Sainiani Boila 
The Great Council of Chiefs is open to having women at the table, provided they meet the established criteria, says GCC chair Ratu Viliame Seruvakula.
In a press conference during a break in proceedings yesterday, questions were asked of the recommendations by the GCC Review Team for one of the three reps from each province to be a woman.
Ratu Viliame said the general consensus was that there was no discrimination.
“It’s not like the chiefs are saying, no, we don’t want any women in here, no,” he said.
“But it’s, as I said to the Solicitor General in our meeting two days ago, it’s not that the Great Council of Chiefs do not want women in there, it’s impractical to say that one of them has to be.
“Because when you link it to the standing procedure for the rules of procedure for the Great Council of Chiefs, it says that there is two criteria.
“One, you can’t be holding a position or an appointment within any political party. The second one is, you have to be registered in the Vola ni Kawa Bula as either a Turaga ni Vanua or a Turaga ni Yavusa or Turaga ni Mataqali.”
Ratu Viliame said the onus lay with the traditional elders in each province to decide who was the best candidate to represent them to the GCC, male or female.
