Manifesto Of Hope & Freedom
Fiji has come through very difficult times since the 2006 coups. The people have faced human rights abuses, dictatorship, bad governance, intimidation, victimisation, harassment, and poor economic and financial management. The reactive management of the COVID pandemic killed many of our loved ones and destroyed our fickle economy.
This Unity Fiji Manifesto gives us hope. Unity Fiji has put together what we believe is an innovative, relevant, and powerful combination of measures that will address our political, economic, financial, and social problems. The strengths of Unity Fiji are in our proven record of economic and financial management which are the root causes of the lack of jobs, rising cost of living, and exploding poverty.
Poverty alleviation is our top priority
Unity Fiji puts poverty alleviation as our number one priority. Unity Fiji will reduce poverty through many fronts:
Education is the key out of poverty
- Continue with the education assistance to primary and secondary students
- Extend free education to the tertiary level
- The write-offs of existing TELS loans
Through our Economic Flagship we will transform the economy and reduce income disparity
Our economic flagship, the integrated Economic Transformation Program (ETP), rides on the backbone of our natural resources. The ETP will provide machines, build processing centers, find markets, provide capital including the establishment of a natural resource commercial bank, and change mindsets. Through the relevant training, the ETP will narrow the income disparity by providing many jobs and incomes to our rural people
We will put more money into people’s pockets
- Raise the income tax threshold to $40,000 and reduce income taxes for those earnings less than $50,000
- Increase the minimum wages to $5 an hour to help pay for the high cost of living
- Reduce border taxes on selected items to reduce prices
- Increase cane price to $110 a tonne to help sugar cane farmers
We will implement other income supporting measures
- Index pension allowances to inflation
- Lift the retirement age of the public service to 60
- Reimburse FNPF withdrawals made during COVID for those earning under $40,000
- Support SMEs through capital grants
- Remove the no jab no job policy
We will improve people’s access to basic services
- Health: Health services have crumbled. Unity Fiji will increase the health budget by $200m to improve health facilities, provide necessary medicines and improve health services.
- Housing: This Government has ignored housing. Unity Fiji will increase the allocation to housing by $100 million to build 1000 houses per year
We will restore our rights and freedoms
- Establish a Commission to review the imposed 2013 Constitution
- Reinstate the Great Council of Chiefs with a clear and appropriate mandate
- Establish a Land Commission to review all land issues
- Review laws including the Public Orders Act and the Media Act that limit our rights and freedoms under the Constitution
- More equitable ethnic distribution of public service positions
We will restore democracy
- Review the electoral and political party’s laws
- Review all other laws that restricts democracy
- Consult the people widely
We will protect our families, and businesses
- Establish a National Security Commission to recommend measures to strengthen national security and avoid political crisis
- Increase resources to the Police Force and strengthen training
- Establish an independent Police Services Commission to strengthen discipline
We will stop corruption
Instances of corruption have increased in the last 16 years. Unity Fiji will stop corruption.- Make the Ministers’ intervention in tender process transparent
- Reform FICAC to be politically independent
- Re‐establish the independence of government watchdogs like the Auditor General
We will heal the wounds of the past
To build lasting national unity, we must heal the wounds of the past.- Establish a Peace and Reconciliation Commission
- Review the compensation to tenants whose land leases expired in 1998/99
- Compensate the strikers at the Vatukoula Gold Mine
- Compensate peacekeepers for their rightful allowances that were spent by the Government
- Address the illegal and unfair dismissals of workers after the 2006 coups
- Recognise minority race including the Melanesians that have helped build this nation
You can access our full 2022 Manifesto by clicking the link below:
You can also access our Manifesto highlights here: