Don’t use issues brought by people who seek assistance for political football – Vuniwaqa

Minister for Women Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa is requesting opposition members not to use issues brought to them by people who seek assistance for political football and bring those issues to the ministers as they will help.

She made these comments in parliament in response to SODELPA MP, Niko Nawaikula's post on his Facebook page saying that the Social Pension Scheme for senior citizens has been reduced from $100 a month to $80 and $52.

Vuniwaqa says this is wrong as social pension does not change and it only gets removed when the beneficiary dies.

She says she had found out that the person Nawaikula was referring to was his brother who she advised to apply for the social pension scheme.

Meanwhile, SODELPA MP Salote Radrodro questioned the government’s intent in moving programs for assistance post-TC Winston such as Help For Homes Program from the Prime Minister's Office to the Ministry which is not fully equipped to run the program.

Radrodro also says that social welfare programs is creating a dependency syndrome in the country and the policy to increase the social welfare allocation does not empower people and more should be allocated to the Department of Women for small medium enterprises or projects that women could apply for.

Vuniwaqa says people need to understand that Cyclone Winston was the first of its kind to hit Fiji and as a very responsive government, they had to look around at what is the best machinery in place that could deploy this assistance in the most effective way.

She says it had to be her Ministry as they already have the social protection platform in place and their officers are very well versed with the communities affected by Cyclone Winston.

The Minister also says that the empowerment of women and poverty alleviation does not only belong to her Ministry as they are cross cutting issues that every Ministry has something to do with.