Minister for Local Government and Education, Premila Kumar says the Fijian government provided significant and critical relief to Fijians to maintain financial stability.
While opposing the motion by NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad for the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs to undertake an inquiry into the causes of poverty, Kumar says this was achieved in a period which was most challenging to Fiji and the rest of the world as the COVID pandemic essentially reset everything.
Kumar adds due to the prudent socio-economic policies of the FijiFirst government, we still have an economy, foreign reserves and liquidity are strong and we are about to embark on an unprecedented recovery.
The Minister says it is unfortunate that the NFP and SODELPA called government assistance to Fijians freebies and handouts.
The motion was defeated in Parliament.
