters relating to the people
in a community.” (R8)

Much of the perceptions depicted by the respondents are common features attached to a municipal
council given its close proximity towards the local people and its capacity to make the greatest
impact in that area. Based on this understanding, a natural acknowledgement over the significance
of community participation was also made, which was another trend identified. An overwhelming
sentiment that resonated amongst respondents was that community members do deserve to
participate in the affairs concerning their area and that the councils themselves should allow for
community participation. Some of the comments which came from R4 and R8 expressed their
views on this matter:

“Since these community members live in the community, they will have more better ideas on how
to better their community. And being part of the community they will help the community with good
intentions as they in the community.” (R4)

“No-one knows the workings of a local community than the local communities themselves. They
know the challenges faced by each individual in that local community so it is best to involve local
community participation at the Municipal Councils.” (R8)

An interesting view was provided by R5, who offered a more restrained stance by stating that only
ratepayers deserve to participate. The respondent stated that:

“Only rate payers should be given the right to participate. The rest who do not pay rates, namely
in the informal settlements should not participate.” (R5)

The view held by R5 raises a wider issue on the disproportionate balance between the total
population and the total number of registered rate payers. This was even highlighted by the
Minister of Local government Premila Kumar in Parliament, in which she noted that municipalities
such as Suva, has a total population of 93,000 but has only 11,401 ratepayers while Nasinu has a
population of 92,000, but registered only 11,525 as ratepayers (Kumar, 2021). The probable cause
of this is the increase of informal settlements which are the result of the rural urban drift.

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There is another perspective to this and that is from the side of SA1. In placing the question about
the individual’s perceptions about municipal councils, SA1 stated that the work they do as an entity
is guided by the Laws of Fiji which is the Local Governments Act (Chapter 125). In terms of its
functions and revenue sources, the individual stated the following:

“In general: the Council is responsible for the management, maintenance and development of a
town. This role include orderly development of residential areas, shops, industrial and other
services, upkeep of healthy hygiene/sanitation of the town ( collection of garbage, cutting grass,
sweeping streets, cleaning drains, spraying during rainy days to control mosquito breeding, etc.)

As source of income, It collects rates from property owners, fees from taxi, bus, minibus, carrier
operators to defray costs such as employee wages, operating costs, etc.” (SA1)

In essence, the views held by SA1 about what local municipal councils do is in line with the
sentiments held by R6 and R8, whereby their believed that the main job of a council is to ensure
the proper management and development of a municipality and everything that is based within it.

Nevertheless, in reflecting on the initial feedback from respondents about how they generally view
local municipal councils, its importance and it relation towards the community, virtually all have
a share understanding that local municipal councils have a duty to attend to matter effecting the
community. In doing so, they envision this idea of an interactive relationship between the council
and its community, in which the latter are given the opportunity to raise concerns and make
decisions on local affairs from a local perspective. This view is linked to the concept of
decentralization discussed in the literature review, more specifically with the notion put forth by
Misucara (2007) that having a decentralized platform that enables a community members, accounts
for a better performing local government.

5.2: Attitudes towards the Current Local Government System.


Having established the perceptions respondents have about local municipal councils as an
institution, the focus can now be made on what their views and experiences are about the current
municipal system. As stated in the literature review earlier, since 2009, Fiji’s local government
have been operated by central government officers who work under the position of Special
Administrators. One major theme that came out of this aspect was the general dissatisfaction the

21
respondents have towards the current municipal system and this disapproval stem from two factors
which serve as the sub-themes.

The first factor that contributed to the general theme of dissatisfaction was the lack of interaction
between the municipal council and the local community and this is shown in the following figure:

Figure 1: Has the Municipal Council reached out to your community?

Though three respondents or 25% of the sample had stated that they had seen the municipal council
reach to their community, the other 75% or nine participants (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R7, R9, R11
and R12) had stated that they have not had any municipal officer reach out to them or their
respective communities for any consultations or feedback. This in turn has left them uninformed
about what is happening in their area and even somewhat frustrated about the lack of awareness.
These were some of the statements given by the respondents.

