Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the biggest challenge that they are facing right now is that political parties have come together to discredit the good work the Government is doing and has done especially for the iTaukei until today.
Bainimarama highlighted this while opening the Namosi Provincial Council Meeting which was held at Veivatuloa Village today.
He says these political parties do not care about the things that the Government has done for the benefit of the people as we were faced with the pandemic.
Bainimarama says it is known that whenever we are nearing the general elections, there is a lot of criticism about the administration of iTaukei land.
He says landowners should not be shaken by this as all the laws that protect iTaukei land is still intact in the 2013 constitution.
Bainimarama adds that section 4 of the iTaukei Land Trust Act has stated that nothing has changed or has taken away the powers of landowners.
The Prime Minister says there is a lot of misleading information from politicians about the iTaukei Land Trust Act which is commonly known as Bill 17.
He says the only change in the Act is the requirements needed when the person leasing wants to take a loan from the bank to help develop the land. Bainimarama says it does not take away the rights of the landowners as there is no change in the laws as well for this.
He says what the politicians are saying is demeaning landowners.
Bainimarama adds that these politicians have tried to stop schools and businesses from opening post-COVID and this shows that they give up easily and are not fit to form a Government.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that a lot of Fijians living abroad are saying that the iTaukei need to wake up as the election is near.
Bainimarama says he wants people to know that he is well awake and does not need any assistance in waking up as he knows what the people need.
He says these people do not know the truth about what is happening and they use social media to spread false information about what is happening in Fiji.
Bainimarama adds the truth will remain and people just need to look back before this Government and what this Government has brought with it.
He adds that this includes the upgrade of schools, the developments and how children were supported in terms of education.
Bainimarama says from 2014 to 2021, the Government used more than $46 million in the development work in the Namosi Province.
He says this includes $20 million for roads, $12 million for health and $3 million for EFL. Bainimarama says this also includes the construction of the new bridge in Nakavu Village, the new hospital in Navua and the provision of clean drinking water in Waivaka and some other villages.
The Prime Minister says the Government has also come up with equal lease distribution and even newborn children have shares now.
Bainimarama says $29.1 million is currently in the accounts of 27,000 landowners who are below 18 years of age.
He says they can even be millionaires when they take their money.
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