Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the man known as the architect of modern Singapore, Dr Liu Thai Ker and his team has proposed that Fiji consider development fifty years into the future in order to prepare ourselves for unprecedented growth and migration towards our major towns and cities.
While speaking at the Pacific Urban Forum in Nadi, Bainimarama says too often, whether due to lack of resources and lack of inclination, development in our region has been focused on cheap, short‑term fixes rather than well‑considered, long‑term aspirations.
The Prime Minister says they are thinking differently now, prioritising future growth and development from the start of every development project.
He says Fiji’s 5‑Year and 20‑Year National Development Plans have set out comprehensive blueprints for our national development, with specific benchmarks to measure progress and regular reviews to keep our eyes set on updated long‑term aspirations.
Bainimarama also says that in Fiji today, the government is righting the historic injustice by handing over 99 year leases to squatter families on land they have called home for decades.
He says empowered by the dignity of long‑term tenure, these families see the world through a new lens.
Bainimarama says when parents look to their children, they can think more seriously about the communities they will leave behind, as they can now build to better standards that will last for generations.
He also says that with land as collateral, they can fully step into our financial sector, access loans from mainstream banks and build better, stronger and more resilient homes, business and communal buildings.
Bainimarama also says that these communities understand their own adaptation needs better than anyone else can, and when they are able to think 99 years into the future, they can plan better and they can build better.
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