Poverty in Fiji is man-made and it is definitely not an act of God. Mahatma Gandhi described this man-made calamity thus: “Poverty is the worst form of violence”.
The South African leader and a Noble Prize holder, the late Nelson Mandela’s thoughts were also in agreement.
He is on record, as saying that: ‘Poverty is not natural. It is man-made.’ It is thought-provoking that the front-page headline in The Fiji Times (FT 08/04/22) said, ‘Poverty in Fiji’, which is a man-made condition, causing pain, suffering, dispossession and death.
Who do you think was responsible for getting this issue on the front page?
It surely was not the FijiFirst Government and not the Minister of Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who has been in a denial mode, and often suggests that poverty or extreme poverty does not exist in Fiji – citing a dubious outdated 2017 – five-year-old, World Bank report. (FT 08/04/22).
The Bainimarama-Khaiyum government even denied attempts by the Opposition NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad, requesting for the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, to undertake an enquiry into the causes of poverty, and to allow it to be reported back to parliament (FT 08/04/22).
The fact is that poverty and extreme poverty are widespread across Fiji, irrespective of the class, gender, religion or geographical location. The rural dwellers as well as the urban dwellers, have been affected equally, even well before the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2019.
Whilst poverty was rife, or its extent increasing daily in Fiji, the Bainimarama-Khaiyum government had been busy elsewhere, on the world stage travelling and show-casing climate-change issues.
Not even having the technical expertise or the know-how – harping about sea level rise and increases in the number, frequency and strength of tropical cyclones, to the world, with a begging bowl in hand.
Often mixing the issues of natural variability within the Earth’s weather and climate system, with that of climate change, and treating every incidence of village coastal erosion as because of climate-change, or not even recognising the existence of the three–seven-year sea level elevation changes, in a cyclical manner – due to the El Nino or the La Nina phenomenon.
If not on the “climate resilience” ventures or COP-23, they had been busy with infrastructure development projects, trying to re-build either hundreds of bridges at once, upgrade the entire Nadi International Airport, build two-four lane highways leading to the Denarau Island and Sheraton Denarau Villas, or busy giving contracts worth many millions to three overseas companies, to upgrade roads in the northern, central and western divisions. All this on loans in the billions, that the poor Fijians will have to pay back.
Whilst billions were being spent on these projects and more than $2.5 million dollars salary were being paid to 12 key Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) staff (FT 07/04/22 FRA 2017-2018 annual report) out of the $10 million salaries expenses for the financial year ending July 31, 2018, Fijians went to sleep hungry with babies crying in their hand.
Out of this the 12 senior management also received $143,315.75 as performance bonus pay. The FRA had 148 employees and paid them $9.2 million in salaries including $824,000 in allowances, in one year alone.
Whilst all this was unfolding, poverty was rife in Fiji, and the Government too preoccupied with either ‘climate change’ or ‘COP-23’ or major infrastructure projects; the poor of this nation continued to suffer, due to poor governance or the unavailability of both Bainimarama and Sayed-Khaiyum during a national disaster.
As these matters were unfolding, the NMW, which was only a dismal figure of $2 per hour in 2014, had just been increased to $2.68 in 2017. This salary would never change until April 1, 2022, some six years later – thus the lowest paid of the poor were stifled and boxed into a very tight spot of survival of the fittest about $100 per week pay, if they had a job at all.
Because of the abject neglect of the welfare of the nation’s poor, and for concentrating all the efforts to make Fiji, the second Singapore of the world – we accentuated the magnitude of the poor. By this time some 50 per cent of Fiji’s population were in poverty or extreme poverty.
Prof Biman attributes all the above to poor governance, alleging that the government is the root cause of poverty in Fiji. He says that prior to the COVID-19, some 258,000 Fijians were already in poverty (FT 08/04/22), clarifying that poverty in Fiji is not due to the pandemic alone.
He suggests that about 150,000 Fijians lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic but only 25,000 had managed to find jobs after the opening up of the economy in 2022, leaving some 125,000 Fijians without any money or help from the government.
To add salt to injury, the only help the Government gave was to a very limited number of Fijians – people with FNPF accounts were ineligible and other conditions stipulated for the $90, $50 and two rounds of $360 for selected people. Many people though qualified to get it, did not and were unable to ask for review, for missing out.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that his government also helped Fijians to the tune of $430 million, is not exactly correct. This was the people’s own FNPF money and the Government in fact asked people to rob their own retirement funds, so as to look after themselves – calling it as an ‘unemployment benefit, and refusing to reimburse these funds back into the members’ account.
The Bainimarama-Khaiyum government has been given millions of dollars of aid money over the years, and also many millions during the disasters in the past, since 2007-2013 under the Bainimarama military regime, and then since 2014-2022 period.
Most of these funds appear not to have brought a single cent in the pocket of Fijians, who I believe have yet to see the results of the many billions of loan dollars that the Government took over the years.
This money has to be refunded by the poor Fijian tax payer. If these funds had improved the living standards of Fijians, we would at least be happy, but so far these loans do not appear to have addressed the populace, living in dismal and penniless situations.
Only an immediate salary raise injection into the Fijian economy of at least $5 per hour minimum, will quickly inject some adrenalin, into the veins of the lethargic, poor and distraught Fijians – already on the sick bed and being fed intravenously.
The best and quickest course of action is a change of leadership, with a new management team from a coalition of the Opposition team undertaking ‘surgery’ to start a revitalising program, for the entire nation. This cannot happen under the FijiFirst who have had 16 years to do something about the poor and the disenfranchised of this nation.
Another four years will mean 20 years – two decades in power. Leaders that long in power, normally do not care about the people, as we can see with the state of the economy, the roads, taxes and charges, and plain arrogance and refusal to discuss matters with the opposition.
The Government needs to be expelled by the same poor, who have suffered for a long time. The poor of this nation need a people’s government to take care of them – to nurture them, to care and comfort them, and to console them back to good health, wealth, vibrancy and longevity.
The poor need to feel that Fiji is their home, and that the government of the day is caring, warm and dependable – one that will look after their affairs. As stated at the beginning, Mahatma Gandhi said that “Poverty is the worst form of violence”.
Fijians need no longer endure any form of violence, least of all poverty. Under a change of leadership and a new management team, things can get better, not worse.
- DR SUSHIL K SHARMA is a former British Aerospace and Royal Saudi Air Force Aviation Meteorologist, Fiji Meteorological Service Manager Climate, Research and Special Services, and Associate Professor of Meteorology, Fiji National University. He is an accredited WMO Class 1 Professional Meteorologist. The views expressed are his own and not necessarily shared by this newspaper
