Legal Authority and Discretion
Rabi Council of Leaders administrator Iakoba Karutake stated that Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka possesses the authority to appoint an administrator under the Banaban Settlement Act. Speaking to the Fiji Sun on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, Karutake described the appointment as a matter of executive discretion.
"It is the discretion of the PM, whoever appoints. That’s as simple as that," Karutake said regarding the Prime Minister's power to make the selection.
The legal basis for this authority is found in the Banaban Settlement (Amendment) Act 1996. The legislation permits the government to appoint an administrator with the full powers of the council if the Rabi Council of Leaders is dissolved.
Response to Opposition Criticism
Karutake’s comments were a direct response to criticism from Opposition MP Premila Kumar, who questioned the appointment on Wednesday. In her post, Kumar asked whether the selection was based on merit or political connections and referred to Karutake as a "failed PAP politician." She also claimed that the Rabi Council had not been elected since 2023.
Karutake rejected Kumar’s assertion regarding the lack of elections, stating that the council was actually dissolved in 2013 during the tenure of the Bainimarama government. He argued that Kumar should direct her questions toward her own former administration rather than the current one.
"She should also question her own government regime why the Rabi Administrator was appointed," Karutake said. "Why has she never questioned? Why is she questioning now?"
Allegations of Hypocrisy
Karutake accused Kumar of hypocrisy for raising concerns about the current appointment while her government had previously appointed administrators for approximately 13 years starting in 2013. He noted that during this period, Kumar served as Education Minister.
According to Karutake, Kumar failed to act on requests to repair schools and other buildings on Rabi during her time in office. He suggested that her current focus on the legality of the administrator appointment ignores her government's prior use of similar measures and its handling of infrastructure issues on the island.