A LARGE number of people turned up at a FijiFirst party meeting at the Nasereci Methodist Hall in Namaka, Nadi, on Thursday night, the majority making a direct plea to Prime Minister Rear Admiral (Ret) Voreqe Bainimarama for assistance in personal hardships they faced.

These included sugarcane farmers, sacked workers, concerned parents and landowners. An unemployed parent whose children attend Shri A.D Patel Memorial Primary School informed the PM he was still paying for his children’s bus fare.

The father of three said efforts to get assistance from the Ministry of Education and relevant authorities were futile since the scheme was introduced last year.

Another speaker, a sugarcane farmer, said he was receiving little assistance from the police and the military for the protection of his farm despite making numerous calls. He said lately his sugarcane farm had been destroyed by disgruntled individuals while farm animals were stolen.

“I’ve been writing to a lot of people but nobody seems to want to help me out,” he said.

“Half of my crop has been eaten by cows, my fence has been cut.

“I’ve seen the police and the military but nobody seems to be bothered about this.”

Another woman wanted to know if there was a provision in the Crimes Decree that protected individuals whose properties were damaged in a criminal act.

The Nadi resident said part of her home was damaged by a reckless driver and it cost the family $8500 in repair.

In response to these and the many other grievances raised, Mr Bainimarama asked the party’s support staff to record the details of the complaints.