75% living below poverty line shows lack of vision
‘At the Great Council of Chiefs meeting, chiefs were trying to identify what were the causes of poverty, more iTaukei on the streets begging, more on drugs, more iTaukei criminals.’
The Bible says without vision, people perish. For us iTaukei, we always live on the dreams and the visions of others. It is easy for us to go and work for others, it is difficult to have a vision and work towards it. We always want to be servants.
TIosefo Rovereivalu iTaukei Affairs Board assistant Roko
he lack of vision among family and traditional leaders is clearly indicated with 75 per cent of iTaukei population living below the poverty line.
The iTaukei Affairs Board assistant Roko Iosefo Rovereivalu was quoting from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics report on iTaukei populace.
He is part of the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs team that is conducting training in villages across the country.
He said the secret to success was the ability to formulate a vision.
“The Bible says without vision, people perish. For us iTaukei, we always live on the dreams and
the visions of others. It is easy for us to go and work for others, it is difficult to have a vision and work towards it. We always want to be servants.”
He said most people in villages lost focus because of the influences they encounted.
“For example, an iTaukei is on his way to his farm and then meets his cousin who invites him for a small function at his home. Then they spent the whole day drinking kava,” Mr Rovereivalu.
“It shows that person doesn’t have a vision or goal on what he needs to achieve in a day to meet his or her target.
“We don’t have a programme for what we do. When relatives come to ask for some crops, we tell them to uproot as much as they want. I am not saying it’s not bad to give.”
He cited how, at the Great Council of Chiefs meeting, chiefs were trying to identify what were the causes of poverty, more iTaukei on the streets begging, more on drugs, more iTaukei criminals. “Only 25 per cent of iTaukei are above the poverty line. We are asking the questions of what has happened that led us to this,” Rovereivalu said.