Cost of Living Poses Hurdle for Bulou
Lora Bulou wants policies that provide more relief from cost-of-living pressures. The mother of five identified this issue as the most important for many voters in this election.
She made her views known at the People’s Alliance candidate Filimoni Vosarogo’s campaign at the Naulukora Hall in Veikoba, last Wednesday.
She asked Mr Vosarogo on what policies the party had in place to address the rise in cost of living. She said people looked forward to targeted measures in the party’s policies that could decrease the cost of living, which had become a real concern.
“I would like to see the cost of living go down,” she said.
“The cost of living in our country has gone very high in recent years and we are very badly affected. It was hard for me and my husband to support my family.
“Our wage is low, but the cost of food that we consume every day is high. Before we could buy a lot of basic necessities for $100, but now we can’t.
“It’s a topic we would discuss at work. Even though there has been an increase in our wages over the past few months, still we are facing problems at home as the cost of living is high.”
In response, Mr Vosarogo said an economic summit would be held in the first 100 days of The People’s Alliance and National Federation Party-led Government.
He said Fiji’s economic challenges, including the rise in cost of living needed to be the first issue addressed by them, should they form a new Government.
“Engaging key stakeholders is vital to resurrecting Fiji’s economy,” he said.
“We are going to consult labour leaders, workers leaders and we will create a collective vision, policies and implementation framework that will deliver the recovery,” he said.
He said there was a need for a consultation before the Government takes decisive action as decisions made in Parliament would affect the general public.
The Russia-Ukraine war has pushed prices up across the world, and Fiji is no exception.
Fiji’s trading partners, except for China, are expecting a slowdown next year; this is attributed to a synchronised deceleration around the globe.
In the economic review for October, the Reserve Bank of Fiji said higher prices, particularly for food and energy, have created a cost-ofliving crisis that had fallen more heavily on the poor.
The Reserve Bank of Fiji said the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the climate crisis continues to cloud global growth prospects and fuel inflation uncertainty.
“Commodity prices retreated at the end of September, but remained higher than the pre pandemic levels,” the bank said.
“In September, the annual headline inflation rate stood at 5.1 per cent compared to the 5.9 per cent reported in August, and still higher than the 1.5 per cent a year earlier.
“Major contributors to annual inflation movements were staple food and energy prices.
“Risks to the outlook stem mainly from external factors, including the elevated inflation risks, strengthening United States dollar, and the projected global slowdown in 2023.”
The bank said natural disasters and election-induced uncertainty would continue to weigh on economic outcomes.