Heated exchanges at Fiji Labour Party campaign meeting in Nadawa

There were heated exchanges on Friday night in a Fiji Labour Party campaign meeting in Nadawa where FLP’s Candidates Leader Aman Ravindra Singh showed the door to about 7 people after he was questioned about certain policies that are being offered by the current government and what the FLP is proposing to do once they get into government.

The resident of Nadawa asked Singh’s reasons for increasing the retirement age to 60 years, as he says if a person that has been in the civil service for the past 20 to 30 years and was still unable to pay off their loans, what would they be able to pull off in the remaining 5 years.

While responding to the question, Singh asked the man if he were sick and were to undergo surgery, would he prefer to be operated by a 25-year-old surgeon or one that is 55-years-old.

Singh also explained why the party wants to increase the retirement age to 60.

Upon being further questioned by the man, Singh got frustrated and he claims that the man who is questioning him is a FijiFirst mole.

The Nadawa resident then said that if he were sick he would just want to get better and it wouldn’t matter to him as to who conducted the surgery.

The man also questioned Singh on why he keeps talking about the FijiFirst as he said Singh should be talking about FLP’s policies. 

Singh then got worked up and claimed that the man was a FijiFirst Party mole in the campaign meeting and told him that if he didn’t like what Singh was saying then the door is open.

The man then left after another group of men questioned Singh as to whether this was a public or private meeting.

Singh told him that this was a private meeting and the man and others stood up and left.

7 men stood up and left and while they were in the process of leaving, Singh said bye FijiFirst to them.

Singh says they will continue the current free school initiative but will also work on providing quality education.

While responding to a question raised by a resident, Singh says teachers are now doing 75% of paper work and are spending 25% of their time with the students.

The resident questioned Singh in the Hindi language as to whether they will continue the free school initiative and the Tertiary Education Scholarship initiatives as under these initiatives, his children have been able to attain themselves degrees.

In response to this, Singh says the current government was not the first to introduce an initiative such as this as the Labour Government had begun the scholarship system back in 1999.