The VKB is not under attack from the amendment - PM

Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says as the Minister responsible for iTaukei Affairs, he wants to assure that the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill does not have any consequences on the culture, the registration of iTaukei in the Vola ni Kawa Bula and its maintenance.

Bainimarama says the VKB is not under attack from the amendment.

He says registration of new births under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act is separate and different to the registration in the VKB.

The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill removes the requirement for a deed poll and requires a person who wishes to change his or her name to do so by applying to have the change of name registered. This has to be done at the Births, Deaths and Marriages Office.

The proposed amendment also reduces the age from 21 to 18 years for those that want to change their name.

It also seeks to amend the Act to permit the mother of a child born alive or stillborn in Fiji to register her child and to give her equal status as that of the father of the child. At the moment, only the father of a child may register the child at first and the mother of the child may only register her child if the father of the child is deceased, ill, absent or is unable to register the child.