[Photo: File]

Opposition Leader and People First Leader Inia Seruiratu has admitted the former FijiFirst Government fell short in key areas.

Speaking on FBC TV’s Your Voice program, Seruiratu says the now de-registered FijiFirst Party could have done more to tackle some of Fiji’s biggest challenges when they were
in power.

Seruiratu says accountability, transparency and good governance must be at the heart of political leadership, and leaders must be prepared to acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them.

Reflecting on his time in Opposition and the formation of his newly registered People First Party, Seruiratu says FijiFirst was not perfect and there were areas where its performance needed to improve.

“Issues of governance, issues of transparency and accountability, the issues of corruption and there are a lot of issues that are confronting us today, particularly when it comes to national security, the issue of transnational crime and drugs, the issue of HIV and AIDS.”

Seruiratu says competing priorities, limited resources, natural disasters and unforeseen events often disrupted government plans.

But he says those challenges do not remove the need for governments to assess what worked, what failed and what must change.

One area he says remains largely untapped is Fiji’s rural economy.

Drawing on his experience as a former Minister for Rural Development and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Seruiratu says Fiji has the resources to generate far greater economic returns for rural communities.

He says government assistance must move beyond ad hoc projects and handouts, with clear implementation plans, monitoring and evaluation.

Seruiratu openly concedes this was another area where the previous government did not deliver enough.

He says the real measure of government performance should not be how much money is spent or how many projects are completed, but what changes in people’s lives as a result.

Seruiratu says strengthening rural economies, backing micro, small and medium enterprises and diversifying Fiji’s economic base could reduce economic risks and create more opportunities outside the major urban centres.

He says People First intends to take the lessons, both positive and negative, from previous governments and avoid repeating the mistakes that have held Fiji back.