Accounting and Accountability by Provincial Councils in Fiji: the Case of Namosi

The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly to examine how the concepts of accounting andaccountability are understood by indigenous Fijians; and secondly to examine the role ofaccounting in the accountability of provincial councils.Provincial councils are part of the Fijian Administration, which runs alongside the centralgovernment but applies only to indigenous Fijians. The Fijian Administration was introducedby the British colonial administration in the late 1800s as a mechanism for controllingindigenous Fijians. It has undergone several reviews resulting from criticisms that it has failedto fulfill the aspirations of indigenous Fijians.There is evidence of implied and actual accountability by indigenous Fijians in Namosi. Thisis supported by monitoring mechanisms established by provincial offices. On the other hand,neither the Fijian Affairs Board nor the Namosi Provincial Council appears to take seriousresponsibility for accounting to indigenous Fijians in the province. Sadly, there is littleevidence to demonstrate an explicit accountability to indigenous Fijians. Significant scopeexists for improving the standard of accounting and accountability by provincial councils.This study contributes to understanding the role of accounting among indigenous peoples, inthe context of inherited colonial structures. It also represents accounting research conductedby indigenous academics, primarily in the Fijian language. This enables an examination ofhow language frames understanding of accounting concepts.