OUTSPOKEN Opposition Member of Parliament Niko Nawaikula yesterday claimed that Government had failed the poor of this country.
He made this comment while delivering his end of week statement in Parliament on the formalisation of informal settlements in Fiji.
“If it (Government) cannot provide a sense of security, then it should step aside and let us finish what we started many years ago,” he said.
He claimed settlements such as the Jittu Estate in Suva had began organising themselves in an attempt to purchase the land which they wanted to subdivide and share among themselves.
Mr Nawaikula said there was a need for a concrete plan of action that would give the poorest citizens of the country a sense of security.
“Tens of thousands of our poor deserve more than a band aid solution.”
Mr Nawaikula said while previous governments had built a lot of the infrastructure in these informal settlements such as roads and utilities, this government attended to the poor by handing out e-ticketing recharge cards and flood assistance to people that weren’t even poor.
Mr Nawaikula claimed that the thousands of people crowding in parks for various assistance around Fiji was a testament to government trying to win votes.
In response, Minister for Local Government Parveen Kumar said Mr Nawaikula was misleading Parliament.
