Thirty pieces of silver

Timoci Gaunavinaka Waila, Nausori

Pio Tikoduadua stated at an NFP gathering that he stood for honesty and transparency. He attacked the FijiFirst Party for being a “two men” decision making Government.

But when he resigned from Government, he cited that it was for “health reasons”. Why did he say this to the media and to the nation? How can Pio expect people to believe that he is going to be part of an honest government when he cannot even be honest with himself ?

If he really believed in transparency, he should have begun by clearly declaring to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama his true reason for resigning.

He could not see and accept the simple fact that the A-G is just a brilliant man with a brilliant mind that Fiji needs (not just FijiFirst) more than him. Would Pio have joined NFP if he was just given a place to be a provisional candidate? I think not.

FijiFirst is never a two-men decision making party, but a Government with some of the country’s most brilliant minds who all believed in the same ideology of making Fiji great. How many small islands developing states all over the world has achieved what we have?

1. Thriving economy

2. Free education

3. Decentralisation of Government services

4. $30,000 tax threshold

5. Wide range of infrastructure development

6. Wide range of assistances for the under privileged 7. Presidency of the Group of 77 countries plus China 8. Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly

9. Presidency of COP23 and etc. The New Zealand High Commissioner Jonathan Curr summed it up correctly when he recently stated that Fiji is “punching above its weight”. We can only do that if we had demonstrated good governance to the world. Throughout the Alliance, SVT and SDL governance, we succumb to demands from Australia, New Zealand, the Commonwealth, the US and etc. Today we stand firm and proud in what we believed in and have become a beacon of hope and pride to all Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).