“We absolutely have no idea what’s going on.” (R6)

“We don’t know what is happening around our community because we are never informed.” (R12)

The second factor which has been cited as the reason for their dissatisfaction is over the belief that
since municipal officials are unelected and are directly appointed by government, they do not
possess the grassroots connections and knowledge to understand the concerns of the community.
This feeling is demonstrated by two respondents, who stated the following:

22
“At the moment, there are some holding positions that do not even reside in their local areas. They
are already disconnected from the people. Even now I still do not know who are the representatives
at the Lami Town Council. This is because they get paid but do not acknowledge those that
contribute to their pay and we see little interaction between council and local people.” (R7)

“From my perspective government appointed councils answer to the government rather than
attending to issues related to communities. The priorities of government appointed councils are
influenced to some extent.” (R11)

These sentiments, and the reasons they are based on, corresponds to the earlier discussion in the
literature by Rounds (2019) and Prasad (2021) relating to the criticisms made by opposition
politicians Lenora Qereqeretabua and Biman Prasad on the ineffectiveness of having government
appointed municipal councils in reaching out to locals and representing their interests and
concerns. As it turns out, not only are these views held by politicians, but as per this analysis, it is
also held by the people themselves.

However, such a view is not unanimous among the participants. For instance, one respondent (R5),
gave an alternative view and stated that she was satisfied of the current municipal system. An
extract of her comments reveal the reasons for her approval:

“Right now, with the special administrator there, there can be more transparency as they can
identify who is not working honestly in terms of corruption and embezzlement and this was a
problem for a long while with many taking advantage of council resources.” (R5)

The views held by R5 are also shared by SA1, whose views were not only concerned with that,
but also with other aspects covered in this section. In regards to the matter of the council’s relations
with the community, SA1 stated that:

“Yes, the council promotes open door policy by listening to its staff and public who are encouraged
to share their concerns either through: personal approach, suggestion box, phone, in writing, etc.
The council in its monthly meetings compiles and resolves complains in a month.
Besides, there are other forums such as: viber, facebook, rate payers/business house forums and
meetings organised by the council as and when deemed necessary to inform and to share
information or issues of mutual interest.” (SA1)

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SA1 insists that with the current methods they have employed, namely in the form of an open door
policy for people to bring in their concerns, as well as having viber/ facebook forums and in-person
forums, which they organize not based on a regular period, but rather whenever they deem it
necessary to organize such a meeting, that they feel it is enough done to reach out to the public
and get the necessary information they need, which come the time they have their monthly council
meetings, would then be addressed. This also naturally led to SA1’s stance of being satisfied with
the current municipal system and also stated that the presence of the government appointed Special
Administrators is beneficial as displayed below:

“By virtue of the appointment, it establishes line of reporting and responsibility to oversee and
report on good governance and orderly management and development of the Council and township
respectively to the satisfaction of rate payers of a city or town.

The town council should be engine room that fuels up or directly contribute towards economic
development at district level be it in the area of industry, manufacturing, service, etc,. The above
goal must be very crystal clear to the Council apart from delivering basic services to its rate
payers.” (SA1)

The statement made by SA1 refers to the notion that since Special Administrators are
government’s appointed agents to the local municipality, they ensure that not only government
policy is streamlined down to the local level, but that the values held by government, or more
specifically the Ministry in terms of proper governance, effective performance also manifest to
such levels too. This, coupled with what was shared by R5, touched into the issues of
maladministration effecting many municipal councils in the past and this observation is not an
isolated one as is has been echoed by Qalo (1984), and Khan (2007), who both saw that many
municipal entities not only lacked in sufficient resources to properly function, but also lacked
accountability and in doing so, was rife with corruption and mismanagement, thus the eventual
intervention and subsequent control by central government. However it should also be noted even
with the current arrangements, municipal councils still face some problems. Minister of Local
Government Premila Kumar admitted that they still receive corruption complaints involving
municipal councils on a regular basis and among this included a staff of the Nausori Town Council,
who was terminated for being engaged in corruption, as well as eight people which included some
members of the Nasinu Town Council was held for a $400,00 corruption case involving the Nasinu

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Town Council and aside from this, a Corruption Impact Assessment carried out by FICAC on the
Sigatoka Town Council found that there were a 12 risk areas regarding management, internal
controls and external party relations that served as loopholes for corruption to take place (FICAC,
2019; Chand, 2020; Tadulala, 2021). This goes to show that though there have been some moves
made to improve the performance of municipal councils, many of them are still struggling with
corruption.

