It is without doubt, that when it comes to the real heavyweights in the political field only two adversaries stand head and shoulders above the rest.
The results are clear, as both former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka and PM Voreqe Bainimarama managed to win about 50 per cent of the total votes cast by the public in the 2018 election – just for themselves. They have both been army commanders, Mr Rabuka rising through the ranks of the army and Mr Bainimarama coming through the navy.
I know from personal conversations with Mr Rabuka that he has no animosity or hatred towards Mr Bainimarama and respects him as a PM, and I would hopefully assume that Mr Bainimarama is reciprocal in his respect. They actually have more in common than one might think.
I am aware that they have spent time together during there military years spanning decades. They are similar in age with only a few years separating them and also have a love for rugby – Mr Rabuka representing the nation of Fiji from 1970 to 1977 and Mr Bainimarama being a fan of the game.
I am always a supporter of healing hearts, forgiveness and reconciliation, and even if they are on opposite sides in politics, I am hoping they can be friendly away from the spotlight and not have people around them poisoning there minds with damaging hearsay stories for their own personal or political gain.
In regard to politics, all current and aspiring politicians will see these two larger than life personalities as a lottery ticket to their seat in power at next year’s general election, as their votes alone will probably contribute towards 50 per cent of all the members in Parliament and enable other politicians to get in power with only a few hundred votes.
This is the way our voting system works, and I say good luck to the ones who manage to find themselves in the seat of power with only a few hundred votes, but I must caution all politicians that you are there to serve the public and not serve yourself.
Presently, according to certain polls conducted Fiji-wide, Mr Rabuka is the preferred choice of PM to lead the nation and also his party, The People’s Alliance is the preferred choice of political party to form government. With the momentum now firmly with The People’s Alliance it will be an interesting 2022 as the political arena heats up.
Moving along, it seems that almost all citizens in Fiji would welcome a fair and well debated forum at some point set up in a neutral ground with a neutral moderator for our two leaders.
This is done in most democratic countries and gives the voters a chance to see which candidate would best be suited to lead the country going forward and also gives the public a chance to see fi rst-hand their policies and recovery plans for our nation.
In addition to this they can speak on a host of topics including climate change which is an important topic for our future generations Speaking of climate change, I personally felt the criticism received by the PM on his live interview on climate change was unfortunate. Yes, he did fumble and miss many points and may not have had access to information, but the huge outcry and harsh criticism of him was certainly over the top.
Yes, I might not agree with the PM’s views on a host of topics, but to criticize and berate him on a very personal level in every social media platform available is not acceptable.
On the discussion of debates, I note that Mr Rabuka had a “meet the press” conference and invited all media organisations Fiji wide last week to participate and he stood there for over 30 minutes answering every question put to him.
The previous week, he took the stage to take questions from over 50 members of the business community for almost an hour on a very wide rage of topics and fulfilled his obligation by answering every single question.
Having seen this, I think it is only reasonable that our PM has an open question and answer press conference with all media organisations to answer a host of questions that the public urgently need answers to, especially as the nation is suffering so much at present both economically and socially.
Yes, I agree it could be a little difficult at times, but as a leader of the nation, you have an obligation and are answerable to the citizens of our nation and also have a duty to take on this responsibility.
Media organisations also have a responsibility and that is to ask the questions others won’t ask and get answers to tough questions. The questions shouldn’t in anyway be a personal attack or to discredit, but purely to get answers to how we will alleviate the suffering of the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in our society as they need to be heard and given a voice.
Here are just four questions I am sure the PM can address, as they are urgently overdue and of great national concern:
1. We apparently have the highest rate of unemployment in the history of our nation, what measures have you put in place to address this and what schemes do you have in place for young people leaving school and university as unemployment rates continue to rise?;
2. According to a host of international recognised reports we have almost 50 per cent of our population in poverty.
What have you done to rectify this very serious problem, and what economic and social policies are in place today to combat this?;
3. The government has a huge amount of debt built up over the last couple of years, and continues to borrow. Holding the post as PM and a former minister of economy (Finance), what is government’s total debt? How much is our monthly repayment of this debt? What measures have you put in place to repay this debt, which is now the highest in Fiji’s history; and
4. We have one of the highest rates of sexual violence and domestic violence against women and children in the world. During your time in power, do you feel you have effectively combatted this national shame that burdens all our women and children in this country, who make up well over half the population of our beloved nation. What measures have you put in place and how much funding and technical assistance is specifically directed towards this area of major concern by government on a yearly basis? Please do not take this request as a form of criticism, but purely as an observation.
These questions are put forward to me by the public and I believe all patriotic citizens of Fiji have a right and an obligation to ask these questions of national importance. I am also sure they would appreciate answers to these very important and relevant topics sooner rather than later, as they affect every single citizen of this nation in one way or another.
Finally readers, stay safe during this festive season and lets spare a thought for those less fortunate than ourselves, who maybe living alone, or living in fear, those who may not be able to share in the festivities due to severe economic hardship, and let’s say a prayer of peace, love and guidance for all who call our beloved Fiji home.
God bless!
AJAY BHAI AMRIT is a founding member of The Peoples Alliance party and is also a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are his and does not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
