FijiFirst Leader, Voreqe Bainimarama has accused SODELPA leader, Sitiveni Rabuka for spreading lies regarding the economy.

Bainimarama says Rabuka in his recent video is bragging about things he didn’t do when he was the Prime Minister.

Rabuka has made claims the economy grew by an average of 4.3 percent under his leadership, but Bainimarama says this is a lie and growth was much lower standing at 2.3 percent.

Bainimarama says Rabuka lied again when he said he had the highest growth rate of 8.4 percent in 1998. Bainimarama says the actual growth rate was just 1.3 percent.

The FijiFirst leader says in fact the economy contracted by a huge 6.4 percent in 1987 because of Rabuka, the largest contraction in Fiji’s history.

Bainimarama says Rabuka is also misleading Fijians about government debt.

He says when Rabuka was Prime Minister in 1997, the debt was almost 54 percent of GDP.

Today its 47 percent of GDP which is 7 percent less.

Bainimarama says it would have been 42 percent if the Government had not spent half a billion dollars on TC Winston and the recent natural disasters.

He adds the Opposition is comparing debt between 1970 and 2006.

Bainimarama says this is not right as debt cannot be $1 million in 1970 and remain the same in 2018.

The Prime Minister says under Rabuka’s leadership, Fiji lost the National Bank of Fiji, the Fiji National Provident Fund almost collapsed and taxpayers are still paying for this.

Bainimarama says due to Rabuka’s actions the RBF had to devalue the Fijian dollar twice, resulting in the cost of goods going up and the foreign reserves depleting.

Bainimarama is asking SODELPA and National Federation Party to immediately stop the old style of politics to sway votes.