POVERTY in Fiji remains a major social problem.
This is the view of Fiji Labour Party provisional candidate Taina Rokotabua.
Ms Rokotabua claimed people were finding it hard to put food on the table, let alone provide for the other basic necessities of their families.
When questioned of what initiatives she would introduce to tackle the issue of poverty if she was elected into Parliament, Ms Rokotabua said that workers must be paid a fair wage which should be indexed to inflation.
“Life will be more affordable and the standard of living will be raised as a result. Improved working conditions will enhance productivity and benefit the economy as a whole,” Ms Rokotabua said.
She said housing costs should be made affordable so people could live in humane conditions and not in squatter settlements.
“More jobs should also be created to reduce unemployment. Agriculture should be considered a real option and our government intends to make land and housing packages available to those who want to earn their livelihood from farming,” she said.
In her view, the main causes of poverty in Fiji were poor wages, unemployment, lack of education and poor health.
She claimed the income gap between the rich and the poor was very wide and continued to widen because of income inequality.
“I believe that the solution to reducing poverty is to alleviate it directly from the root by ensuring everyone has a guaranteed income and secure employment,”she said.
