Praneeta Prakash 
The National Federation Party says Fiji must urgently prioritise growing social challenges as the country looks ahead to future development.
Speaking at the party’s 2026 Working Committee meeting in Rakiraki, Party member and Minister for Women Sashi Kiran raised concerns over a range of issues affecting communities nationwide.
These include child abuse, gender-based violence, youth unemployment, HIV, drug use, and the welfare of vulnerable groups.
She says many of these challenges have persisted for years and require stronger collective action from both government and communities.
“The families are also struggling with different issues in relation to the current economic situation. Older persons, people living with disabilities. So I ask of you, in your own community, what is the future you want to build? How do we want to deal with some of these issues?”
Kiran says government is working to strengthen support systems for women, senior citizens, and people living with disabilities through new policy frameworks.
“We’ve now got a national action policy, and working on towards a law to protect older persons. Disability is another work that is very important, because people living with disabilities are crossing many, many rural areas and urban centers and having limited opportunities. So there has been a lot to do, and I’ll tell you that there’s a lot more to do.”
She is urging party members and communities to take an active role in addressing social issues and shaping solutions at the grassroots level.
