Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka

The Coalition government is working to ensure that appointments to District Advisory Councils remain apolitical.

According to Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka, the government does not support the use of a Ministerial Vetting Committee to review recommendations from Divisional Commissioners.

This, he says, is part of their efforts to appoint council members who are free from political influence, with further discussions on this matter still ongoing.

Ditoka says the DAC plays a vital role in Fiji’s rural development framework, providing a platform for multi-ethnic and minority communities to participate in decision-making on development issues.

These councils, he says, also help support disaster response efforts for communities in rural and maritime areas that fall outside registered village boundaries.

“We believe that there needs to be a thorough study done, and that is what we are doing at the moment to make sure that the constituency boundaries for the District Advisory Council are done properly before we go into the elections, which we had promised.”

There are 16 district advisory councils, and it covers 302 constituencies.

Ditoka outlines that the councils and constituencies are distributed by division as follows: Central Division has four councils with 71 constituencies; Eastern Division has one council with eight constituencies; Northern Division has five councils with 81 constituencies; and Western Division has six councils with 142 constituencies.

The number of members varies, with the smallest council in the Eastern Division having eight members, while the largest, Nadroga/Navosa, has 30 members.

The Minister adds that council members serve two-year terms, with current appointments set to expire on 31st July 2025.

Ditoka also reiterates that the selection process follows strict guidelines that ensure that members are chosen based on their skills, experience, and ability to contribute effectively.

These guidelines, he adds, also emphasize fair representation in terms of area, gender, and ethnicity to maintain balance and cohesion within the councils.