THE Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has warned that a lingering cloud of fear is holding Fijians back from realising their true economic and social potential.
Speaking at the 25th anniversary celebrations of FRIEND Fiji in Lautoka yesterday, Mr Rabuka recounted a recent address to the Fiji Indigenous Business Council where he confronted an auditorium gripped by silence.
“If you live in fear, you’ll never get out of the shell,”he said.
“You’ll never get out of the house. You’ll never get out of your limitations.
Mr Rabuka emphasized that poverty could not be understood through income alone, pointing to broader systemic pressure including the rising cost of living, climate-related shocks, food security, and limited access to economic infrastructure.
“In 2019 the household income and expenditure survey provided a very important baseline reporting that approximately 29.9 per cent of Fijians were living below the basic needs poverty line. We have to recognise other aspects in which poverty may be defined and measured across the nation and also ways in which we can get out of those limitations — do not allow ourselves to be shackled by the notion that we are poor.”
Mr Rabuka said the Government had committed in the 2026-2027 budget to assisting roughly 130,000 citizens through existing social welfare and pension initiatives.
“Achieving higher and more inclusive growth means creating opportunities beyond our major urban centres.
“Rural and maritime communities must be connected to markets, infrastructure, finance, technology, and skills so that they can participate meaningfully in the national economy.”
