Ovalau likely to be in bag after PM’s whirlwind tour
$4 an hour call from PAFCO group only blip on visit
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has enhanced support for his FijiFirst Government on Ovalau after his oneand-a-half day tour there.
This is despite a lobby from a group of workers from the Pacific Fishing Company Ltd calling for a $4 an hour wage rate. The workers complained that the salary increment of 12.5 per cent was too little, even though it was backdated to January 1 this year. Mr Bainimarama said it was performance-based in the same away workers for Fiji Airports were rewarded.
The increments were based on the profit made by the company.
This issue was the only blip in a whirlwind tour that took in two villages, a group from the Melanesian settlement, PAFCO commu- nity, the business community and residents of Levuka Town. One of the highlights was his visit to the new Nauouo Village housing project. The residents cannot get over the fact that they are now living in modern houses built to withstand future cyclones. The village was devastated by Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016.
A dream came true for a group from a Melanesian settlement when it received a boat and outboard engine that will help the community to fish for food. Two-hundredand-sixty-four people received Micro and Small Business Grants. The people-oriented projects such as the first Legal Aid Office in Ovalau have resonated well with the people. They are likely to have a positive impact on his election prospects on Ovalau.
In the 2014 General Election, he picked up only 2663 votes in the Eastern Division. Ovalau, Lomaiviti and Lau and Kadavu comprise the division.
Mr Bainimarama had a mixed bag on Ovalau. His best showing was at Tokou where he polled 100 votes, representing 23.2 per cent of the total votes cast.
His colleague, MP Netani Rika polled 124 votes. This was one of the two polling stations that FijiFirst did well in.
The other one was Levuka Town where Mr Bainimarama scored the highest with 86 votes followed by Ro Teimumu Kepa at 56 votes. He is expected to do much better in this election after four years of development. The people have told their stories on pages 30, 31, 32 and 34 today.
That is most likely how they will vote come election day. PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY