Coalition govt is determined to improve the living standards of our people – Rabuka

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the coalition government is determined to improve the living standards of our people, but there are grave challenges confronting us.

While delivering the State of the Nation address ahead of the 2022-2023 National Budget announcement this Friday, Rabuka says these challenges include the debt burden, economic constraints and structural challenges that will take time to resolve.

He says the reality of Fiji’s fiscal crisis demands that we “bite the bullet and take the bull by the horn.”

Rabuka says we know that we will continue to face greater turbulence in the near future.

He says the economic headwinds will now intensify due to ongoing conflict in Europe, geopolitical rivalry and global uncertainty.

The Prime Minister says trust and support of the people are critical to the government’s efforts to resolve the challenges.

Rabuka says at the beginning of 2020, just three years ago, the pandemic disrupted our lives and many lost their lives and livelihoods.

He says our people faced tremendous hardship due to border closures and travel restriction and no one was spared.

Rabuka says that period is one of the darkest moments in living history.

He says the tourism industry was the most affected and more than 120,000 people lost their jobs as a result and thousands of small businesses closed-down.

He says some remain closed to this day.

Rabuka has paid tribute to those who have worked tirelessly to get the industry back on its feet.

He says the last government had played an important role in its management of the crisis.

The Prime Minister further says effects of climate change include more frequent and severe natural disasters.

Rabuka says we have seen this since 2016 and this will continue to disrupt our lives.

He says we, in the Pacific are the most vulnerable and therefore, we will bear the full brunt of climate change in times to come.

Rabuka says today, the world is facing many more new challenges.

He says the war in Ukraine is causing uncertainty and global geopolitical rivalry is playing out visibly in the Pacific and as a nation, we are facing these challenges simultaneously.

Rabuka says together, we have worked hard to restore confidence and uphold the trust of our people, including our Pacific family.

He says since their first day in government, they have worked tirelessly to improve relationships with the government’s development partners.

The Prime Minister says while their political rivals with their rhetoric is that the coalition government is too slow, he says he is proud to say their achievements over the past six months have been progressive.

Rabuka says some may consider these achievements as minor but he firmly believes they are significant in building the foundation for the nation to progress as a truly democratic nation.

He says these achievements include legislative reforms, review of public holidays to truly reflect our multicultural and multiracial society, reinstatement of the Great Council of Chiefs in recognition of their role in nation building and to ensure unity of our people, convening of the National Economic Summit after 15 years, civil service reforms - raising Retirement Age from 55 to 60 years and removal of contract-based appointments in the Civil Service, review of National Security Infrastructure and the establishment of an Education Commission and the Fiji Law Reform Commission.