In summarizing what has been gathered in this section, it has become clear that there is some sort
of contrast in terms of the views held between respondents about their attitudes towards local
government. The majority of the respondents held negative views towards local governments due
to their lack of communication with the community and the fact that they were led by government
appointed Special Administrators, which they felt deprived them even further from the
representation and involvement that they feel they deserve. On the other hand, two respondents,
viewed the current system favorably, insisting that they would ensure the proper governance the
councils needed in order to meet local demands and affairs. Though conflicting, it is interesting to
note that different attitudes are held about the current local government system.

5.3: Prospects of a Democratic Municipal Council


After demonstrating the affirmed position made by the majority of respondents on their
dissatisfaction towards the government appointed municipal councils, the third part of this analysis
takes a direct look on what they think on the prospects of democratizing local municipal councils.
In assessing their respective responses, the prevailing theme that arose among most participants
was their preference to have an elected municipal council and this is shown in the following figure:

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Figure 2: Municipal Council Type Preference

Based on the above figure, 11 respondents (92%) preferred to have an elected municipal council
while only 1 respondent (8%) preferred the Government appointed municipal council. In relation
to the former, the desire to have a municipal government of elected nature can be traced back to
two sub-themes.

The first sub-theme that helped lead to the main trend is the idea of increased community
involvement. This was expressed by the participants in which they felt that an elected municipal
body would enable the community to become more involved. By electing their representatives to
the body, community members are given the means to directly raise concerns, offer ideas and
provide feedback to the council about their work, something that they have earlier expressed to be
a non-existent aspect of the current municipal councils. Some comments that allude to this includes
the following:

“This is because they understand what is actually happening at the ground level. Hence, they will
be able to improve the standards of the community.” (R6)

“…it would be good if they have local community representatives on board, every step of the way.
They (local community reps) would be informing them (Council) of the realities on the ground and
once they have all their facts together, make a uniformed decision that has wholly taken into
account every aspect there is. At the end of the day, it’s about the PEOPLE and their
COMMUNITIES.” (R9)

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The second sub-theme that contributed to the main trend is the belief in greater accountability and
transparency. A few respondents, namely R2, R7, R10 and R11, embraced the notion that electing
their own municipal council members would not only enable greater community involvement, but
since these representatives have their mandate from the community, they will have to be
answerable to them for whatever decision is made. This was highlighted by some of the comments
made by the participants:

“Accountability would be there. This is because candidates would have campaigned for their
manifesto to the local people who would then have an opportunity to decide through a vote. Once
elected the successful candidate would be accountable to the delivery of its manifesto in their local
areas.” (R7)

“Those who are elected are accountable to the people that elected them. The high level of
accountability would mean raising the standard of governance.” (R10)

This gives the narrative that the respondents want a local municipal council that bases its
legitimacy in the mandate of the community through their vote and is made to holds itself
responsible to the local people. A practical example their vision would relate to is the local
government system in Japan as discussed earlier by Chowdhury and Al-Hossienie (2012) in which
their municipal councils are comprised of elected representatives and practice strong
accountability measures, all while preserving their autonomy.

