There has been a lot of support on Bainimarama’s decision to contest in the general election due to be held in 2014.
Prior to his announcement, there were calls from many parts of the country, particularly rural areas, not to hold elections next year, but allow the Bainimarama Government to continue, “Since they were doing a good job.”
Public submissions
The draft of a new Constitution is now in the public domain for discussion and comment. Public submissions end on April 26, 2013, following which a clearer picture would emerge.
Substantive comments on the Immunity Clause (see Indian Newsilnk, April 1, 2013) would be also available at the end of the feedback period.
New tax incentives
As a part of its initiatives to help businesses grow, the Government of Fiji has provided a number of tax incentives in its 2013 budget.
These include declaring Korovou to Tavua (East Viti Levu) as a Tax Free Region, and a tax holiday of 20 years for the dairy industry and 13 years for the agricultural sector.
This would be in addition to the existing tax free region in the northern division of Fiji.
Fiji welcomes investors and businesses from New Zealand.
Mr Bainimarama and his government will provide appropriate environment to support their ventures, which is enshrined in our overall efforts to improve economic growth and deliver progress and prosperity to the people of Fiji.
As reported in the last issue of this newspaper, Mr Bainimarama was pleased to meet a delegation of 12 New Zealand businesspersons at his office on March 21, 2013.
He briefed them on the investment incentives offered by his Government as well as the on-going infrastructure improvement.
He assured the members of the delegation that they will be provided all necessary support that they may need when they invest in Fiji.
Members of the delegation told the Prime Minister that their visit was highly informative and fruitful and that they were able to obtain facts about Fiji directly, instead of hearing, reading or seeing from other sources.
“What we experienced during our five-day visit to Fiji was totally contrary to what the New Zealand makes out,” they said.
Encouraged by the success of this visit, Radio Tarana Managing Director Robert Khan and I are working to promote the visit of a Fijian business group to Fiji in the near future. We hope that our businesses would consider the possibility of utilising the existing and emerging commercial and investment opportunities in Fiji.
Such opportunities exist in agriculture, manufacturing, food processing, forestry, tourism and hospitality, textiles and clothing, renewable energy and fisheries.
The fact that the Fijian Government is keen to encourage New Zealand entrepreneurs to be involved in the infrastructure development of the country, despite the New Zealand Government’s unfriendly attitude is manifest in a number of contracts awarded in recent months.
These include the F$ 450 million infrastructure upgrading project, the largest in the country, given to three New Zealand companies, namely, Fulton Hogan, Blacktop Construction Limited and the Higgins Group.
I think that the New Zealand Government should renew its love affair with Fiji and help its neighbour in its efforts to achieve higher levels of economic growth, progress and prosperity, and regain its former glory.
Harish Lodhia is Honorary Consular Agent of the Fijian Government based in Auckland. He is seen here with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama during his visit to Suva along with a 12-member business delegation last fortnight. Another report about the launch of a new Airbus A 330 by the country’s national flag carrier appears in this section.
