Rabi Council of Leaders

Municipal body responsible for administering Rabi Island

Place in Northern Division, Fiji

Rabi Island

Flag

Rabi Island

Rabi Island

Location in Fiji

Coordinates: 16°30′S 180°0′W﻿ / ﻿16.500°S 180.000°W﻿ / -16.500; -180.000
Country|  Fiji
Division| Northern Division
Province| Province of Cakaudrove
District| Rabi Island
Government

* Dissolved in June 2013. From 2023 managed by an Administrator appointed under s. 6(C)(4) of the Banaban Settlement Act 1970, pending elections of members to the Council

• Type| Local Statutory Governing Body created under the Banaban Settlement Act 1970
Area

• Total| 67.3 km2 (26.0 sq mi)
Population

(2014)

• Total| 5,000
• Density| 74.3/km2 (192/sq mi)
Time zone| UTC+12 (1200 GMT)

The Rabi Council of Leaders and Elders was the municipal body administering Rabi Island in Fiji.[1] Established by the Banaban Settlement Act 1970,[2] the council was dissolved by Fiji's military regime in June 2013.[3] On 23 January 2023, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced that the council would be reestablished.[4]

## History[edit]

The 8-member Council had two representatives from each of Rabi's four villages.[5] The Council chose a Chairman, and also selected one of its own members to represent the community in the Kiribati House of Assembly (the Rabi Islanders, though Fijian citizens, still carry Kiribati passports and retain official ownership of Banaba, (their ancestral home, where many current elders of Rabi were born). The Council has its main office in the Fijian capital, Suva.

It was announced in January 2006 that the Rabi Council would be merged with that of Kioa. Misieli Naivalu, the Commissioner for Fiji's Northern Division said on 23 January that Cabinet had decided on 15 January that both islands would benefit from the merger of their councils.

The last election to the council was held in April 2009.[6] It was dissolved by decree of Fiji's military government in June 2013.[3] Following the dissolution, the Fijian government withheld development funding from the island.[4]

In February 2024, the Banaban Human Rights Defenders Network (BHRDN), a community-based organization located on Rabi, call on the Office of the Prime Minister of Fiji to hold elections for the Rabi Council of Leaders. The acting Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica response was that there was an intention to hold elections; although no timeframe was available from the relevant ministry.[7]

The Banaba Local Government and Civil Society (BLoGSC) Working Group, of Rabi, and other organisations, have also called for an election to reinstate the Rabi Council of Leaders, and for amendments to the Banaban Settlement Act 1970 and Regulations applying to Rabi Island to better serve the Banaban community.[8]

## Appointment of an Administrator of the Rabi Council of Leaders in 2023[edit]

In 2023, the government led by prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka appointed a civil servant, Jacob Karutake, as the Administrator of Rabi for a term of 3 years to ensure that the operations and finances of the Rabi Council of Leaders was ready for the next elections. The appointment of Jacob Karutake was made under section 6(C)(4) of the Banaban Settlement Act 1970 that states:

“Upon the dissolution of the Council…the Minister shall appoint an Administrator vested with the powers of the Council to manage the Affairs of the Council until a new Council is elected.”

Decisions of the Administrator have been controversial. In August 2023, the Administrator signed an agreement with an Australian company Centrex to engage in exploration activities on Banaba, as a first step to determine whether the remaining phosphate deposits could be mined.[9] Following opposition of the traditional owners to the grant of permission to explore the feasibility of mining, the Administrator put the agreement “on hold”.[10]

A second controversy arise in January 2024, when the Administrator published a policy statement stating that non-Banabans visiting Rabi must register with local police. The BHRDN objected to the policy and questioned “whether such a regulation is in conflict with the Fiji Constitution”, and said “the administrator's role only continues to exists because the Fiji government has neglected to hold elections for the Rabi Council of Leaders”.[11] The response of the Administrator was that he had consulted with the Rabi Community before publishing the policy statement.[11] Jacob Lanyon, a Fiji lawyer from Rabi, said the administrator’s statement was a long standing policy.[12] The policy also has support from the acting Rabi Council of Leaders, (the formal Rabi Council was dissolved in 2013), who said in a press release issued in February 2024:

“First, it is important to clarify that all non-Banaban visitors are welcomed to Rabi. We pride ourselves with our hospitality and welcome all non-Banabans with good intentions to Rabi Island.
Second, this policy of screening non-Banaban visitors has always been the RCL’s prerogative. Over the years, RCL had and will continue to use this screening process to ensure that only visitors with good-intentions are welcome.”[13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Rabi | Office of the Prime Minister Fiji". Retrieved 2020-11-01.
2. ^ "Banaban Settlement Act". PACLII. 8 October 1970. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
3. ^ a b "Rabi Island Council dissolved". FBC News. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
4. ^ a b "Fiji's Prime Minister to appoint interim administrator for Rabi Island Council of Leaders". PINA. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
5. ^ Banaban Settlement Act, section 3.
6. ^ "Fiji's Rabi Island hold council election". RNZ. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
7. ^ Tuilevuka, Nacanieli (2 February 2024). "Elect leaders council - No elections for 11 years in Rabi". Fiji Times. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
8. ^ "The Displacement and Dispossession of Banaba: Justice for Rabi (Policy Brief)". Clifford Chance, ICAAD, and the Banaba Local Government andCivil Society (BLoGSC) Working Group. 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
9. ^ Faa, Marian (30 August 2023). "Australian company Centrex under fire from Banaban islanders displaced by past phosphate mines". Australia Broadcasting Corporation - Pacific Beat. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
10. ^ Simmons, David (6 September 2023). "SA miner's Pacific plans 'on hold' as islanders fight back". Indaily. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
11. ^ a b Wiseman, Don (31 January 2024). "Fiji official aims to ban visitors to Rabi Island". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
12. ^ Wiseman, Don (1 February 2024). "Rabi Island visitor sign in an age old practice - Fiji lawyer". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
13. ^ "Policy Statement of non-Banaban visitors to Rabi". Rabi Council of Leaders. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.

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