Racial and religious intolerance has no place in the new Fiji and if we accept this as a country, and if we do this in Parliament, the road to unity as a people is off to a great start.
This has been highlighted by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SME and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica while responding to the President’s speech in Parliament.
He has challenged the Parliament and the people of Fiji – are we serious about unity.
Kamikamica says if like him, they agree that they are serious about unity then they cannot be complacent and they must work together.
The Deputy Prime Minister says there are two other significant keys to unity which are the need to find women and men who put the country first and the second is a Government that listens; not only in words and platitudes but actions and deeds.
He says they assure the nation and the people of Fiji that they will listen.
Kamikamica further says of equal importance is the need to grow the pie or the economic cake.
He says there are a few impediments to doing business in Fiji and this shall be fixed and if we are to prosper as a country, we need to target to grow our economy by 50 percent in the next 10 years.
The Deputy Prime Minister also says that over the next 12 months, they need to review the civil service, perform a fiscal review of the Government, hold a National Economic Summit which shall form the basis of the national strategy for Fiji, conduct a Tripartite Forum and review the education system so it is ‘fit for purpose’ and relevant to the employment needs in Fiji in the 21st century.
Kamikamica further says it is likely that an MSME Bill and the review of the Co-operatives Act 1996 will be on the cards and he has reassured the Parliament that the Co-operatives Act and the MSME Bill will go through a consultation and review process to ensure all ideas are heard and considered.
He says they are mindful of the significant investments made in Walesi and there will be a paper submitted to the Cabinet on the need for a detailed review of Walesi's operations and the future roadmap.
He adds they will deliver on their promise regarding the Media Industry Development Act in order to ensure that the media industry is no longer oppressed.
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