The Government has launched an inquiry into the controversial lawa ni Qoibau that bans women from drinking yaqona, after iTaukei Affairs Minister Ifereimi Vasu said he only learned of the rule through media reports. Vasu has directed the Roko Tui Macuata to visit the vanua o Qoibau and engage with traditional leaders to establish how the ban and a wider written code were agreed and whether proper consultations were carried out.
The lawa ni Qoibau was reportedly agreed during a meeting in Nakorowiri Village last month and forms part of a broader written code intended to restore discipline and reinforce community order across villages under the vanua. Alongside the prohibition on women drinking kava, the code outlines strict controls on alcohol consumption, noise levels, dress standards and yaqona use, measures that village authorities say are aimed at strengthening traditional authority and social norms.
“We have asked the Roko Tui Macuata to visit the village and speak with the traditional leaders of the vanua o Qoibau,” Vasu told media. He said the Government wanted to determine whether the process that produced the laws met statutory and customary consultation requirements. “We are not sure whether proper consultations were conducted before the lawa ni Qoibau was made,” he said.
Public reaction to the ban has been mixed, with some community members and commentators questioning its fairness and human rights implications. Vasu himself questioned the gender-specific nature of the prohibition, arguing that if restrictions were to be introduced they should not apply only to women. “If there was a ban, it should not be only on women but on men also. We need to remember that there are human rights in place. Stopping someone from drinking kava should be a decision made by that individual,” he said.
The minister’s intervention marks a significant step in central government oversight of customary rules enacted at the village level. By tasking the Roko Tui Macuata to consult directly with traditional leaders and initiating an inquiry, the Government is signalling it will scrutinise locally made codes that appear to impinge on individual rights or fall outside accepted consultation processes. Vasu did not outline a timetable for the Roko Tui’s visit or when the inquiry’s findings would be reported publicly.
The development raises broader questions about how customary authority and written village codes interact with national laws and human rights protections. Advocates for traditional governance argue such rules are necessary to maintain order and cultural norms, while critics contend gender-specific prohibitions risk discrimination and may conflict with Fiji’s constitutional and international obligations.
This is the latest development in an emerging story; further reporting is expected once the Roko Tui Macuata has met Qoibau’s chiefs and the Government releases details of its inquiry into how the lawa ni Qoibau came to be adopted.
Leave a comment