The NFP has always provided alternative suggestions for the government to consider. We even wrote to the Prime Minister before the COVID-19 supplementary budget to work with the government in formulating that budget.
We all know what was the response of the Prime Minister in Parliament. However, we will continue to offer alternatives and critically examine all government policies as we navigate this severe economic crisis.
First, it’s good to have alternative views. Unity Fiji and its leader, Savenaca Narube, have also provided alternatives for a possible national budget.
We do not agree with all of his recommendations. But that is the point of discussion and debate. We have to look at each other’s ideas, critically examine them, debate them and then come up with the best ones.
And that is why we need an economic summit. The Government has got to stop pretending that they are the only people with ideas. Indeed, the evidence is that it has none at all.
By contrast, people themselves are moving forward with their own initiatives. Many of them collect cash and support specific families.
They are sharing information through social media on how to get help to others. They are working to strengthen their community organisation to provide support.
In the box below we summarise some of the problems we need to share as a country. We raised some of these issues earlier this year. Since then the health crisis has been brought under control (for now), but the economic crisis is getting worse.
Economically we are still not at the bottom of this crisis. And now we understand the health issues better, we know that we must now plan for at least two to three years of severe hardship. The tourism industry may come back in that time, but it will be on a much smaller scale. So we have to think ahead.
Every family must, at some time, face a crisis. Sometimes, it is a death of a loved one, the loss of income from unemployment, of a crop loss or a family member needing expensive medical treatment. Suddenly the family budget must cope with a new crisis.
And in a time of crisis a family comes together to work out what to do. Who can contribute money? Who can contribute time and labour? Who will keep the necessary things going – the cooking, the cleaning, the child-minding?
It is no different in our national family. This is where the Government must show leadership and stop pretending everything is normal. Ministers continue to wander around the country opening things.
All they can talk about is “bubbles” – whether it is the Australia/New Zealand bubble, the “bula bubble” or its “billionaire bubble” (where are the Economy Minister’s “30 billionaires”?).
This is not a time for pretending. This is a time to come together, consult, gain information and share solutions.
Mr Narube is an experienced economist who understands Government economics very well. But, as he explained, even he cannot formulate a proper budget because there is no proper information. That is the first thing we need to share.
Last week, the Health Minister told The Fiji Times that the Government would not provide free lunches to school students in the West because the Government was still “studying the situation”.
But the Government has had three months to “study the situation”.
Meanwhile, TISI Sangam “studied the situation” in its Western schools in one week. It found out that 61 per cent of students in its Western schools had been affected by the coronavirus crisis.
It began a program of free school lunches immediately for 9000 students. Other school owners are being encouraged to follow this lead.
A group of citizens have set up the popular “Barter for Better Fiji” scheme on Facebook. A common item for exchange is “groceries”. This is a great, people-driven idea using the power of the internet. People get value for the things they do not need. They bypass the cost of travelling to markets and waiting for buyers. And this is also a way in which we can give help to each other.
These are two examples of how the Government and NGOs can work together. This is how the Government must re-think this crisis. The Government must leave its own “bubble” and understand that the real power in a crisis like this one comes from people working together and helping each other.
Remember, in the end, the national budget is only about what Government collects and what Government spends. The national budget does not say anything – or do anything – about how we in Fiji can help each other.
The most critical thing right now is to ensure that crisis-affected families have food and cash to survive. This is not just tourism workers. This includes those affected by the tourism downturn, including farmers (farmers are workers too).
But just like a family, we all need to know what only the elders of our national family – the Government – know right now: How much money do we have? How much have others promised to us? Where are they willing to cut spending? How much do they plan to borrow?
If we do not know that we do not know how much money we have got to share with those who need it.
And here is another important point — not every problem we are facing needs money. And many people may not have money to give – but they can share their time, their passions and their skills and experience.
Unemployment has created an abundance of available skills. Why are we not using them while we can and giving laid-off people a chance to help others?
These are just a few of the ideas we can develop if we bring everyone together. Why aren’t we doing it?
In the end, the national budget is only about what Government collects and what Government spends. It does not say anything — or do anything – about how we in Fiji can help each other. That is what we need to do right now.
Questions for a national COVID-19 economic summit.
Government must borrow money in the short-term. But how will we pay it back? Where can we cut Government spending? We must critically review every line of spending. Government still spends unnecessary amounts of money on fuel, entertainment and advertising. This must be cut;
Which capital expenditure projects can be stopped until we get through the crisis?;
Can we ask Australia and New Zealand for urgent cash help, in loans or grants? We should offer them involvement in how these are spent. Just business, the lender can set conditions;
What’s the best way to get food, cash and sanitary products to displaced workers and their families? How much do we need per week? What is the income threshold we must use for pay cuts (on Government employees) and tax surcharges (private sector employees)? How can we create a Solidarity Fund and who should work out how to distribute it? How can we involve businesses, NGOs and unions in the process?;
How do we get “quick wins” which cost nothing? Can we stop pointless restrictions on school fund-raising, stop demanding documents such as birth certificates (which are expensive) and cut the inefficient burden of Government rules and regulations on business? Why is the Government COVID-19 crisis SME grants application form 37 pages long?;
How can Government work most effectively with religious bodies and NGOs who already work with the poor? How do we use their long experience and skills and compassion to help those who need it?;
How can the banks identify low-income people who need access to cash, even on overdraft, if the crisis continues? Can the Reserve Bank support banks with a Government-funded guarantee? How do we use technology to get cash to people, in small weekly amounts, through ATMs and phones?;
How can we support farmers with transport and temporary market facilities in residential areas, to bring local food close to consumers? How can we save consumers’ transport costs and encourages them to buy local produce?;
How can we “use the crisis” to improve lives? Many laid-off people have skills – cooking and nutrition, budgeting and finance, English reading and writing, physical fitness training – which they have time to pass on. How can we bring these skills to those who lack them, so we are a better-informed, higher-skilled, physically fitter country at the end of this crisis?; and
How can we pay attention to the special social and health needs of women and girls? How do we manage the burden of increasing domestic violence as families become more stressed?
- Prof Biman Prasad is the leader of the National Federation Party. The views expressed here are his own and does not reflect the views of this newspaper.