On the other end, one respondent who gave preference to the government appointed councils (R5),
based her choice on her past observations on the ineffectiveness of elected municipal councils and
the exploitation made by its officers and felt that the government was doing a better job. The
respondent made the following statement

Government can have oversight and identify the problems in municipal councils. When municipal
councils were elected in the past, there were many corruption and embezzlement problems and the
mayors and high officers would treat themselves with financial benefits and pay rises. And nobody
questions them. When the government dissolve the elected councils and took direct control, they
were able to uncover these issues and address them. (R5)

R5 cemented this negative stand against elected municipal councils by plainly stating that:

“…since they don’t deliver before, I don’t see a point why they can deliver now.” (R5)

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The sentiments of R5 were again rooted in her observations and experiences of elected municipal
councils in the past being ineffective and corrupt in their practice. Complementing this statement
was also the one given by SA1, who felt that though having an elected municipal council is possible
since it is already stipulated in the Local Government Act, it is also a potentially flawed and
dangerous move to make. The following was stated by the individual:

“Yes, as per Local Government Act but in my personal view, through election, the council may be
become the breeding and power base of political parties. Hence, possibilities of vested interest,
ulterior motive mushrooming; hence best interest of rate payers may not be served and development
may be disorganised lacking national cohesion” (SA1)

SA1 expressed the concern that while the idea of having an elected municipal council seems
perfect in thought, the practical application and implication would be consequential as it would
also open the doors of political bickering to play out at the local level. The individual goes on to
add that those who call for elections at the municipal level must also understand that such a system
must be crafted out properly and that to just democratize municipal councils for the sake of
democracy solely because it sounds good, without a proper framework put in place, would not
only lead to the realization of improper governance of the municipality by self-serving and
incompetent people, but more worryingly with the inclusion of political parties, it may also
potentially result in the interests of competing political parties been prioritized more over the
interests of local community members, with the latter been ignored.

In analyzing the sentiments portrayed in this section, there is are again differing views conveyed
by the respondents. The majority of them would prefer to have an elected form of local
governments as they feel that it would not only grant the level of local representation they desire,
but also they see it as an effective means of governance as those elected would carry out the
functions of their positions with the interests of local communities as their priority. On the other
side of the spectrum, a number of respondents hold a pessimistic view about the prospects of an
elected local government. Such views stem from the notion that past elected officials proved to be
ineffective in their work, they have engaged in corruption and even towards the future, there is a
belief that not much would change and if anything, the inclusion of political parties would further
complicate the landscape and perhaps, even drown out the interests of local community members.

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6. Conclusion

To conclude this research, after analyzing the data collected by the respondents and using the
qualitative approach, a social reality can be constructed and it can be said that the common person,
as represented by this sample, understands the scope of the municipal council as an institution and
recognizes its relevancy and importance to the community. In doing so, these people have
experienced the way the council has conducted itself and based on that observation, certain feelings
and desires have been formed. From here, answers are identified for the two research questions
which were the following:

1. Is the current centralized system of local governance in Fiji satisfactory to local


communities? and
2. Does a desire for a democratic system of local governance exist?

In spite of the varying views presented, it is found that the majority of respondents, based on their
opinions and experiences, are not satisfied with the current local municipal system. Aspects such
as the council’s status as an unelected body, as well as its failure to directly communicate with the
community, has left many with a negative impression of the entity. This in turn has led to the
arousal of people’s desire to have a democratic system of local governance, as they believe that
their voices will be heard and they will also be represented by people from their own locality.

In the end, with the existence of people’s wishes for a democratic form of local municipal
governance, it would only be a matter of time before such calls are amplified on a wider scale and
is subsequently recognized and met, with the proper framework and processes necessary to ensure
a proper system.

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7. Implications

Given the existing gap in literature and the small scale to which this research was conducted, it is
hope that this research would set the foundation for future studies on local governments in Fiji. It
also hoped that this research would also raise awareness on the importance of local governments
and the potential it has in directly impacting people’s lives in terms of not only attending to their
concerns and issues, but also being a foundational pillar in development for the country both
politically and economically.

Politically in the sense that local governments, if provided the proper platform and framework, it
can further strengthen the entire democratic system of a nation and economically in the sense that
local governments, being the administrative tier closest to the people, if equipped with sufficient
resources can help with the economic development of the locality.

