Villagers of Dravo in Bau yesterday raised their concerns over lies spread by political parties opposed to FijiFirst

They told FijiFirst candidate Pio Tikoduadua that some parties had told them that they would lose their land.

They welcomed Mr Tikoduadua and gave him their endorsement after he had spoken to them.

Rusiate Cevalala, 43, was among one hundred people who gathered at their village hall to listen to  Mr Tikoduadua.

Mr Cevalala said Mr Tikoduadua’s visit to the village had enlightened their minds on some of the things they had been told by other parties who had previously visited the village.

“I wanted to come to this meeting because of the lies being given to us by other parties telling us that we, the indigenous Fijians have no more land belonging to us,” Mr Cevalala said.

“We do not want to believe their lies but this is one of the parties that we have approved because they tell us that we are all Fijians.”

Mr Tikoduadua spoke and elaborated on the party’s land policies, the 2013 Constitution, the party’s education policies and the secular state.

Leba Radou, 50 said she had attended the meeting because she had always supported the party because of the various policies FijiFirst had implemented.

“Previous parties that led government did not fulfil all our needs as people of this country compared to what this party is doing and they also used to just use us to win votes for them and then they forget about us again,” she said.

“But this party has been very good because they regard everyone in the country as equal and also relieves our burden.”

Meanwhile, Mokani villager Niko Rakabuta, 58 said what Mr Tikoduadua told them what had been misinterpreted by other parties.

“Some of the things told to us by other parties about the land being taken away from the iTaukei people have all been lies and the common name, ‘Fijian,’ we have come to know now that we are called Fijian because we are all living here,” he said.

Bau chiefs Adi Litia Cakobau and Ratu Joji Cakobau were also present during the party’s campaign meeting yesterday.

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