Kumar says people are better off with Govt assistance while Radrodro says the assistance is insufficient

Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar says if you do the cost benefit analysis of the $50 million that the Opposition is proposing and work it against what the Government is offering right now, people are better off with the Government assistance while SODELPA MP Salote Radrodro says a lot of people are struggling everyday to put food on the table and the assistance that has been given out is not enough.

While opposing NFP MP, Pio Tikoduadua’s motion that Parliament approves $50 million from the COVID-19 support aid funds provided by the Governments of New Zealand and Australia to be disbursed as income support to the unemployed and affected small and medium enterprises, Kumar says we do not know for how long this pandemic is going to continue, which means they need to continue their assistance till they are able to deal with the pandemic.

Kumar says that does not mean that for now they just take out $50 million and give it willy-nilly without taking into consideration how long the pandemic will last.

SODELPA MP Salote Radrodro says one just has to read what is happening everyday.

Radrodro adds the cries of our people are also well documented on social media.

The SODELPA MP says she also acknowledges the food rations, $90 and $50 food assistance given out by Government.

She says these are one off and that is why it is not enough.

Radrodro adds that she would like to echo the call by the Fiji CSO Alliance that there is a growing humanitarian crisis.

She says the CSO Alliance also work on empowering women and it is the women who will come forward to look for food for their children and their families.

The SODELPA MP adds because these organisations recognize the dire situation on the ground, they have called for the resignation of the Attorney General.

Radrodro says when the Opposition highlighted this, they were accused by the Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy of being racist.

Government whip Alvick Maharaj then raised a point of order asking the relevance of the statement by the CSO Alliance.