Nation fails to unite

VERENAISI RAICOLA Friday, August 08, 2008 WHILE Fiji is a land where there is a strong practice of faith there is a strange lack of compassion and togetherness. The draft People's Charter says more and more Fiji people face a bleak future that guarantees nothing but poverty and hopelessness, in the squatter settlements. It says that four out of every 10 persons live under conditions of poverty. A large proportion in full-time employment, constitute the "working poor" as 55 per cent of them earn incomes that are below the poverty line. "Income inequality in Fiji is deep where 20 per cent receive only six per cent of the national income while the richest 20 per cent receive 48 per cent. Squatters often live in unsafe, underserved and overcrowded houses where exposure to pollution and other health risks are greatest. People... [read full story]