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8. Propositions

Even though the research was a relatively small and simple one that does not necessarily mean that
the findings made are not enough for any ideas to be proposed. In spite of its small extent, the
information produced were not only enough to identify people’s views about the current system,
but also about their experiences with it and based on that and everything else that has been covered
in this paper, the following ideas are put forward below with the hopes that it may be considered
and critiqued by relevant stakeholders:

I. Identify the wider prospects on the future of Fiji’s Local Governments


The first idea is for the Ministry of Local Governments to conduct a study on the status and
prospects of Fiji’s local government. In doing so, they would:
 Assess the status of local governments;
 Gain public views and perceptions (through consultations and meetings);
 Identify the prospects of having a locally elected government; and
 Set a framework and time period in building towards an elected local government
if such things are found to be feasible.

This would be something to consider as the Ministry cannot keep this status-quo on local
governments forever, but rather sooner or later there has to be some decisions made about
the future administration of this level of governance.

II. Increase State support to Local governments


Since local governments are already under the central government’s control, the second
idea would be for the latter party to increase its support to the former. What is meant by
this is that the State, through its necessary institutions and resources can assist respective
local governments and ensure that they perform better. This can come in the form of
increase budget support, capacity building for its staff members, having institutions like
FICAC conduct Corruption Impact Assessments to identify faults and provide remedies
(this has happened with the Sigatoka Town Council in 2019) and even having the Auditor-
General conduct assessments on these entities to ensure their proper performance.

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III. Create regular Local public forums
The third idea would be for local governments themselves to organize a regular public
forum, which may come in the form of having monthly or quarterly community meetings
between the council and locals and this can be done as per each ward (a ward is the
subdivision for a municipality) or at a central location. Having such a forum would be
essential as it would not only give a sense of involvement for the community, allowing
them to raise issues and concerns, but also for the council, it is a good opportunity for them
to connect with the locals, become aware of issues they may not know and exchange ideas
and opinions for the good of the municipality.

If in the future it does come to be that local municipal councils become elected in composition
again, then perhaps there would be a number of things that could be considered as well and they
are the following:

IV. An elected municipal council should be non-partisan and truly local


What is meant by the above statement is that if a municipal council were to become elected
in composition, then its members must not be a member or associated with any political
party. Furthermore, these members should be truly local in the sense that they only reside
within the vicinity of the municipality they are representing and should not be residing in
another area. The reason for this is so that the interest of local community members are
upheld and prioritized. Because this is an electoral process, other requirements and
procedures would be facilitated by the Fiji Elections Office.

V. Continue the presence of Special Administrators in municipal councils


Because local municipalities can serve as a grass-root level where government can
streamline its policy initiatives, it would also be considerable to have the government
appointed special administrators be part of the municipal council, together with the elected
representatives. That way it would be a good mix of local representation and government
oversight.

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9. Appendices

9.1: Appendix A – Towns and Cities in Fiji

Figure 3: Map of Fiji Islands with Highlighted Towns & Cities.

Source: Town & City Fiji List, n.d.

Note: In the map above, the two cities of Lautoka and Suva are highlighted in the orange box while the other nine
towns featured on the map are highlighted in the red box. Two other towns are not featured in this map and they are
Lami Town and Nausori Town.

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9.2: Appendix B – Photos of Municipal Councils

Figure 4: Sigatoka Town Council.

Source: Boyle, 2020

The above photo shows members of the Public Accounts Committee meeting with the Sigatoka Town Council.

Figure 5: Savusavu Town Council

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Source: Nataro, 2020

The above photo shows members of the Public Accounts Committee with the Savusavu Town Council.

Figure 6: Special Administrators of Lautoka & Ba

Source: Lautoka City Council, n.d.

The above photo shows Minister of Local Governments at that time Premila Kumar (Middle with white coat) and
behind her are the Special Administrators of Lautoka and Ba.

Figure 7: Nadi Town Council

35
Source: High Commission of Malaysia, 2020

The above photo shows the High Commissioner of Malaysia Ilham Tuah Illias with the members of the Nadi Town
Council.

