The Opposition has launched a scathing attack on the Coalition Government, accusing it of “lies, deception, and betrayal of trust” following confirmation that 128 seasonal workers at the Fiji Sugar Corporation’s (FSC) Rarawai Mill in Ba are being sent home.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Parveen Bala, said the move exposed the government’s “false assurances” to the hardworking men and women of the Rarawai Mill, who were promised that no jobs would be lost after the devastating fire on 17 September.
“The Opposition strongly condemns the continued lies, deception, and betrayal of trust by the Coalition Government — particularly former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, and Minister for Sugar, Charan Jeath Singh — over their false assurances to the hardworking men and women of the Rarawai Mill,” Bala said.
He said the two senior ministers had stood before the workers and the people of Ba, promising that no one would lose their job and that staff would be temporarily relocated to Lautoka Mill while cane farmers would receive compensation for additional transport costs.
“Their words were clear and recorded in the media: ‘No Rarawai Mill worker will lose their jobs…’ Today, these promises have been shattered,” Bala said.
He said FSC’s confirmation that 128 seasonal workers are being released from November 4 — with only 12 retained for maintenance duties — represented “an outrageous betrayal of the very people who have kept the sugar industry alive through decades of sweat and sacrifice.”
“The lies told by the Coalition Government have real and painful human consequences.”
“These are not just statistics — they are families, parents, and children who face Diwali and now Christmas without income, without certainty, and with mounting despair.”
Bala called the situation a “direct result of negligence, mismanagement, and moral failure” by both the government and FSC, demanding immediate action to make amends.
“If there is honour left in this government, it must immediately pay compensation wages to all affected seasonal workers until the mill resumes operations, cover the loss of income for families who were assured they would be protected, and publicly apologise to the Rarawai Mill workers and the Ba community for the deceit and false assurances.”
“The lies and deception are a kick in the guts for a people already on the ropes due to Coalition Government failures.”
Bala added that the sugar industry “has always been the lifeblood of our nation,” describing the treatment of the Rarawai workers as “a national shame.”
