Narube: Spend wisely, help yourself first
SPEND wisely and help yourselves first.
That is the advice from Unity Fiji party leader Savenaca Narube as families prepared for the beginning of the new school year.
He said another school year began but this time, under the most difficult economic and financial conditions that families had ever faced.
“I urge families to help themselves first and foremost. We must start at our Jerusalem,”
he said.
“In my experience, the most important thing that each family must do is to spend wisely. Education of our children must be at the top. Everything else, like grog and traditional commitments that are of little value, must not be in the budget.”
Mr Narube said COVID-19 had destroyed our economy.
“Tourism will not recover and many more jobs will be lost in 2021. The incomes that families need to survive will be further reduced,” Mr Narube claimed.
“I had visited and seen with my own eyes the devastation in the North from Cyclone Yasa. There is no doubt that families will struggle to fund school uniforms, shoes, books and bags, let alone providing the children lunches.”
“The Fiji Times has published many examples of the struggles and suffering that families are going through right now. This is real.”
Mr Narube also called on communities to mobilise assistance to help their members.
“There is a lot that communities can do. In my view, all that is required is leadership in villages and communities to mobilise help, even among themselves.
“I call on the churches to help their congregations. The financial commitments to the churches will become burdensome at this time. Churches should therefore take this opportunity to lighten the load of their congregations and mobilise help.”