The National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) was an organisation established in 2007 by the government of Fiji. Its task was to prepare the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress proposed by interim Prime Minister Commodore

Voreqe Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst ...

, who came to power in a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

in December 2006. The council was intended to be "broadly representative of Fiji society (including leaders and representatives from the civil society including NGOs, the private sector, religious and community organisations, employers/workers and youth organisations, and the political parties)". It was co-chaired by Commodore Bainimarama and by Archbishop

Petero Mataca Petero Mataca (28 April 1933 – 30 June 2014) born at Cawaci, on Ovalau Island, served as the Roman Catholic archbishop of Suva, Fiji until his resignation in 2012. Biography After his education at St. John's College, Cawaci, he was ord ...

, head of the Catholic Church in Fiji. Officially, the NCBBF's work on the Charter was overseen by an independent monitoring group, which reported directly to President

Ratu ''Ratu'' () is an Austronesian title used by male Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, ''adi'' (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. In the Malay language, the title ''ratu'' is also the traditional honorific title to re ...

Josefa Iloilo Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, (29 December 1920 – 6 February 2011) was a Fijian politician who served as the 3rd President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 to 4 January 2007 (see below). ...

. The monitoring group was chaired by Sela Molisa, a member of the Parliament of Vanuatu. Reverend Amy Chambers was also a member of the monitoring group. The NCBBF itself was composed of three task teams: * one (co-chaired by

Josefa Serulagilagi Josefa may refer to: * 649 Josefa, a minor planet * Josefa (given name), a unisex given name See also * Josepha * José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounc ...

and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum) tasked with focusing on

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

, * another (co-chaired by Ratu Josateki Nawalowalo and Finance Minister

Mahendra Chaudhry Mahendra Pal Chaudhry ( hif, महेन्द्र पाल चौधरी; born 9 February 1942) is a Fijian politician and the leader of the Fiji Labour Party. Following a historic election in which he defeated the long-time former lead ...

) on economic growth, and * the third (co-chaired by Lorrine Tevi and Health Minister Dr. Jiko Luveni) on "social cultural identity and nation building." On 5 August, 2008, the NCBBF announced that it had endorsed a draft Charter document, which was to be released shortly thereafter.

Fijilive ''Fijilive'' is an online newspaper and business and cultural directory in Fiji. The site is owned by the Future Group of Companies owned by Fiji entrepreneur Yashwant Gaunder. ''Fijilive'' is one of Fiji's largest websites. The site rose to p ...

reported that the NCBBF planned to "gauge the views of the people on the draft Charter via a public awareness campaign over the next six weeks". Meetings would be held in public venues, the Charter would be advertised in the media, and there would be "consultations by public relations teams at grassroots level in all the villages and settlements throughout the country"."NCBBF endorses draft Peoples’ Charter"
, Fijilive, 5 August 2008 The proposed charter was widely rejected by politicians opposed to the Military government, which was one of the factors that led to the abrogation of the constitution in 2009.

References

External links

Website of the National Council for Building a Better Fiji

"National Council for Building a Better Fiji (NCBBF) - Interview with Parmesh Chand"
Fiji government website, 14 August 2007

Radio Australia, 17 April 2008. Interview with Archbishop

. {{DEFAULTSORT:National Council For Building A Better Fiji Law of Fiji Politics of Fiji Political organisations based in Fiji 2007 establishments in Fiji