A Dark Day

We noted with grave disappointment the announcement by the PM that the minimum wage order would be shelved until July. We share the sentiments shared by many when the accusation that the govt. has given in to the elite of the society. For the PM to come out with a ridiculous statement that it is for the betterment of the country, the statement is in very bad taste, particularly if it was said in jest.

We cannot understand why such a decision was taken, particularly when the govt. is supposedly doing what it is doing for the good of the people. Added to this, the Fiji Times today revealed details about PM's leave payout which means that decisions made have been one-sided - for the people in govt. It is indeed a dark day when the people who chose to take the reigns of this country in their quest for truth and fairness do exactly what the previous govt's. were doing and continue to treat the backbone workers of this country like dirt. For a man who has just about everything, the least the PM could have done was allow the minimum pay order to go through. By deferring it, he has not only made a fool of himself as that was his initiative, but also of the govt. which has been, ironically, preaching from the pulpit about fairness, transparency and benefits for the poor. Where has that vision gone to? Has the PM finally succumbed to the temptations of the dollar and decided to let the country go to the dogs? Perhaps we are truly not far from the days when Fiji will become another Zimbabwe.

We are worried. We generally do not speak out against the govt. Our blog of today is meant to show our frustration. Wadan Narsey is quite right when he says that the PM is inept and unable to realize the huge mistake he is making. Father Kevin Barr has taken a firm stand and we applaud his decision. We prefer to stand by him on this issue as we believe that politics should never have been allowed into such a decision which affects the lives of the poor. This scenario has shown many that the govt. is doing what was previously being whispered: taking food from the mouths of the poor and feeding the rich while the poor are left to beg for scraps. We shun such a decision made and we believe that those corrupt individuals who swayed the PM's decision have no conscience as they do not see the poor people's plight. While people such as Solanki drive around in their flashy Jaguars, Mercedes and BMW's. the poor people look for every cent to help pay that daily busfare to get them to work. While the rich sit at home everyday and eat fresh, hot and smoking meals, the poor carefully reheat whatever is left from the day before and try to make the most of that. Everything we do from this day forward will never be the same - we have done what we should never have done: fall prey to the sly and bastardly businessmen. It is a shame and a stain on the govt. which will never wash off and may this day be seen as the day the govt. fell back on its promise to the people