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Tuesday 27 May 2014

More from the NFP

NFP Seeks Tax Change

Rich to pay ‘reasonable share’
AQELA SUSU
SUVA
The National Federation Party will review income tax policies to ensure the rich pay what it calls a reasonable share.
It will also review import duties for some basic food items. Its leader, Dr Biman Prasad, yesterday outlined some of the party’s core policies at the party’s working committee meeting at Tamavua Primary School, Suva.
Dr Prasad said the meeting was to discuss issues that were affecting the people and also to announce some of their policy platforms ahead of the September 17 elections.
Provided the party wins the September 17 poll, Dr Prasad said they would review the media decree by removing all what he called its unreasonable provisions including the fines and penalties.
This, he said was important because everyone should have a fundamental right to access information relating to government’s decisions and how it affected people’s lives.
“NFP will enact a Freedom of Information (Right to Information) Bill, that will ensure that citizens can demand and be entitled to receive information from government because an open government is important for everyone.”
As earlier highlighted by Dr Prasad, the party was greatly concerned with what he called the high cost of living in the country and he said one of their immediate measures would be to reduce it.
The party will also introduce a health care modernisation programme to ensure that medical care will be focused on compassion, respect and dignity of life for all Fiji citizens.
“To achieve this, a Personalised Health Care framework is needed so we will ensure clinical (Hospital Based Care) is delegated to Empowered Health Specialists Group (Teams) for standard practice, equal care levels throughout Fiji,” the party leader said.
He said they would commit funding to ensure that Fiji would have a well placed and a well funded team of medical workers whereby the people would not have to go and wait endlessly to be medically examined by doctors.
And in a bid to modernise the education system the party, if it wins after the elections would appoint a competent Education Commission that would include an assessment of the status of teachers and school heads and recommend changes.
“We will introduce a means based scholarship within TELS to provide a full scholarship to bright students from low income families.”
They also want to provide decent jobs as part of their commitment to the young and this would be carried out through their involvement with business houses to establish new internship programmes for young people to gain skills and work experiences.
“We will review the status of the retirees with a view to provide them with appropriate compensation and we will restructure the FNPF board and review the contractual agreements,” he said.
“We will develop a ‘partnership model’ where employers, unions and government will meet regularly to decide on policies for training, investment, wage setting and welfare policies.”
Reviewing the national housing policy by focusing specifically on squatter settlements, bring new sector players into low cost housing and boost iTaukei corporate presence in the social housing sector are also on their list of do things.
Dr Prasad said the NFP was confident of winning the elections and if so they would seek an urgent review of the Constitution within the parliamentary framework.

Feedback: aqela.susu@fijisun.com.fj

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sham constitution put together by the illegal regime to give themselves immunity for treason will never last. it is a nothing. Fiji must cleanse themselves of this trash and return to democracy, freedom and the rule of law. Those who have corrupted the judiciary must be brought to justice and given the harshest penalties possible. One has already run off to Geneva - the others must not be allowed to escape with their loot. They must all be hunted down for their crimes against the innocent God loving people of Fiji.

Crosbie Walsh said...

@ Anonymous. Please use your real name or a pseudonym, and please comment on the article. Your comment has nothing to do with the NFP statement.and contributes nothing to discussion on this blog.

I deleted another comment, that leap frogged your comment, and used a pig reference on Nazhat Shamem's appointment,. This was highly offensive, especially to a Muslim. If you and people like you can't engage in reasonable debate, you would serve your cause better by saying nothing at all.

Ab ki Baar Modi Sarkaar said...

NFP is coming out with positive policies. I hope people take note of this. Others are too busy bad-mothing each other.