Former Acting Permanent Secretary for Education Basundra Kumar, former Minister and former SODELPA Vice President George Shiu Raj, sitting National Federation Party MP Lenora Qereqeretabua and medical physician, Doctor John Fatiaki were part of the 33 names announced as proposed candidates for the NFP in the upcoming general elections.
NFP General Secretary Seni Nabou, former civil servant and entrepreneur Amitesh Jeet, academic and former soldier Anirudh Singh, former teacher Arvind Kant, business executive Amen Kumar, businessman Bhavick Kapadia, businessman and community worker Bobby Jainendra Vikash, former Police Officer and farmer Chinsamy, businessman Davendra Naidu, former city councillor Desmond Ben Sagaitu, community worker Felix Parker, businessman Hiroshi Taniguchi, business executive Jayant Kumar, Josefa Tauleka, businessman Khazim Mohammed, former librarian Kirti Patel, community worker Petero Saunivalu, farmer Pita Tuibau, community worker Prakesh Chand Mudliar, former teacher, Sugar Cane Growers and community worker Rajendra Raghlu, farmer Ratu Esava Nabuta, former teacher Salesh Kumar, farmer Satish Prasad, former school principal Satya Shandil, former General Manager Seveci Tora, former teacher and Vice Principal Shiu Dayal, former senator and insurance executive Vijay Nair, former customs executive Vijendra Kumar, and teacher and community worker Vinay Vikashni Lata have also been announced as proposed candidates.
While making the announcement, NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad said today, the 59-year-old NFP is taking a significant step towards reclaiming its rightful place at the mantle of sound and sensible national leadership, as well as accountable, transparent, ethical and good governance of our beloved nation.
He believes the outcome of the elections will put an end to the two-man rule that has besieged our nation for over 15 years.
Professor Prasad says this announcement is the second step towards giving Fiji a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Professor Prasad says the first step was the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, 4 months ago, with the People’s Alliance Party and its Leader, Sitiveni Rabuka.
He says the principles of the MOU define what a post-election coalition government of the People’s Alliance and the NFP will do to ease the burden of cost of living, vastly improve delivery of public health and medical care, raise the quality of education, revive the sugar industry and the agricultural sector, create decent and meaningful paying jobs especially for the new graduates and the youth, prevent wastage and pilferage of taxpayers’ funds by eradicating mismanagement and corruption, and wiping out nepotism and cronyism in both public service and appointments to Boards of statutory organisations and government commercial companies.
The NFP Leader says for the 2018 elections, they released 10 important policies 16 months before the elections on 29th July, 2017, which attracted all sorts of malicious attacks from the FijiFirst government.
He says these were especially their plans to reduce cost of living by zero-rating or making VAT-free basic food and essential items and implementing a phased-in living minimum wage of $5 an hour.
Professor Prasad says they were accused of trying to bankrupt the nation and being anti-business.
He says four years later, the same FijiFirst government, in the dumbest copy and paste job, implemented NFP’s list of VAT-free food and essential items, minus medication, and announced raising of minimum wage rate to $4.01 an hour by January next year. He says this has come too late because the cost of living has escalated on the face of prices spiraling out of control, so more decisive measures are needed.
But he says the government cannot provide anything more apart from a $1 or Saqamoli per day for six months – totaling only $180 for 6 months.
