Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. (René Descartes, mathematician and philosopher,1599-1650)

Saturday 17 April 2010

(+) No More Handouts: PM



Prime Minister Bainimarama says  government will no longer offer handouts to fund church buildings and village halls.

Speaking during a recent two-day tour of Ovalau, Bainimarama said government’s infrastructure development projects are aimed at enhancing the livelihood of local communities.

“We urge members of the public to work hard. Stop relying on handouts. This government will only see that our roads, water, education and other developments are done to move us forward.”

“Government will see that infrastructure is maintained to create business and a better economy for the people of Ovalau and for the future generations.”

The PM visited five villages - Tokou, Bureta, Lovoni, Rukuruku, and Levuka. (Photo: Levuka, Fijiphotos.net)

He emphasised government's commitment to elections in 2014 and urged the people of Ovalau to rally behind the reforms and the People’s Charter.

“We are committed towards change and the Charter outlines clearly these changes. We urge you to support these changes and maintain the support to whatever Government that will come into power after elections,” he told the people of Bureta.

A public consultation was also held at the Levuka Hall with the ratepayers of Levuka Town on a range of issues from education, town development and the issuing of taxi permits. -- Based on  Fiji Live.

12 comments:

White Frangipani said...

No more government handouts for building churches and village halls. Instead it looks like the money that would be used to subsidize the village church and village hall will be spent on infrastructure development projects e.g. a road so that ALL who live in the village (and nearby), can easily travel to and fro. This has got to be a good thing. No one should be opposed to this move and if anyone is then maybe they are the ones who were personally benefitting from government handouts.

Kumala Vula said...

Below is a message received from Fiji telling of the hardship faced by people on the ground - Not the Regime Leaders or their cronies, but those suffering under the present rule of the illegal regime. Their desire for freedom is clear and their yearning to be governed by a democratically elected government.. Read on..

"It's been a while since I last visited. Just sorting are few things at home and work.
Nothing much has been happening since I last logged in.
I was at the market today and noticed that the price of veggies and root crops have really gone up. Cassava that used to cost $3 are now selling for $5.Tomatoes $8 a kilo. Hard to find anything for a dollar.

Besides the coup, nature's worst has also taken it's toll. My in-laws from Vanuabalavu were telling us last week how things are really bad there in terms of their food supply.

We all agreed that had there been a democratic government in place, we would not be suffering as much. Had not VB removed the last government things would not be so bad as it is today.

I have been living in Caubati for the past two and a half years. I bought a car three years ago and the sides are already rattling from hitting the big portholes on our roads. Never in the history of Fiji have we seen the deplorable state of our roads as we see today!

It has been two years now since we started paying for the new road levy of $80 to fix our roads, yet at one stage the road repair guys were using soapstone to fill the portholes. Thats how bad it is!
How long are we going to endore this madness?

I have taken that first step by telling this regime they need to step aside, allow for a fully civilian administration to take us as quickly as possible to the polls so we can decide who our leaders will be.

This road map to nowhere is just another big scam and it will lead us to further hardships and pain.
I'm speaking to you as a father, a friend, as a relative and a citizen of this great nation, please Fiji, for once, speak the truth, do what is right and just for your country!

Demand for your government to return us back to freedom and to the Fiji we once knew and loved.
This is not about Indians, Chinese or Taukei, it is about Fiji and its people. God Bless you all."

Fiji deteriorating economy said...

Fiji is the worst performing economy in the Asia Pacific region and it is getting worse. The main reason for this is the coup - plain and simple. The only people who have gained from the coup are the perpetrators in the regime and some of their supporters - the rest of us have nothing, especially the destitute sugar farmers.
Forget the spin and rubbish from people like Reddy - Fiji is in serious trouble and will only get worse until we return to democracy. Military dictatorships simply do not work for the people - history has repeatedly shown us that.

Proud Fijian said...

One of the problems Fiji had was the chronic handout problems.

Millions were lost by the Qarase Government in the Agriculture scandal.

Millions more by Rabuka and the NBF scandal.

Millions more by Qarase and the elites through the illegal purchase of Class A shares in Fijian Holdings from loans from former National Bank (written off)and Fiji Development Bank. It is also valuable to note that that private individuals and their companies own more shares than the provinces.

Now tell me who is responsible for current Fijians economic demise.

To read more:

http://www.fijihosting.com/pcgov/docs_c/fijian_holdings_fdb_details.htm
Qarase is yet to stand trial for corruption not Bainimarama.

Proud fijian said...

http://www.fijihosting.com/pcgov/docs_c/fijian_holdings_fdb_details.htm

Sorry the full link.

Gimme a break said...

Ho hum, Kumala Vula, more of the same SDL rubbish. As if a return to civilian government will fix the roads. They were terrible all through the SDL government. And since when have people been able to buy what they need at the market for a dollar? Give me a plausible story from Fiji and I'll sit up. Otherwise, laiva ga and give up.

Proud fijian said...

@ Kumala Vula

The lost $200 million in the NBF scandal would have gone through 3 doublings if invested at an annual rate of return of 10%.

That would mean that by now if that money had been invested appropritaely would have been at least 1.5 billion dollars.

Now what would have happened if the other millions have been managed appropriately.

Now you tell me who is to blame for the Fijian economic problems.

Invictus said...

We ought to call upon our consciousnesses, to reconcile the racial and financial disparity that has fractured the citizenry of our great country.

For many years the nation has been sodomised by various democratically elected governments each wallowing not only in the wealth of the state but each politician cockering to the point of corpulence.

The nation must now untie and in a synchronised voice utter these words we want justice for all.

Yes one needs not be a rocket scientist to explicate the conundrum the nation faces immediately after a devastating cyclone it would be fair to say all crops including cassava and tomatoes would in the short term suffer increased financial outlay.

Likewise with roads among other things infrastructural damages does occur from time to time when a cyclone of varying magnitude does land.

Now it would be imprudent to suggest the current of state Fiji’s predicament is all down to one man whereas it took nigh on 40 years for the rest to brutally savage not only the Country but its people.

Avoro said...

KV.

Just arrived back from Fiji the other day spent two weeks there all things been equal Fiji is a much better place now than 1987.

The price vegetables and root crops have increased but than again this comes down to supply and demand considering the recent cyclone.

I do believe Frank and his crew are doing a mighty fine job in bringing together the people that was scuppered by Qarase and his rotund dimwitted politicians.

The deteriorating infrastructure is a systematic failure by Rabuka and Qarase respectively moreso Qarase because he was too busy siphoning off public funds to buy votes among other things feathering his nest.

snoopy said...

@Kumala Vula

What a one-sided story youi have told. THe cyclone has had the major impact on vegetable prices but prices are already normalising.

Have the pot holes suddenly appeared in the last 3 years. You are painting a very slanted pciture of Fiji!!

Not my fault said...

The high food prices in Fiji and the rampant and increasing unemployment are all caused by the ash coming out of the volcano in Iceland. The regime, sorry government, should put out a new "No Ash" decree and give prison sentences of 10 years to anyone who doesn't publicly support it.

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