36
Figure 8: Suva Municipal Boundary & Wards.

Source: Suva City Council, n.d.

The above figure shows the entire municipal boundary of Suva, divided into its respective wards. There are five wards
that make up the Municipality of Suva and they are Central Ward (blue), Muanikau Ward (green), Samabula Ward
(yellow), Tamavua Ward (purple) and the Extended Boundary (red).

37
9.3: Appendix C – An Opinion on the Future of Municipalities

This second last part of the paper is a personal opinion I would like to contribute over the general
subject matter about municipalities. It can be acknowledged that much of Fiji’s future development
will most naturally involve the respective municipalities like Nadi, Suva, Lautoka, Nasinu and
others as it is these places where a big chunk of the country’s population is concentrated and that
much of the economic and commercial activity runs through these areas. Most of Fiji’s
municipalities began during the colonial period and while the circumstances surrounding the
establishment and development of these areas were to meet the demands of the time, coming to
the present and into the future, these same places face some hindering factors that may stall their
expansion.

Having said that, these elements which have come to be problematic include the following:

i. Insufficient space for expansion due to geography


This can be found in places like Suva, Levuka and Savusavu as they have been located in
sites whose geography is not so accommodative. For the aforementioned places, there is
not much or rather little flat land for it to expand since the nearby landscape are hills and
steep slopes.
ii. Overly close proximity of villages
Another feature of many Fijian towns and cities is the close proximity to which iTaukei
villages are situated, mainly being either next to the town/city or directly opposite it. This
can be seen in Lautoka with Namoli village being right next to the city, Nausori town with
Nausori village also next to it, Tavua town with Tavualevu village directly opposite it, Nadi
town with the village of Namotomoto and even Lami town with Suvavou village being
located on its direct outskirts. Having villages located too close to towns/cities can serve
as a problem in that it prevents the latter from expanding in size since much of the prime
area of potential development is used by for the village.

38
iii. Disaster prone status of towns
This is mainly in reference to towns such as Nadi, Ba, Rakiraki, Sigatoka and Tavua to
name a few. One feature common with these places is that fact that they are located next
to rivers and since these rivers have a tendency to burst its banks in the event of extreme
weathers, these towns become prone to flooding which in turn causes repetitive damage to
property, business and infrastructure.
iv. Improper planning
Much of what has been realized is the product of improper planning. It can be asserted to
some extent that when these places were first established, not much thought and foresight
went into the planning stage and if anything, they only took into consideration the demands
and circumstances of that time, with little to no consideration of possible future outcomes.
This in turn has resulted in the realization of urban centers having inadequate space to
expand, villages becoming enclaves within towns, proneness to flooding, as well as the
sprouting of informal settlements.

One should come to accept the notion that within the coming years and decades of the 21st century,
future governments and leaders of Fiji would inevitably put forward proposals of modifying the
already existing urban settings or even bring plans to create new towns and cities. However before
such things can happen, there are a number of things that should be considered:

 For one, future towns and cities need to be planned out properly. Apart from the necessary
infrastructure, these places should be placed in sites that are relatively far from a village
and obstructing geography like steep hills and rivers, maybe even divert rivers if possible.
This is to ensure that the proposed town/city would have enough space to expand in the
short and long term (50 years & beyond), as well be less prone to flooding;
 There would also be some consideration to perhaps relocate some commercial centers and
towns too; and

39
 Another thing that may possible be considered in the coming years of this century when it
comes to the expansion of existing towns and cities would be the relocation of nearby
villages (e.g. Tavualevu village in Tavua, Namoli village in Lautoka, Suvavou village in
Lami & Namotomoto village in Nadi etc.). Doing this however is not as simple as relocating
an informal settlement, reason being is that the people in a village are the iTaukei
landowners of the general area and to move them would require meticulous consultation
and co-operation with the villagers. Nevertheless, this is something that would possibly be
considered in the future as for some of the existing towns and cities to expand and become
capable of meeting the demands and challenges of future Fiji, whatever they may be.

