Fiji is at war against poverty - Rabuka

Fiji is at war against poverty.

This was a declaration made by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka while delivering his speech on the budget debate in Parliament today.

Rabuka says he is not merely contributing to the budget debate, but to declare war on Fiji’s number one enemy which is the persistent factors that have plagued our country for too long.

He says his contribution is presented in the form of a set of Operational Orders, an Orders Group comprising Parliament, the Permanent Secretaries, the armed forces, the public service, and the people.

Rabuka says he refers to the clutches of stagnation, poor work ethics, lethargy, underemployment, and underutilised potential.

He says the Budget address by Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, supports the 2025-2026 phase of the Coalition Government’s mission, given by the National Development Plan 2025-2029, entitled Vision 2050, and empowering the people of Fiji through unity, to reclaim our beloved Fiji.

Insert: PM Rabuka on enemy wearing uniforms 14th July 25 MR

Rabuka says the cost of poor leadership, politicised procurement, and over-centralisation of power has not only deepened inequality, but it has robbed our people of creativity and trust.

He says poverty is not abstract, but it threatens livelihood, dignity, and sovereignty.

He adds that metaphorically, it is the mission of the coalition government, led by him as the Prime Minister, to reduce poverty, lift our economic growth, inject industry, entrepreneurship, and innovation, boost workforce morale, and improve opportunities for all citizens, particularly those segments of our society deserving evidence-based development imperative interventions.

The Prime Minister says indigenous Fijians have been labelled as resource-rich, but poor, and they must refuse to accept that label.

Rabuka says the indigenous people of Fiji receive $100 million annually from the TLTB leases and royalties, $1.07 billion from remittances, which is 80 percent of the total remittances of $1.34 billion received, which is an estimated $350 million from wages and salaries.

He adds that the iTaukei per capita resources and land use income survey result given to him by TLTB on the 9th of this month puts the figure at $6,368.10, including remittances received, or $4,562.23, excluding remittances, and $4,394.79, when core income streams only are considered.

Rabuka says all across the scenario, the estimated GDP per capita of the iTaukei population exceeds the national poverty threshold of $2,190 per annum, which is approximately $6 per day.

He says $1.22 billion, or 80 percent is utilised in supermarkets, rent, utilities, and transport, $228 million, or 15 percent is used on buildings, renovations, or purchasing our own homes, and only $72 million, or 5 percent is used on savings and investments.

Rabuka says these figures and trends reflect not only the resilience of these income sources, but also the increased purchasing power of the iTaukei in Fiji's economy.