Fiji at a crossroads, says new NFP leader

Biman Prasad, professor of economics at the University of the South Pacific, was elected leader at the party’s recent annual meeting. He follows in the tradition of respected political leaders like AD Patel, Jai Ram Reddy, Siddiq Koya, Harish Sharma and Irene Jai Narayan.

 

“We are at a defining point in our history,” Prasad told delegates at the annual meeting.

“Without doubt, we need a break from the past. Fiji needs leaders who can energize and bring people together, who will bring new passion and fresh perspectives to begin to use politics for the long term good, rather than the short term goal of self- preservation.

 

“We have had a turbulent history since 1987. Consistent political instability has harmed the social, political and economic fabric of our country,” Prasad said.

 

“This political instability has been caused by the military’s intervention in the political development of Fiji through its support for the coups. 

 

“The 2006 coup continued with the tradition of military intervention in our political life. As a nation, we need a calm conversation about how we are going to address this issue.”

 

Prasad emphasized the need for the military to remain neutral and serve the elected government of the day for the sake of stability and prosperity of the country.

 

“The military will need to introspect and be part of this national conversation. We welcome the new Commander of the RFMF, Brigadier General Mosese Tikoitoga’s firm assurance that the military will be apolitical, stay neutral during the coming election and respect the results of the General Election later this year.

 

“In the last 8 years, many things have changed,” Prasad said.

 

“Many of these changes have been haphazard; many policies are inconsistent and in fact contradict each other. But most of all these changes do not reflect inputs from us people who live in this country,” he said.

 

“We are preparing for a General Election under a Constitution that has been imposed on our people.  It is very important to understand our history if we are to confront the challenges that lie ahead with determination.

 

“In the preparation for the elections, the last thing our people want is to be fed with propaganda, pie in the sky promises, vote buying and more short term populist policies. Policies and promises which will be hard to sustain and fulfill under current difficult economic conditions need to be weighed and pruned,” Prasad said.

 

“As a nation we have lived in fear over the last 7 years. Fear grips our national life. Fear of being heard by someone and reported to authorities, fear of being bullied by those in power, fear of losing jobs, fear of being victimized, fear of losing licenses, fear of being witch hunted by government agencies. 

 

“Workers, farmers, taxi drivers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, civil servants, academics, journalists, business people, many NGOs have shied away from raising difficult issues because of the fear of being victimized for being critical of the government,” he said.

 

“This induced culture of extreme fear has harmed our prosperity and development. It will be a long and difficult journey to re-establish an open, vibrant democracy that derives its core strength from the free expression of our citizens, debate and open discussion.

 

“There is an unhealthy condescending attitude that prevails in our country. If you question government policies, you will be told by the PM and AG that you are an old politician and projected to be anti-national,” Prasad said.

 

“To paraphrase, the ‘power and freedom to question is the basis of human progress’. We have lost that power.  Today I ask the people of this country to ask questions to this government. Ask frank and difficult questions of us and all those who will seek your permission to represent you.  

 

“To the Government, you may direct questions about your freedoms: freedom to say things and be reported by the media, freedom to ask why you are paying so much for rice, milk, chicken, oil and kerosene, freedom to ask why you are paying such much in water bills, electricity bills,” he said.

 

“You need to ask why is it that you cannot get a doctor to see you in a hospital when you need him/her, freedom to ask why you are paying punishing fees and charges to set up and operate a small business? 

 

“We have crucially not had the freedom to ask why the Auditor General’s report has not been made public, freedom to ask why the Public Accounts Committee has been disbanded without releasing reports for the years of Bainimarama government.”

 

Prasad said the government was not serving the best interests of the people by giving handouts.

“The present Government has tried to buy our citizens through doles and freebies. Our people don’t need pity, they need respect, and they need their freedoms to be restored. 

 

“Rather than expensive freebies they need decent and secure jobs, they need secure pensions, they need reasonable prices for the food they buy,” he said.

 

“Most of all, they need fair play.

 

“Fair play means that the government makes credible and sound economic policies that encourages people and companies to, innovate, to initiate new ideas and invest. 

 

“They need a level playing field, they need less intrusive government. From economic progress will come security and progress of our people.”

 

“Our economic performance since 2007 has been dismal. On average the economy has grown by only over 1% in the past 8 years. The persistence of political instability, poor investor confidence, lack of investment in infrastructure, land lease problems, inconsistent government policies, restrictive decrees, high costs of doing business means confidence in our economy remains low.  We need to rupture this cycle of low confidence and low growth. 

 

“Businesses and employers want certainty in the business environment. Our skilled, professional and unskilled workers want predictability in their employment. They will give their best when they know that their jobs are secure and their wages are fair,” Prasad said. 

 

“Government policy has been confused, designed to support certain industries and favor businesses selectively.  Growth will not happen if Government selectively favors businesses based on their support to the government. Progress will not happen if concessions are granted to businesses based on the loyalty to Government. 

 

“It is possible in and open and free environment, with a fair and credible business policy regime to position Fiji on a high growth path well in excess of 6 percent per annum. This is our ambition within two years of the party in government.”

 

Prasad said a NFP government would:

 

• In Government the NFP will reduce VAT from 15% to 10% immediately providing immediate relief on the growing costs of essential food items. We will review all import duties on important food items to reduce price further.

 

• The NFP will review the management structure of FNPF, review the representation on the board so that workers representatives have a majority decision making power. The NFP will review the contractual violations to the pension rates for our pensioners.

 

• The NFP will abolish all decrees including the Essential National Industries (ENI) restricting the rights of workers in this country and allow unions to operate in the spirit of dialogue and consultation with the employers. We will re-establish the tripartite forum where employers, government and the unions will have the platform to deal with issues affecting the workers of this country in a cooperative, consultative manner. We will revise the minimum wages based on different sectors and we will make the wages council more efficient and effective.

 

• The NFP as it has always done will help negotiate better deals with the EU and other markets. In Government the NFP will substantially invest in the industry to rebuild confidence of farmers, introduce private sector innovations and rebuild trust in our external markets. We will reinstate a bi-partisan approach to the management of the sugar industry. We will re-establish an elected Sugar Cane Grower Council to create cohesion and cooperation amongst the sugarcane farmers in the country. 

 

• The NFP will promote a Master Lease concept where Government leases all available agricultural land from landowners and then re-leases it to tenant farmers for a minimum tenure of 99 years. We will push for agricultural and residential tenants leasing Crown C Land be provided the option to buy the land at a price following valuation of the Un-improved Capital Value of the Land.

 

• The NFP will review the salaries of doctors, nurses and health workers and implement a new salary structure within six months of being in government. In Government we will implement a health sector modernization program involving private-public sector solutions to improve medical facilities and equipment, to use new technologies including telemedicine to extend services to island communities, and reduce costs of private and public sector drugs through bulk -purchasing. 

 

• The NFP will keep the toppers scheme for the 600 highest achievers in form seven. However, those who do not make the cut in the 600, we will introduce a means tested scholarship. This will ensure that students from very poor families will get full scholarship and will not be forced to take a loan. We will also convert all loans in 2014 to means tested scholarships for those who meet the criteria. The NFP will review the teachers’ salaries to ensure that we have a salary level commensurate with the work that teachers, specialists and school heads undertake. 

 

• NFP in government will restore the retirement age to 60. In addition, we will extend this further to 65 on annual contracts on the basis of needs.  NFP will focus civil service on delivering services to citizens transparently, in a time bound manner and have clear procedures for resolving citizen’s grievances in a timely manner.

 

• In government, NFP will   remove all restrictions to media freedom.