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9.4: Appendix D – Reconfiguring Town Settings

This last part of the appendices section is a short presentation of some ideas I would want to put
forward in regards to the hypothetical and by a long shot, the possible future layout of some places.
One thing that should be stressed is that these are just ideas, of course it is going to take more input
in terms of finances, material resources, planning, environmental impact assessments and so forth.
The responses and views of respective readers would be to their own entitlement, but as one saying
goes “Dreams are free and so are we” and it is in that mantra that I take the personal liberty to
present the following two ideas.

Figure 9: Map of Lami Town.

Source: Google Map, 2022

Highlighted by the Red boundary is the area to which the main focus of commercial activity takes
place in Lami Town. As is also can be noticed, there is not much space for the town to expand as
there are residential houses surrounding the center. However, if such a desire does exist or may
come into mind in the future, there is an avenue for Lami Town to expand and that is outwards to
the sea and this is shown in the following diagram:

41
Figure 10: Map of Lami & Suvavou Foreshore Area.

Source: i-Boating, 2022

Highlighted in the yellow box is Suvavou village and in the red box is Lami Town. Directly
offshore is a green area and this indicates that the ocean depths in this place is around 1 meter or
less and the dark blue area means that depths are around 1 -2 meters deep. In particular for the
green area, its depths means that it is shallow enough for someone to walk over or for the ocean
floor to expose itself to the surface during low tides. Moreover, this also means that because of its
shallow level, land reclamation is very much possible. Therefore, should Lami Town expand or
even more so relocate, they could do so into the green area of the foreshore and probably by that
same process, remove the residential houses that are in the way and also if necessary, relocate
Suvavou village also. Just to give an idea of what it would look like at the very least, the next
figure shows this:

42
Figure 11: Map of Lami Foreshore Area.

Source: Google Maps, 2022

For directional purposes, in the yellow circle is Suvavou village and RB Patel Lami, the Green
Square in the middle is Tikaram Park and the red square is Lami Town. Highlighted in the White
Dotted Lines is a portion of the shallow foreshore in front of Lami Town and it constitute
230,761.11m² and if converted to acres, it is roughly 57 acres, which is a lot of potential space.

If land is reclaimed in this portion, it would provide much more room for Lami Town to expand,
having more businesses and shops in the area, maybe even another shopping mall or two, a larger
taxi stand, a bigger public park and some office spaces too.

Residential homes should not be in close proximity to the town for it can obstruct its space, thus
some of the existing homes there would have to be removed in order to make the expansion
possible. At this angle, Suvavou village can be kept at its current location, however if such
expansion is larger, then the question of relocation would be considered.

43
Figure 12: Map of Tavua Town.

Source: Google Maps, 2022

The above figure shows the town of Tavua in the western division. Highlighted in the orange
boundary is the main commercial center of Tavua while opposite it in the red boundary is the
village of Tavualevu. As it can be seen, because Tavualevu village has taken up much of the flat
land in the area and is directly opposite Tavua town, the latter has no space to expand except
probably uphill towards Tavua Hotel and the direction to Vatukoula.

If Tavua Town ought to expand into a larger center in the future, it may require two things, one
would be the relocation of Tavualevu village so that Tavua Town can expand northwards to the
village space, beyond to the Nabuna area and eventually the coast, or the other avenue would be
for Tavua Town itself to relocate. Should such changes occur, it can enable Tavua Town to not
only have the space to expand, but in doing so, can also allow for more businesses, a proper bus
station (something it lacks currently since all buses park by the roadside) and carrier station, a
larger municipal market and some potential malls, hotels and office spaces that can be incorporated
too, perhaps even more residential lots. If neither happens, then most probably not much is
expected from Tavua in terms of significant changes to the size of its commercial center.

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References

Boyle, M., 2020. PAC reveals Sigatoka Town Council plagued by financial losses. [online] Fiji Broadcasting
Corporation. Available at: https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/pac-reveals-sigatoka-town-council-plagued-by-
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