Fair lease distributions

Tukai Lagonilakeba, Nadi

Pine landowners of the country are now very fortunate to be receiving their dividends after a long time. A drought of 20 years from the inability of past governments to do the right thing by these landowners.

It is indiscriminate and is rightly their entitlement.

The chairperson of Fiji Pine Group, Faiz Khan, and his board members must be commended for turning the fortunes around in paying off the accumulated millions of dollars of debts for Fiji Pine this year and the dividends amounting to $7 million paid to the landowners.

The board inherited a big debt from the previous governments' appointed board members and the credit must be accorded to our Minister for Public Enterprises and Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum through his very wise choice of highly-qualified board members headed by chairperson Mr Khan.

Government's equal share distribution was lauded by the SODELPA opposition MP Ro Kini Kiliraki in Parliament last week, where he had asked the Minister for Economy to please ensure that the next pine payment be deposited direct to TLTB for equal distribution to all landowners, which is something they have always opposed from its inception.

I feel it is a great acknowledgement from the SODELPA that the FijiFirst Government, through the 2013 Constitution, is doing the right thing by all Fijian landowners, especially Ro Teimumu Kepa and Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, who have always opposed the concept because they will now receive less than what they used to get from this equal distribution of lease monies.

It is equality, chiefs and the rest, but these pine landowners are now very grateful to this Government's visionary initiative and I do hope they will now give up more of their idle land for pine planting and leasing to Fiji Pine Group.

Toso Viti toso.